Robert Celt
New Member
A temporary ban on medical marijuana dispensaries in the village of New Haven has been extended for another six months.
The New Haven Village Council voted 4-2 on Feb. 9 to extend the moratorium initially put in place last July.
"We still have questions about the zoning for this type of business, and legislation in Lansing is up in the air, so I'd like to have a moratorium package in place," said Trustee Ann Pridemore.
The motion to extend the ban was made by Pridemore and seconded by Trustee Kevin Chandler.
Trustee Dan VanDeKerkhove and Trustee Brett Harris cast the two dissenting votes.
"Have there been any efforts on the part of the council to decide how to approach the issue on a more permanent basis?" VanDeKerkhove asked before the vote.
"I think it was decided last time that until we had some guidance from the state on what direction they were going, it didn't really make much sense to do anything permanent," village attorney Tom Esordi said.
Council members were approached in June 2015 by Josephine Mistretta with a proposal for opening a medical marijuana dispensary in the village.
Mistretta presented a proposal for "Helping Hands of New Haven," offering to rehab a dilapidated building of the village's choice and pay $5,000 to $10,000 a year in licensing fees.
"We want to create an upscale environment in a rural suburban area, (a) unique, safe and inviting resource for patients to purchase their alternative medicine for their medical needs," Mistretta said in her proposal. "The goal is to have a safe, secure environment."
Detroit media organizations have named "Josephine Mistretta" as the manager of Cheetah's, a strip club associated with a deadly shooting and human trafficking. At the time, Mistretta did not respond to requests for comment or to council members' questions about her past.
The language of the moratorium drafted by Esordi reads: "The village of New Haven believes that in light of potential adverse effects upon its citizens, by the use of medical marijuana that could affect the public safety, health and welfare, if certain controls were not placed as to where or how medical marijuana use is carried out, the New Haven Village Council has concluded that until the ordinances are revised that it would be counter-productive if new development or expansion of development relating to medical marijuana dispensaries or a rezoning or special use application for such facilities were permitted to move forward."
Harris and VanDeKerkhove both believe the village needs to stop enacting temporary moratoriums, though they come down on different sides of the medical marijuana issue.
"I think the village needs to make a decision," said Harris. "Either we are going to allow or we are not going to allow. I wouldn't favor any medical marijuana dispensary in the village, and if we had to allow it under state or federal law, I would make it very strict and make it in the industrial district."
Harris said he remained "totally against" the dispensary suggested by Mistretta because the proposed location was the old site of Louie's Restaurant on Main Street. He said he would oppose a dispensary being located on a major street.
"I understand times are changing, but a medical marijuana dispensary could do two things: It could bring financials to the village and it could bring trouble," said Harris.
VanDeKerkhove stressed that a dispensary must be proposed by "someone with a solid business plan, not some fly-by-night operation, but someone who will answer concerns about security."
He said he would vote to approve a medical marijuana dispensary located in the village if he considered the plan "totally responsible."
"I would like to see the village put more time and effort into creating a rock-solid ordinance that puts proper regulations and safeguards in place that would ease residents' minds about any potential drawbacks of such a facility, such as security (and) access to the facility by people who are not there for medicinal purposes, rather than just banning it all together," said VanDeKerkhove. "Quite frankly, I believe medicinal marijuana serves a great purpose for people who have not found aid in traditional medicine, and the societal prejudice against it is as archaic as Prohibition was in the early 20th century."
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: New Haven Council Extends Medical Marijuana Moratorium
Author: Meg LeDuc
Photo Credit: Beth Nakamura
Website: The Voice
The New Haven Village Council voted 4-2 on Feb. 9 to extend the moratorium initially put in place last July.
"We still have questions about the zoning for this type of business, and legislation in Lansing is up in the air, so I'd like to have a moratorium package in place," said Trustee Ann Pridemore.
The motion to extend the ban was made by Pridemore and seconded by Trustee Kevin Chandler.
Trustee Dan VanDeKerkhove and Trustee Brett Harris cast the two dissenting votes.
"Have there been any efforts on the part of the council to decide how to approach the issue on a more permanent basis?" VanDeKerkhove asked before the vote.
"I think it was decided last time that until we had some guidance from the state on what direction they were going, it didn't really make much sense to do anything permanent," village attorney Tom Esordi said.
Council members were approached in June 2015 by Josephine Mistretta with a proposal for opening a medical marijuana dispensary in the village.
Mistretta presented a proposal for "Helping Hands of New Haven," offering to rehab a dilapidated building of the village's choice and pay $5,000 to $10,000 a year in licensing fees.
"We want to create an upscale environment in a rural suburban area, (a) unique, safe and inviting resource for patients to purchase their alternative medicine for their medical needs," Mistretta said in her proposal. "The goal is to have a safe, secure environment."
Detroit media organizations have named "Josephine Mistretta" as the manager of Cheetah's, a strip club associated with a deadly shooting and human trafficking. At the time, Mistretta did not respond to requests for comment or to council members' questions about her past.
The language of the moratorium drafted by Esordi reads: "The village of New Haven believes that in light of potential adverse effects upon its citizens, by the use of medical marijuana that could affect the public safety, health and welfare, if certain controls were not placed as to where or how medical marijuana use is carried out, the New Haven Village Council has concluded that until the ordinances are revised that it would be counter-productive if new development or expansion of development relating to medical marijuana dispensaries or a rezoning or special use application for such facilities were permitted to move forward."
Harris and VanDeKerkhove both believe the village needs to stop enacting temporary moratoriums, though they come down on different sides of the medical marijuana issue.
"I think the village needs to make a decision," said Harris. "Either we are going to allow or we are not going to allow. I wouldn't favor any medical marijuana dispensary in the village, and if we had to allow it under state or federal law, I would make it very strict and make it in the industrial district."
Harris said he remained "totally against" the dispensary suggested by Mistretta because the proposed location was the old site of Louie's Restaurant on Main Street. He said he would oppose a dispensary being located on a major street.
"I understand times are changing, but a medical marijuana dispensary could do two things: It could bring financials to the village and it could bring trouble," said Harris.
VanDeKerkhove stressed that a dispensary must be proposed by "someone with a solid business plan, not some fly-by-night operation, but someone who will answer concerns about security."
He said he would vote to approve a medical marijuana dispensary located in the village if he considered the plan "totally responsible."
"I would like to see the village put more time and effort into creating a rock-solid ordinance that puts proper regulations and safeguards in place that would ease residents' minds about any potential drawbacks of such a facility, such as security (and) access to the facility by people who are not there for medicinal purposes, rather than just banning it all together," said VanDeKerkhove. "Quite frankly, I believe medicinal marijuana serves a great purpose for people who have not found aid in traditional medicine, and the societal prejudice against it is as archaic as Prohibition was in the early 20th century."
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: New Haven Council Extends Medical Marijuana Moratorium
Author: Meg LeDuc
Photo Credit: Beth Nakamura
Website: The Voice