Pubdate: Fri, 16 Apr 2010
Source: Daily Tribune, The (Royal Oak, MI)
Copyright: 2010 The Daily Tribune
Contact:  http://www.dailytribune.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1579
Author: Catherine Kavanaugh
Referenced: Michigan Medical Marihuana Program 
http://drugsense.org/url/nDFeNDPs
Referenced: Michigan's law http://drugsense.org/url/8mvr7sW8
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/Michigan+medical+marijuana
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?253 (Cannabis - Medicinal - U.S.)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/dispensaries

ROYAL OAK MEDICAL MARIJUANA ZONES ON HOLD

ROYAL OAK - The city put proposed medical marijuana zones on the back 
burner indefinitely Thursday.

A zoning ordinance amendment that would allow "clinics" with special 
land use permits in general business districts was pulled from City 
Commission agendas on April 5 and now April 19.

Mayor James Ellison said elected officials need to focus on the 
2010-12 city budget, which has a $16 million shortfall, before 
dealing with gray areas of the state law passed to allow qualified 
patients to use medical marijuana.

"We can hold off on medical marijuana," Ellison said.  "We're still 
waiting for the state to flush out the rules. But we've got to have a 
budget in place by July 1. We've got a couple months of hard work 
ahead of us on it."

Ellison also canceled his May 4 State of the City address until he 
knows how the budget will be balanced.  Layoffs, concessions, 
retirements and service cuts are being discussed.

Eighty-four percent of Royal Oak's annual $37 million general fund 
budget is spent on personnel. Cutting costs will mean cutting the 
number of employees. Up to 72 municipal workers could be laid off, 
including 35 police officers and 23 firefighters. That's a worst-case 
scenario based on a level hit to all departments if no contract 
concessions are reached and no retirements occur.

City Manager Donald Johnson is meeting with unions and preparing for 
extra budget sessions with the commission, which are set for May 10, 12 and 20.

After the budget is passed, Ellison said he will be ready to talk 
about the State of the City.

"I'd rather go out and say, 'This is how it's going to be,'" Ellison 
said. "I want to have a handle on where we're at so the address will 
be after July 1."

So will the proposed zoning amendment. On March 9, the Plan 
Commission voted 7-1 to recommend the City Commission allow 
caregivers to "receive" medical marijuana patients at "clinics"- a 
change from the word "dispensary"- in general business districts only.

The proposed amendment would ban caregivers, who can grow up to 12 
plants each for five qualified patients, from having patients visit 
their house to get their medical marijuana.

The amendment wouldn't prevent caregivers from going to the houses of 
qualified patients or a spouse/roommate who lives with a patient from 
being the caregiver.

"As it's proposed, a caregiver can grow in a residential area but a 
qualified patient can't go to their house. They can't distribute from 
their house," City Attorney David Gillam said.

The legalization of medical marijuana got wide support from Michigan 
voters in 2008 as a compassionate form of relief for patients 
suffering from cancer, multiple sclerosis and painful diseases. They 
can grow up to 12 plants for themselves or get it from a primary 
caregiver, who can grow up to 60 total plants for five patients.

The state law doesn't address how caregivers will supply their 
patients, however. Royal Oak is trying to set guidelines in its 
zoning ordinance.

"It's not a perfect law but we're trying to give people the ability 
to do it," Ellison said.

Planning Director Tim Thwing said the term dispensary was changed to 
clinic to reflect its limited service compared to dispensaries in 
California, which also sell paraphernalia.

Gillam put it this way: "The Planning Department wants to clarify the 
actual function of use."

Police Chief Christopher Jahnke predicts the use of his department 
will increase if Royal Oak allows medical marijuana clinics in 
general business districts, which include Woodward Avenue, Main 
Street north of the downtown, and some parts of Coolidge Highway and 
14 Mile Road.

Jahnke recommends the city ban medical marijuana clinics instead of 
regulating them. The chief points to Livonia's recently adopted 
ordinance that prohibits businesses in violation of federal law. City 
officials there say possession of marijuana violates federal law.

Royal Oak's elected officials also could declare a moratorium on 
medical marijuana facilities.

"More and more places seem to be doing that," Gillam said. "A lot of 
communities hope more direction will come from the state soon."

Roseville officials do. The Macomb County city is believed to be the 
first in Michigan to amend its zoning ordinance to allow medical 
marijuana dispensaries that can grow up to 60 plants in office, 
business and industrial districts if the store or structure is not 
within 1,000 feet of another dispensary, church, school or residence.

However, Roseville enacted a moratorium about seven weeks ago when 
city officials learned the Michigan Department of Community Health 
wouldn't monitor the product and record keeping, according to Glenn 
Sexton, the city's building director.

"That department is the agency that regulates the Medical Marihuana 
Act but they came out with a legal opinion that the act doesn't 
address dispensaries so they are not going to regulate them," Sexton 
said. "We issued a moratorium until the state health department works 
out their issues."

Roseville had set up a number of restrictions on dispensaries. 
Growing had to be done indoors and no one could enter except for the 
operators, their employees, patients and guardians of patients under 
the age of 18.

Smoking or consumption of medical marijuana wasn't allowed at the 
site or in the vicinity and paraphernalia could only be sold to 
qualified patients.

"I thought we had it all covered," Sexton said. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake