SALINE PROHIBITS MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES

The Saline City Council has taken action to keep medical marijuana
dispensaries out of the city.

Saline Mayor Gretchen Driskell and City Manager Todd Campbell said
city officials decided they wanted to follow federal law regarding
marijuana, which prohibits its sale and possession.

City Council members unanimously approved an amendment to Saline's
zoning ordinance that prohibits the sale or possession of marijuana
or "anything that is a violation of federal, state or local laws,"
Campbell said.

The city's action was prompted by voters' approval of medicinal
marijuana in 2008. Since then, communities have struggled with
figuring out how to regulate its use.

Saline officials decided on an approach aimed at eliminating ambiguities.

"It's pretty complicated," Driskell said. "Sure it's legal by the
state, but at the same time, it's not legal by the federal government."

Campbell said city officials considered three approaches: "Do
nothing, regulate (the marijuana) or prohibit," he said. "They
decided to prohibit it."

He said he only knew of one preliminary inquiry the city had received
about setting up a medical marijuana establishment.

Other local communities are also wrestling with how to handle medical
marijuana. A medical marijuana clinic is operating in Ann Arbor, but
an official says the city will soon examine the legality of any
dispensaries and the broader issue of zoning for medical marijuana
dispensing and use within city limits.

Ypsilanti Township has given first reading approval to its own zoning
ordinance. Some communities, like Birmingham, have adopted Saline's
approach and banned medical marijuana.

The legal status of medical marijuana businesses remains unclear in
the state. A Lansing-area smoking club was recently raided by police.