Jacob Bell
New Member
PORTAGE, MI – Medical marijuana is back on the agenda in Portage.
The Portage City Council is expected to resume discussion and vote Tuesday of a proposed ordinance that would regulate medical marijuana as a home occupation.
The next step follows a July 12 public hearing at which four people questioned the proposed ordinance, prompting the city council to table discussion and ask for more information. In particular, the council sought more details involving occupational safety issues and the distance a marijuana dispensary can be located from schools and parks.
The council has asked the city administration to provide more information on those concerns, which City Manager Maurice Evans said he will do. But, Evans said last week, "we're not recommending any changes be made to the proposal."
In January, the council approved a six-month moratorium on medical-marijuana operations or businesses in the city and asked the Planning Commission to come up with a proposed regulation.
The Planning Commission spent weeks reviewing it, took comments from only two people and unanimously recommended approval of the new proposed ordinance. The moratorium ends July 30.
The ordinance amendment is similar to guidelines that have been used for months in the cities of Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids. It regulates the dispensing of medical marijuana, such as hours of operation, parking, number of caregivers and patients, and distances from schools.
The ordinance amendment that is being proposed would allow a home occupation with no more than one primary caregiver who can cultivate no more than 12 marijuana plants per patient. It also allows possession up to the maximum permitted by law – 2.5 ounces for each patient.
The medical marijuana dispensary could not be within 1,000 feet of a school or playground, which Councilman Terry Urban noted seems to rule out several neighborhoods in the city. The 1,000-foot limit is the same distance as used in federal drug-free zones.
Plants would have to be grown indoors, within locked enclosures. Patients can only visit between 8 a.m.-8 p.m., with no more than five patients allowed at one time.
The ordinance would be enforced by the Community Development Department and the Portage Police Department.
News Hawk- Jacob Ebel 420 MAGAZINE
Source: mlive.com
Author: Tom Haroldson
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: Michigan Live LLC.
Website: Portage prepares to act on medical marijuana ordinance
The Portage City Council is expected to resume discussion and vote Tuesday of a proposed ordinance that would regulate medical marijuana as a home occupation.
The next step follows a July 12 public hearing at which four people questioned the proposed ordinance, prompting the city council to table discussion and ask for more information. In particular, the council sought more details involving occupational safety issues and the distance a marijuana dispensary can be located from schools and parks.
The council has asked the city administration to provide more information on those concerns, which City Manager Maurice Evans said he will do. But, Evans said last week, "we're not recommending any changes be made to the proposal."
In January, the council approved a six-month moratorium on medical-marijuana operations or businesses in the city and asked the Planning Commission to come up with a proposed regulation.
The Planning Commission spent weeks reviewing it, took comments from only two people and unanimously recommended approval of the new proposed ordinance. The moratorium ends July 30.
The ordinance amendment is similar to guidelines that have been used for months in the cities of Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids. It regulates the dispensing of medical marijuana, such as hours of operation, parking, number of caregivers and patients, and distances from schools.
The ordinance amendment that is being proposed would allow a home occupation with no more than one primary caregiver who can cultivate no more than 12 marijuana plants per patient. It also allows possession up to the maximum permitted by law – 2.5 ounces for each patient.
The medical marijuana dispensary could not be within 1,000 feet of a school or playground, which Councilman Terry Urban noted seems to rule out several neighborhoods in the city. The 1,000-foot limit is the same distance as used in federal drug-free zones.
Plants would have to be grown indoors, within locked enclosures. Patients can only visit between 8 a.m.-8 p.m., with no more than five patients allowed at one time.
The ordinance would be enforced by the Community Development Department and the Portage Police Department.
News Hawk- Jacob Ebel 420 MAGAZINE
Source: mlive.com
Author: Tom Haroldson
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: Michigan Live LLC.
Website: Portage prepares to act on medical marijuana ordinance
