KALAMAZOO, MI — Residents in Kalamazoo Township will have to wait until 2020 to see the local government’s plans for recreational marijuana businesses, after a draft ordinance was voted down.
The Kalamazoo Township Board of Trustees on Monday, Dec. 9, rejected the first reading of an ordinance to allow adult use (recreational) marijuana businesses, and trustees asked for more information before reconsidering the issue, township Administrator Dexter Mitchell said. A motion to approve the proposed ordinance failed 5-2 during Monday’s meeting, Mitchell said.
The ordinance would have allowed retail recreational marijuana stores, growers, processors, micro-businesses, testing facilities and secure transporters, but would not have allowed adult-use marijuana consumption establishments, excess growers, marijuana event organizers or temporary marijuana events.
Trustees preferred to see an updated version of the ordinance that considers all of the potential business categories, Mitchell said.
“The township put a lot of time putting together medical marijuana ordinances,” Mitchell said, referencing earlier work to regulate and permit businesses serving medical marijuana patients.
“We don’t want to rush through anything about recreational ordinances," he said.
Township staff is now working to add language to the proposal to include other license types, Mitchell said, and the issue will be brought back the board at a future date.
The state government first published details about offering a consumption lounge license type, and others, when announcing emergency rules in July.
“They’re asking people to run down a road at 90 mph with no headlights when the moon isn’t out,” Mitchell said. “We want to tread lightly."
Some municipalities have moved slower on the issue than others, like Ann Arbor, which now has active businesses selling marijuana to anyone 21 or older.
Mitchell said, at this point in time, few municipalities have approved all license types, including consumption lounges and micro-businesses. Kalamazoo Township’s board would like to consider a more complete ordinance, he said.
“I think our board will accept the retailers and growers, they’re no problem," Mitchell said. “We still have to look at all the other things, and the devil’s in the details.”
Recreational sales are happening now at the three retail locations in Ann Arbor, another in Morenci and another in Evart.
In October, the Kalamazoo City Commission approved an action to delay the option to allow recreational marijuana businesses in the city, setting a target date of June 1 to reconsider the issue. In November 2018, the Portage City Council voted to prohibit recreational marijuana businesses, with plans to revisit the issue in the future.
