Rules for recreational marijuana will likely be approved before the end of this month in Waterford Township.
On Monday, trustees will review four proposed ordinances. One will update the current medical marijuana rules. Others will establish zoning rules and the application and licensing process for recreational marijuana.
Township Supervisor Gary Wall said not all residents are happy with the expansion of marijuana sales, but the new ordinances have important practical value.
“This is the big picture … we’re doing this because if we don’t, the cannabis people will circulate a petition and put it on the ballot which will take control away from the township and give it to the state,” he said, adding that under state rules, the township would have to broaden what’s allowed even further than what’s listed in the proposed ordinances.
“It the state decides to allow 40 dispensaries, you have to do it. We want local control,” he said.
Michigan, one of 23 states that allow marijuana sales, is the second-largest market in the nation.
Trustees agreed to allow six medical marijuana dispensaries. Four have already opened, but none have been open for more than a year. The remaining two have had their conditional approval extended to October, waiting for recreational sales to be approved.
Under the proposed ordinances, the township would require any dispensary to have an existing medical marijuana license in order to apply for a recreational license.
Wall…
