GROWING LIKE A WEED

OWOSSO - Jars of marijuana buds sat neatly on a counter in the
dispensing room of The Health Club in Owosso's Dutchtown as staff
members took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Shiawassee
Regional Chamber ambassadors Monday.

As the Shiawassee Regional Chamber of Commerce officially welcomed
the business into Owosso, Vice President Sue Kadlek noted The Health
Club isn't the first medical marijuana business to become a chamber
member. Green Today Cannabis Certification Services and Mother
Nature's Choice in Owosso became members earlier in 2010.

And it may not be the last Owosso-based business with ties to the
Michigan Medical Marijuana Act, depending on the outcome of an Owosso
zoning ordinance update currently in the works.

"The Shiawassee Regional Chamber of Commerce supports businesses
within the county - any type of business," Kadlek said. "We would
support this type of business just as we would any other type of
legitimate business. The Michigan voters voted in the Medical
Marijuana Act ... and we don't accept or deny membership to
businesses as long as they're operating a legitimate business."

Located at 718 S. Chipman St., The Health Club of Dutchtown
Compassionate Healthcare helps qualified patients and caregivers
obtain medical marijuana and products related to the MMA such as
clones and THC-infused tinctures, co-owner Aaron Bedell said. He
added The Health Club gets its cannabis from area caregivers with
"potential overages."

Along with Bedell, the business is co-owned by Sherry Lynn Kenney,
and it shares a building with the head shop Dutchtown Express, which
Kenney owns.

So far, the business has been growing like, well, a weed.

Open since Dec. 15, the private club has more than 100 members, who
are either qualified medical marijuana patients or primary caregivers.

Following a set of rules and regulations, members of The Health Club
can stop by the establishment to purchase products for their personal
use or, if they're a caregiver, for a patient's use.

The Health Club owners say they feel welcomed by the surrounding
community. And Owosso leaders have been open-minded on the issue, Bedell said.

"We've been working with ourselves and working with the city, going
to all the meetings and making sure our input and everything is
heard," Bedell said.

Owosso City Council members voted 5-2 against a 90-day moratorium
aimed at new businesses growing and selling marijuana Monday.
According to a draft of the ordinance, the moratorium would have
given city staff and council time to investigate the city's ability
to regulate marijuana businesses, as well as develop and implement
regulations. The moratorium, however, would not have affected current
medical marijuana businesses such as Bedell's.

Owosso City Council previously decided to not move forward with a
90-day moratorium on new medical marijuana-associated businesses in August.

City Manager Don Crawford said council won't likely revisit the
marijuana moratorium proposal.

Assistant City Manager and Director of Community Development Adam
Zettel said a proposed ordinance is being drafted that would define
and regulate medical marijuana growing facilities and dispensaries.

"They're looking to allow dispensaries - again functioning underneath
the statute and administrative rules of the state - they're looking
to allow those to function in some retail districts," Zettel said.
"They're looking at putting growing facilities in their industrial
zones within the city."

The planning commission is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the
proposed medical marijuana ordinance at its Feb. 28 meeting, Zettel
said. He added, public input, new findings of fact based upon
litigation and the city council's review of the proposed ordinance
prior to approval could alter the ordinance.

Depending on how well the planning commission and public receive the
ordinance at the public hearing, the ordinance could be presented to
city council for approval in March or April, Zettel said.