HOLLAND TOWNSHIP DISCUSSES MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Holland, MI - Holland Township is hammering out an ordinance to
regulate medical marijuana.

Although several proposals are being floated, the final language
won't be presented until it has been vetted by attorneys and
following an Ottawa County training program tonight in Allendale
aimed at helping local governments understand the state law.

"None of us want to withhold medical marijuana from anybody,"
Chairman Marion Hoeve said.

In 2008, voters approved marijuana for medical purposes. The state
law is generally considered to be unclear, and local governments are
working to add their own regulations to the mix.

Among the possibilities in Holland Township are inspections of
growing operations for caregivers.

"What happens when you grow 72 plants in a house and turn a house
into a greenhouse?" Commissioner Jack Vander Meulen asked. "What
happens when a caregiver goes on vacation? Who waters the plants?"

A handful of medical marijuana patients spoke to the Holland Township
Planning Commission at a Tuesday study session.

John DerBeek, who sued the city of Wyoming for its attempt to ban
medical marijuana, had several problems with Holland Township's proposals.

He called them "burdensome and onerous to the point where most people
are excluded"

The proposal specifically bans patient-to-patient transfers, a
disputed section of the state law, and businesses are specifically
prohibited from being compensated for medical marijuana services.

"This is directly aimed at us," said Monica Bakker, community
outreach director at Patient Solutions 420.

The company, formed in September, is a storefront where qualifying
patients can buy different strains of medical marijuana and medical
marijuana products such as infused suckers. It bases much of its
business on patient-to-patient transfers.

Under the township's proposal, a caregiver and patient would have to
be alone at the time of the transfer; caregivers would not be able to
operate in a jointly-operated facility or share building space that
is used in common to assist more than five qualifying patients and it
would be illegal to dispense or grow medical marijuana "within any
retail store, storefront, office building, manufacturing building,
processing facility any other type of commercial or industrial
building." Apartments might also be included in that list.

"I'm not really excited about having in our commercial areas,
certainly, places where we would have marijuana sold," Zoning and
Planning Administrator Jon Mersman said.