KALAMAZOO (WKZO AM/FM) — Kalamazoo City Commissioners have approved Medical Marijuana ordinance amendments permitting any of the five businesses that the state will license to locate in city limits.
During the public hearing, several speakers asked the commission to make this ordinance a starting point and to consider easing some of the restrictions, particularly on buffering and required distances between the location of the businesses as the stigma falls away and fears about the businesses prove to be incorrect.
City Attorney Clyde Robinson reminded everyone that it’s still a crime to possess marijuana in Michigan for the 97% of the population that does not have a medical marijuana card.
There are about 6,000 card holders in Kalamazoo County and about 20,000 to 30,000 in the region. That’s estimated to be a 17 to 30-million dollar market. That could be multiplied many times if voters approve recreational marijuana this fall.
It may be sometime this summer before the City Clerk will be ready to start accepting applications.They were tweaking the language in the ordinance right up to the vote last night.