News » Detroit-area City Bucks the Moratorium on Dispensaries Trend





Most of the cities in the Metropolitan Detroit area have enacted moratoriums to keep medical marijuana dispensaries and businesses out of their jurisdictions while politicians try to figure out what to do with them. One city, Ferndale, has bucked that trend, lifting their moratorium and allowing dispensaries to open their doors.

The city council in Ferndale voted unanimously to amend the zoning ordinance that was blocking medical marijuana businesses from operating and allow business operators to apply for special land use permits for MMJ. Certain restrictions apply, of course, including zoning only allowing marijuana-related businesses in industrial areas and restricting grow space to 20% of the total business area.

One dispensary, which opened before the moratorium, will be grandfathered in and allowed to continue operations. Ferndale Mayor Craig Covey said that the new policy will attract new businesses to the city and called the moratoriums “reactionary policies based on fear.”

Meanwhile, other cities in the area are pushing for outright and permanent bans on medical marijuana and are using federal law to back up their position.

[source Daily Tribune]

[via MLive]

Tags: Detroit, dispensary, Ferndale, medical, Michigan