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A bill to allow municipalities to regulate medical marijuana dispensaries was passed in the state House Thursday by a landslide 95-14 vote. The bill defines a "provisioning center" as an entity "that acquires, possesses, manufactures, delivers, transfers, or transports medical marihuana and sells, supplies, or provides medical marihuana to registered qualifying patients, directly or through the patients' registered primary caregivers."
Provisioning centers include any commercial property where medical marijuana is sold to registered qualifying patients and registered primary caregivers. It also defines "safety compliance facilities" as operations where usable marijuana is tested for quality control. Similar rules apply for both kinds of facilities. Rep. Greg MacMaster, R-Kewadin, is one of the bill's 28 co-sponsors. The bill still requires a Senate vote.
Under the bill, municipalities may enact ordinances to allow and regulate, or ban, provisioning centers and safety compliance facilities within their boundaries. They may enact ordinances or further regulations and can charge a license fee. "It's great to see such overwhelming bipartisan support from the state Legislature," said Andrew Driver, vice chairman of the National Patients Rights Association and former owner of Choice Collective in Gaylord. "This vote proves that the Legislature is serious about providing safe and clean access to patients that need it most."
At the state level, such facilities cannot employ felons or share space with a physician and must have a security system enabled. Unless explicitly allowed in an ordinance, facilities may not be located within 1,000 feet of a school. The bill was introduced in February on the heels of a Feb. 8 opinion by the Michigan Supreme Court which ruled existing law does not allow facilities where marijuana is sold or transferred. Following that ruling, Attorney General Bill Schuette notified the state's 83 county prosecutors that such facilities can be shut down as public nuisances.
At one point, Gaylord had six dispensaries within its limits. Neither Gaylord or Otsego County have enacted any kind of ordinance, while the village of Vanderbilt enacted a zoning ordinance in 2012 that could permit one more dispensary within its limits. City attorney Steve Dubois and Otsego County Prosecutor Mike Rola both said Monday that they will take a wait-and-see approach and make recommendations to their respective boards if a final bill is passed.
The bill is a revised version of House Bill 5580, dubbed the "Safe Access bill," which was presented last year but never moved forward. A related bill, House Bill 5104, also passed Thursday and defined edible marijuana products, or "medibles," as being made with marijuana extracts. That bill passed 100-9.
News Moderator - The General @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Petoskeynews.com
Author: Chris Engle
Contact: Contact Us
Website: Medical marijuana dispensary regulation bill passes state House
Provisioning centers include any commercial property where medical marijuana is sold to registered qualifying patients and registered primary caregivers. It also defines "safety compliance facilities" as operations where usable marijuana is tested for quality control. Similar rules apply for both kinds of facilities. Rep. Greg MacMaster, R-Kewadin, is one of the bill's 28 co-sponsors. The bill still requires a Senate vote.
Under the bill, municipalities may enact ordinances to allow and regulate, or ban, provisioning centers and safety compliance facilities within their boundaries. They may enact ordinances or further regulations and can charge a license fee. "It's great to see such overwhelming bipartisan support from the state Legislature," said Andrew Driver, vice chairman of the National Patients Rights Association and former owner of Choice Collective in Gaylord. "This vote proves that the Legislature is serious about providing safe and clean access to patients that need it most."
At the state level, such facilities cannot employ felons or share space with a physician and must have a security system enabled. Unless explicitly allowed in an ordinance, facilities may not be located within 1,000 feet of a school. The bill was introduced in February on the heels of a Feb. 8 opinion by the Michigan Supreme Court which ruled existing law does not allow facilities where marijuana is sold or transferred. Following that ruling, Attorney General Bill Schuette notified the state's 83 county prosecutors that such facilities can be shut down as public nuisances.
At one point, Gaylord had six dispensaries within its limits. Neither Gaylord or Otsego County have enacted any kind of ordinance, while the village of Vanderbilt enacted a zoning ordinance in 2012 that could permit one more dispensary within its limits. City attorney Steve Dubois and Otsego County Prosecutor Mike Rola both said Monday that they will take a wait-and-see approach and make recommendations to their respective boards if a final bill is passed.
The bill is a revised version of House Bill 5580, dubbed the "Safe Access bill," which was presented last year but never moved forward. A related bill, House Bill 5104, also passed Thursday and defined edible marijuana products, or "medibles," as being made with marijuana extracts. That bill passed 100-9.
News Moderator - The General @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Petoskeynews.com
Author: Chris Engle
Contact: Contact Us
Website: Medical marijuana dispensary regulation bill passes state House
