PINCONNING CITY COUNCIL APPROVES ORDINANCES FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA
DISPENSARIES, CHARGING FOR EMERGENCY RESPONSE UNITS

PINCONNING - The Pinconning City Council tonight said "yes" to two
new ordinances, which involve medical marijuana dispensaries and
charging for emergency response units.

The council voted 6-0 to adopt the ordinances. City council member
Becky Lesniak was absent from the meeting.

The medical marijuana dispensary ordinance sets forth specific
guidelines that a person must follow if they want to open a facility
that supplies state-issued medical marijuana identification card
patients with the drug.

"It's my obligation to uphold the law," said Pinconning Mayor Robert
K. Hall. "I didn't vote for it, but I can see where there is a lot of
good in it."

Michigan's Medical Marijuana Program, which started accepting
applications in April 2009, allows people with debilitating medical
conditions to apply for a card that allows them to use marijuana
legally for medicinal purposes.

Bay Area Herbal Clinic, 209-4 N. Mable, currently operates as a
medical marijuana facility in the city.

The new ordinance does not affect Bay Herbal Clinic, but sets
guidelines to allow the city council to decide on any future
endeavors involving medical marijuana.

"We have control of it in the future," Hall said. "The way the
ordinance is worded, and everything, we could never have another one in town."

The ordinance allows for medical marijuana facilities to open in
general business districts subject to review and approval by the
city's planning commission, provided the establishment meets
conditions in the ordinance.

The ordinance does not allow medical marijuana facilities 1,000 feet
of any church; school - public or private - having a curriculum
including kindergarten or any one or more of the grades one through
12; and residential districts.

The second ordinance approved by the city council tonight includes
collecting reimbursements from residents and business owners on
certain emergency response calls, such as a fire.

Hall said the ordinance allows city officials to charge residents and
business owners whom make false reports, or abuse the system, for
certain services.

"It allows us to recoup some of the cost toward our fire budget,"
said Hall, adding the city shares its fire department with the
townships of Pinconning and Fraser. "Most communities have it."

Hall said the emergency response ordinance corresponds with the
ordinances in the townships.