Detroit council passes restrictions on pot dispensaries

[maverick1]

The impression I get is that the churches didn't want them anywhere in the city. Are dispensaries that much of a problem? I would think Detroit would try to be at the forefront of legal marijuana

http://www.freep.com/story/news/loca...ries/77483282/

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[Honky Tonk]

It's not easy being green.

[Kevgoblue]

[[I guess) I can see why a church doesn't want a dispensary as their next door neighbor. But not really sure I understand why there would be restrictions on proximity to other dispensaries, liquor stores or strip clubs. Where should they set up shop.... in the middle of a residential neighborhood?

[Shai_Hulud]

I don't know if they have been causing problems.

I do know that at the rate they have been popping up they would soon rival the beauty supplies, liquor stores, cell phone stores and beauty/barber shops for most city real estate.

[Hypestyles]

who owns the facilities? Are taxes paid to the city, county and/or state?

[detroitsgwenivere]

Scott Benson, the prestigious figure being discussed in this article:

http://www.freep.com/article/2014082...I-Scott-Benson

The same guy who spearheaded this fight, was on Frank Beckman this morning making false statements to the point that even the conservative host, who doesn't support recreational use, had to comment on the obvious untruths.

If we're going to target businesses based on their track record of criminal activity, then why aren't we going after every gas station, booby bar, regular bar, car lot, party store, ATM, rental hall, parking lot, and Casino in town in similar fashion?

I can see going after the usual zoning dilemmas, signage, licensing, etc. But treating a legit dispensary in any other manner other than a pharmacy or liquor store shows personal and political bias IMO.

And of course my rep wasn't even present for the vote. I support regulation through a public referendum, since it was Detroit voters who voted to decriminalize marijuana, and Michigan voters who voted in favor of medical marijuana in the first place.

[archfan]

Why I can't be a consultant: I could never say 420 Dank "has become a valuable member of the community" without smirking.

[Zacha341]

I'll have a cheese burger with that green, and a side of fries and a red pop!

Eh, well not so fast -- restaurant Bams Burger on the west side really tried to push the 'Have It Your Way' option selling weed, etc along with your munchies:

http://www.fox2detroit.com/news/loca...58353322-story

It's not easy being green.

[Zacha341]

Brilliant marketing! Nothing oblique there. I like that they get right to the point! You know what your getting and you know it will be potent. After all the dispensaries are in competition with each other like any other business!

As I mentioned in other posts here the proliferation of dispensaries here in the D says alot about the business model. As to what it was going to be able to accomplish short run, um, respective [[yeah right) of the community at large.

Particularly as it was allowed to flourish without ordinance this long.

Why I can't be a consultant: I could never say 420 Dank "has become a valuable member of the community" without smirking.

[Zacha341]

Ownership? Quite variable I would imagine. And not who one would think necessarily. Taxing coming in a minute for certain.

who owns the facilities? Are taxes paid to the city, county and/or state?

[Zacha341]

I hear you. The church community wasn't the only city segment wanting zoning/ ordinances applied to the dispensaries. What other businesses are allowed to start without some guidelines and ordinances? The marijuana dispensaries were given a pass for a while, let the good times roll. If anything the government is an ever increasing presence in private business, even to open a laundry mat! For example the dispensaries cannot be within a certain proximity of a k12 school. Who disagrees? Clergy only?

On to the broader marketing and branding tip, driving and living in the D is a trip at night as the green bulb and neon signage light the [[160+) dispensaries especially in the denser areas where they're literally corner to corner. I've noted that a couple of used car lots and liquor stores etc., [[even a collision shop) have adopted to using the bright green lighting and green neon's as well. There's a new neon lighting business in the city too. Hah!

[[I guess) I can see why a church doesn't want a dispensary as their next door neighbor. But not really sure I understand why there would be restrictions on proximity to other dispensaries, liquor stores or strip clubs. Where should they set up shop.... in the middle of a residential neighborhood?

[Danny]

Good for you all Detroit City Council. Finally they did something right without bickering! Let those pot shops away from churches, parks and public schools. prepare to closed down those Green Cross WEEDS "R" US stores.

[Gannon]

Churches should be under fierce restrictions as well, so they don't go all evangelically crazy opening storefront missions on every block now.


I believe it is time to open a Detroit version of this church. They claim to already have one in Michigan somewhere.


Would LOVE to see what this idiotic council does with that.

[Gannon]

And Danny, please. It is CANNABIS. Stop using derogatory terms, it makes your errant bias too obvious.

[Danny]

I'm tired of looking of these green cross stores. Green cross stores this, green cross stores that. Its a hot spot for crime. A local church don't have too look at the green cross "WEEDS R US" location next door, next block and across the street. It's time to put those pot shops out the city, like a farm.

[Jimaz]

...I believe it is time to open a Detroit version of this church. They claim to already have one in Michigan somewhere....

That echoes back to NAC's Peyotism except, I believe, NAC's sacrament was grandfathered in.

There was a movement back in the 70s called the Church of The Tree of Life that claimed all then-legal drugs as sacraments. It was an attempt to arrest further encroachment by government in these areas using the Peyotism exception as a model. Of course marijuana was already illegal so it wouldn't have had an effect there.

[Jimaz]

I found some more about the Church of the Tree of Life here.

On November 3, 1971, founder John Mann legally incorporated The Church of the Tree of Life in the state of California. This church was created in order to declare those visionary plants and drugs that had not been scheduled to be sacraments. The church hoped to shield members who used any of their stated sacraments if the government tried to make these entheogens illegal in the future, by using a “freedom of religion” defense. In 1972, church staff produced The First Book of Sacraments of the Church of the Tree of Life: A Guide for the Religious Use of Legal Mind Alterants. The original edition of this book made no mention of 5-MeO-DMT. However, a 1973 booklet Legal Highs: A Concise Encyclopedia of Legal Herbs and Chemicals with Psychoactive Properties included 5-MeO-DMT, noting that “the Church of the Tree of Life has declared as its religious sacraments most substances in this book.”

[Zacha341]

Back to the subject of the ordinances to be applied 3/1/2016:

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20151217/NEWS/151219807/city-council-passes-zoning-ordinance-to-regulate-medical-marijuana

From article:

After more than four hours of legal and council discussion and dozens of city resident comments, the Detroit City Council on Thursday evening approved by a vote of 6-1 a zoning ordinance that experts say could close up to half of the city’s medical marijuana dispensaries.

The ordinance is effective March 1.

Detroit City Councilman Scott Benson was the dissenting vote.

After heated debate over whether to include or eliminate certain commercial districts from the ordinance, the council voted not to eliminate B2 and B4 zoning districts, which include strip centers and individual stores, thereby allowing dispensaries to locate in those districts.

In addition to these commercial districts, dispensaries are allowed to locate in four types of industrial zones.

The zoning ordinance, originally created by Detroit City Councilman James Tate earlier this year, dictates that a dispensary within these designated zones be:

• 1,000 feet from Drug Free Zones including arcades, child care centers, educational institutions, libraries, outdoor recreation facilities, schools and youth activity centers.
• 1,000 feet from another medical marijuana caregiver center.
• 1,000 feet from a controlled use.
• 1,000 feet from a park under the jurisdiction and control of the city recreation department.
• 1,000 feet from a religious institution that is exempt via the city assessor.

...Given the new zoning regulations, city attorneys came up with 651 parcels that would qualify as a site for a dispensary. The majority of the sites, 513, are in B4 zoning districts.

Detroit has more than 150 medical marijuana dispensaries. Matthew Abel, a Detroit-based criminal defense attorney with the Cannabis Counsel and an activist for changes in marijuana laws, predicted that at least half of the dispensaries will close because of the tighter zoning rules.

[One Shot]

These places along with party stores,vape shops, used car lots have one thing in common. Smoke and mirrors ownership running a cash business. This means scamming you and the government. They know their customers are too stupid to know any better. I watched the debate on tv and the one guest brought up the fact that each "caregiver" can only have 5 patients. How do they afford a building and overhead on 5 people? Where are they getting the weed from?

[Zacha341]

^^^^ Shhhsss... Eh, ummm, you're asking WAY, way too many questions......

Granted of course there are some are playing by the eh, rules relative to state policy for use. But on the not so LOW-LOW, there's a whole subset ala the eh' 'card n' caregiver' thing shot full of holes of corruption! These shops did not come about to be 'broke', benevolent, and or non profit. Smoke and mirrors indeed. Hah!

RE. Used car lots... well you do have to be careful and discerning but I purchased my last car from one. Paid about $700 more than I would have a private owner but I checked the vin etc. and fewer people are selling cars out of their driveways as before.

[Bong-Man]

This whole episode is a perfect example of why the City of Detroit is f*cked up. You would think a bankrupt city might want a part of the revenue being experienced in Colorado. 2.9% sales tax, 15% additional tax on retail sales, and an additional tax on wholesale. That's not counting any taxes from their property. $45 million dollars of possible revenue going straight down the drain, and this occurs as people are losing their access to water and pensions. What a joke. Tell me...who's getting paid to look the other way when this stuff is delivered to these shops ? My favorite is the sign, "Doctor on duty 24 hours for card authorization". Hell...there isn't a Doctor on duty at a real clinic ! There's more pot shops now in Detroit than Denver. No regulation, no security standards, selling chemical grown crap, but everybody's happy because we got our 'medicine'. WTF ??? Who gets busted or shut down between now and March 1st ?....anyone that hasn't grease some palms. I'm all for weed legalization, but this is the only place in America this would be allowed to happen. From local law enforcement to our State legislators, this is a sad episode.

[Jimaz]

^^^ And this is from Bong-Man! ROTFLMAO!

I find it fascinating that they didn't set up this stuff to be distributed through existing pharmacies. Pharmacies already had the systems in place to control these things.

[softailrider]

These places along with party stores,vape shops, used car lots have one thing in common. Smoke and mirrors ownership running a cash business. This means scamming you and the government. They know their customers are too stupid to know any better. I watched the debate on tv and the one guest brought up the fact that each "caregiver" can only have 5 patients. How do they afford a building and overhead on 5 people? Where are they getting the weed from?

That's the question I've been asking for months, where the hell is all the weed coming from? If anyone has an answer I'd really like to hear it.

[Bong-Man]

Someone who makes a delivery of any quantity is subjecting themselves to a felony charge. Who is taking that risk without some assurances they aren't going to be popped ? State Troopers are patrolling the roads. I read these articles, I see the green shops, I see and read about the customers, and I'm floored. Can you imagine a citizen on the North side of 8 Mile getting stopped and busted for simple possession by suburban police while staring at "The House of Dank" ? It's like Monday Night Football....C'MON MAN !

[Honky Tonk]

Read the articles and some of the posts here. Pot still carries a stigma attached to it. My guess is AMA "legit" drug dispenceries don't want the association with "pot heads". Besides, pot still isn't totally legal. The wrong people @ the helm could bring the whole thing crashing down.