SWARTZ CREEK PLANNING COMMISSION HOLDS OFF ON APPROVING PROPOSED
MEDICAL MARIJUANA ORDINANCE

SWARTZ CREEK, Michigan -- A proposed medical marijuana ordinance is
another step closer to becoming a reality.

The Swartz Creek planning commission voted unanimously to makes
changes to its proposed medical marijuana ordinance to include
revisions discussed at Tuesday night's meeting.

Planned changes include following the Michigan Liquor Control Code
when it comes to distances from schools and other areas. The revised
ordinance would require all growth facilities and dispensaries to be
located 1,000 feet radially from schools and municipal parks.

Dispensaries and growing facilities would have to be 500 feet from any
other dispensary or growing facility, a residential district or use,
and churches or other houses of worship. The distance, according to
the proposed changes to the ordinance, would be measured by street
distance rather than radially.

"We need to do something because the state says this is a legal thing.
We need to control it -- I think this proposed ordinance does that,"
Commission member C. David Hurt told the commission. "I don't think we
should be arbitrary, I think that's how you head down the path to
legal challenges and so forth."

Following the Liquor Control Code also gives the city established
guidelines to use, said Adam Zettel, zoning code administrator for the
city.

The ordinance also would allow dispensaries in the general business
district, where they can better monitored rather than being "tucked"
away from the rest of the city, said City Manager Paul Bueche.

Growing facilities still would be restricted to the industrial zoned
areas, according to city documents.

Although commission members said the ordinance had the right idea,
they wanted to see a redraft of the ordinance with the changes before
they would vote on it.