The current state of medical marijuana dispensaries in Michigan reminds me a lot of how things were in Oregon before the Oregon Legislature passed medical marijuana dispensary regulations in 2013. Medical marijuana dispensaries have existed for quite awhile now in Michigan, just as they did in Oregon well before 2013. Medical marijuana dispensaries are here to stay in Michigan, which is something that city leaders in Detroit seem to be recognizing because it sounds like they are drafting rules to regulate such establishments. Per Marijuana Business Daily:
Detroit officials are finalizing a draft of proposed regulations on the city’s dispensaries, which continue to pop up like dandelions even though they are technically illegal under state law.
Councilman James Tate said he’s putting final touches on an ordinance to govern the city’s growing number of unregulated dispensaries amid concerns that the businesses are fostering violence and engaging in unscrupulous activities.
Proposed regulations in an early draft would require dispensaries to become licensed by the city and locate at least 2,000 feet away from a school, daycare, city recreation center, library or museum. They would also have to be at least 1,000 feet from other dispensaries.
I think it’s interesting that no one seems to be sure how many medical marijuana dispensaries are in Detroit. I hope that each and everyone of them is doing something to try to make sure that the medical cannabis community is represented properly at public meetings. In a better scenario, the State of Michigan would step up and pass reasonable regulations. But until then, these will be the rules that are enforced in Detroit, so I hope for the sake of patients and dispensary operators that they are fair and represent what the cannabis community needs to ensure quality safe access to medicine.
