Medical Cannabis (Marijuana)

July 24 Ordinance

Download the ordinance adopted on July 24, 2018

Note

This ordinance is not the final adopted ordinance. That ordinance was adopted on December 4, 2018. View the Final Ordinance.

Ordinance Process

Staff prepared ordinance language for a Planning Commission public hearing at their May 24, 2018 meeting. At that meeting, the Planning Commission recommended deletions of several provisions of the ordinance to increase the number of available locations for marijuana facilities, as well as other changes. The Planning Commission recommended the amended ordinance to the City Commission for approval.

The City Commission reviewed the ordinance and hosted a public hearing on July 10, 2018.

• Draft Ordinance(PDF, 289KB) (July 10, 2018)
• Planning Commission Recommendations(PDF, 95KB) (May 24, 2018)
• Planning Commission Meeting Minutes (May 24, 2018)
• Planning Commission Meeting Video (May 24, 2018)

Public Hearing - July 10, 2018

The City Commission held a public hearing for the medical marijuana ordinance on July 10, 2018, at which many people commented. 

• Meeting Minutes
• YouTube video

Hybrid Ordinance Prepared but Discarded

Since the public hearing on July 10, 2018, we prepared a new hybrid ordinance. This included provisions for marijuana microbusinesses in anticipation of the ballot initiative to permit recreational marihuana passed by voters in November 2018. The City Commission ultimately did not review this ordinance at their meeting on July 24th, 2018.

• Draft Hybrid Ordinance(PDF, 241KB) (July 18, 2018)
• Comparison of previous proposed ordinances to Draft Hybrid Ordinance(PDF, 325KB)

Submit Your Comments

You can send correspondence to the City Commission by way of the Office of the City Clerk at any time. Their info is in the Contact Us section of their page. Send them an email or write a letter addressed to the City Commission.

The Data

We prepared interactive maps to help you make sense of different ordinance recommendations that were considered prior to the adoption of the ordinance.

• Interactive Story Map

We also prepared a document called the Cannabis Compendium to help provide some background on the legislation, initiatives, and data surrounding this topic.

• Cannabis Data Compendium(PDF, 5MB) (July 18, 2018; 70 pages)

Annual Fee

$5,000

Zoning Requirements

Under this proposal all non-microbusiness medical marihuana facilities would be subject to the following separation requirements: 

• 1,000 feet from a child care center, or a public or private K-12 school
• 1,000 feet from a publicly owned park or playground
• 1,000 feet from a church or place of worship
• 1,000 feet from a substance abuse clinic or rehabilitation facility
• 250 feet from a residential zone district (Article 5)
• 600 feet from another medical marijuana facility, or facilities located on the same parcel

All marihuana microbusinesses would be subject to the following separation requirements: 

• 1,000 feet from a child care center, or a public or private K-12 school
• 1,000 feet from a publicly owned park or playground
• 1,000 feet from another medical marijuana facility, or facilities located on the same parcel

Adjoining Local Jurisdictions

A 1,000 feet separation distance would be required for all marihuana facilities from adjoining local jurisdictions. 

Grower License Stacking

Permits the stacking of grower licenses to permit more plants than would otherwise be allowed for the license.

Co-Location of Facilities

Allows more that one license (grower, processor, and/or provisioning center) to be located on the same parcel.

Other Requirements

• Good Neighbor Plan
• Voluntary Equitable Development Agreement

Annual Fee

None

Zoning Requirements

Under this proposal zoning restrictions vary based on facility type.

Provisioning Centers

• 1,000 feet from a child care center, or a public or private K-12 school
• 1,000 feet from a publicly owned park or playground
• 1,000 feet from another facility, or facilities located on the same parcel

Growers, Processors, Secure Transporters, and Safety Compliance Facilities

• 1,000 feet from child care centers, or a public or private K-12 school
• 600 feet from another medical marijuana facility, or facilities located on the same parcel

Adjoining Local Jurisdictions

A 1,000 feet separation distance would not be required from uses and residential zone districts in adjoining local jurisdictions. 

Grower License Stacking

Permits the stacking of grower licenses to permit more plants than would otherwise be allowed for the license.

Co-Location of Facilities

Allows more that one license (grower, processor, and/or provisioning center) to be located on the same parcel.

Other Requirements

None

• Draft Ordinance(PDF, 289KB)
• Planning Department Maps(PDF, 20MB)
• Planning Commission Packet(PDF, 466KB)
• Detailed Analysis of Zoning for Marihuana in Grand Rapids(PDF, 6MB)
• Public Hearing Resolution

Types of Facilities

The State passed the Medical Marihuana Facilities Licensing Act in September 2016 to allow certain types of marihuana facilities:

• Growers
• Processors
• Provisioning Centers
• Secure Transporters
• Safety Compliance Facilities

Local Control

The State law allows local municipalities to choose whether to allow any of the types of facilities. If the local government takes no action, then no facilities are allowed. To allow the facilities, a local government must enact an ordinance explicitly authorizing them.

Resources

State Legislative Reports

Fiscal Year 2018 Sec. 507 - Medical Marihuana

Fiscal Year 2018 Sec. 519 - Medical Marihuana Facilities Licensing and Tracking Program

Fiscal Year 2017 Sec. 507 - Medical Marihuana

Fiscal Year 2016 Sec. 507 - Medical Marihuana

Fiscal Year 2016 Sec. 902(1) - Medical Marihuana Registry Identification Cards

Contact

Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA)
Bureau of Medical Marihuana Regulation
Michigan Medical Marihuana Program
PO Box 30083
Lansing, MI 48909

Phone: 517-284-6400

Email: LARA-BMMR-MMMPINFO@michigan.gov

• Marihuana as a Huge Traffic Driver(PDF, 66KB)
• Planning Magazine Pot Report(PDF, 557KB)
• Regulating Medical and Recreational Marihuana Land Use(PDF, 3MB)
• Are Medical Marihuana Centers Locally Undesirable Land Uses?(PDF, 1018KB)
• Evaluating Medical Marihuana Dispensary Policies(PDF, 82KB)
• Exploring the Ecological Association between Crime and Medical Marihuana Dispensaries(PDF, 297KB)
• Medical Marihuana Dispensaries and Their Effect on Crime(PDF, 345KB)
• Marihuana Legalization and Taxes(PDF, 354KB)
• Medical Marihuana Meets Zoning(PDF, 82KB)
• Planning for Marihuana(PDF, 3MB)
• Ann Arbor Marihuana Presentation Outline(PDF, 267KB)