Voters Say ‘Yes’ to Marijuana Proposals – How Does City of Detroit Move Forward?

“We’re going to have to make this work. It will mean some changes.”

Jake Neher/WDET

Two proposals easing many regulations on medical marijuana facilities are now law in Detroit. That’s after voters approved both ballot measures on Tuesday.

What does that mean for a city that has been trying to crack down on unlicensed medical marijuana dispensaries and grow operations?

City of Detroit Corporation Counsel Melvin “Butch” Hollowell — who has taken a lead role in enforcing Detroit’s medical marijuana laws — joins Detroit Today with Stephen Henderson to talk about what the new laws will mean and how the city plans to enforce them.

“We’re going to have to make this work,” says Hollowell. “It will mean some changes.”

Hollowell says one challenge is that the new laws opt Detroit into the state’s new licensing system for marijuana facilities and transporters.

Click here to hear Detroit City Councilman James Tate and Jonathan Barlow of Citizens for Sensible Cannabis Reform debate these measures.

“So we’re going to have to work with the state on how those rules are written and how people get those licenses.”

Hollowell also talks about the Detroit mayor’s race, in which his boss, Mayor Mike Duggan, won 72 percent of the vote to his challenger state Sen. Coleman Young II’s 28 percent.

Click on the audio player above to hear the full conversation.

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  • Detroit Today
    Dynamic and diverse voices. News, politics, community and the issues that define our region. Hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Stephen Henderson, Detroit Today brings you fresh and perceptive views weekdays at 9 am and 7 pm.