What Do New Medical Marijuana Laws Mean For Detroit’s Many Dispensaries?
The number of provisioning centers is already dropping under Detroit’s own dispensaries law.
Big changes are coming to Michigan’s medical marijuana system. Gov. Rick Snyder has signed new laws that give cities more power to regulate provisioning centers, including deciding where they locate and their hours of operation.
For the city of Detroit, officials say that means more ammunition to shut down provisioning centers – also known widely as dispensaries – it feels are causing a public nuisance.
The number of dispensaries boomed in Detroit after voters approved Michigan’s Medical Marijuana Act in 2008. City officials say it created a “chaotic” situation.
Detroit Corporation Counsel Melvin “Butch” Hollowell tells WDET’s Jake Neher that city leaders are cheering the new laws. He says the city has been asking state lawmakers for stricter regulations for months.
“It was a long time in coming,” says Hollowell. “I think that the Legislature understands that Detroit has particular needs because of the number of facilities that have opened up in our city.”
Detroit passed its own ordinance regulating dispensaries earlier this year. Hollowell says the number of shops has shrunk from about 270 to 210 since the city enacted that law.
To hear the Hollowell’s full conversation with Neher, click on the audio player above.
