MARSHALL WILL EXTEND MEDICAL MARIJUANA MORATORIUM

City Wants Questions Answered

MARSHALL -- The city now has another six months to figure out what to
do about medical pot after the Marshall City Council passed a
six-month ban on the sale of medical marijuana Monday night.

The city originally passed its moratorium in July. The ban would have
expired this month.

Michigan voters legalized marijuana as a medication for chronically
ill patients in 2008. But local government officials and judges have
argued that the bill is vague, leaving the law open for interpretation.

"The more we look at this, the more we realize that there are way
more unanswered questions than answered questions," City Council
member Brent Williams said at Monday's meeting.

The state law specifies that patients have a right to grow marijuana
or have a caregiver grow it, but doesn't describe how the commercial
marijuana trade should be regulated, Mayor Jim Dyer said.

The Marshall City Council is waiting to see what other cities, such
as Ann Arbor and Battle Creek, enact before it takes any more action,
Dyer said.

Marshall also is watching relevant court cases throughout the state
to see how municipal laws hold up in courts, said City Manager Tom Tarkiewicz.

The city held a public hearing Oct. 4 to get input from residents and
potential business owners, but only a few people showed up. Without
input from the public or direction from the Legislature, Dyer said,
the issue is landlocked.

"Right at the moment, we don't have any plan," Dyer said. "We're just
in a holding pattern, I guess."

The Battle Creek City Commission also agreed to a six-month
moratorium extension at its Tuesday night meeting.