Medical Marijuana Licensing Delayed Again

At its Jan. 18, 2011 meeting, the Ann Arbor city council delayed giving initial approval to a licensing ordinance for medical marijuana. At its Jan. 3 meeting, the council had heavily amended the licensing proposal, which was drafted by the city attorney’s office. Among the key amendments made at the first meeting in January was one that stripped “home occupation” businesses out of the proposal. At the Jan. 3 meeting, the council also increased the cap on the total number of licenses available to 20 for dispensaries and 10 for cultivation facilities. Another major amendment made on Jan. 3 was the creation of a board to govern the issuance of licenses. However, the council delayed voting on the first reading of the proposal. [.pdf of licensing ordinance language at the start of the Jan. 18, 2011 meeting]

At its Jan. 18 meeting, the council was poised to undertake further amendments to the licensing proposal, including many that concerned limiting the amount of information that is required to be divulged by those associated with license applications. However, the council did not amend the proposal further at this meeting. The licensing proposal will now be taken up for initial approval again on Feb. 7, 2011.

The moratorium on additional facilities in the city to be used as medical marijuana dispensaries and cultivation facilities was extended by the council through March 31, 2011. Final approval of zoning regulations on medical marijuana facilities was rescheduled for Feb. 21, 2011.

This brief was filed from the boardroom in the Washtenaw County administration building, where the council is meeting due to renovations in the city hall building. A more detailed report will follow: [link]