ALBION CITY COUNCIL PASSES SIX-MONTH MORATORIUM ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA FACILITIES

The Albion City Council this week passed a 180-day moratorium on
making any decisions on a recently proposed medical marijuana
education facility in the city.

The city is asking the planning commission to draft an amendment to
current zoning ordinances that addresses council's opinion on the
matter and is in line with state statutes set by the Michigan Medical
Marihuana Act passed in 2008.

Albion joins several Jackson-area municipalities, including the city
of Jackson, in imposing a medical marijuana moratorium.

Albion resident Chad Baase, a certified recipient of medical marijuana
to help cope with severe migraines, is interested in opening a
nonprofit facility that would educate people about the truths and
misnomers of medical marijuana but would not distribute the drug.

Baase said there is a facility on N. Eaton Street in Albion that
certifies patients as recommended candidates for medical marijuana
use, so he doesn't understand why there is any trouble getting a
zoning permit for his business.

"The problem with the application from this other group is they
actually want to have a place where there will be some marijuana
there," city Manager Mike Herman said. "It's a little vague when you
talk to them or see their stuff as to who is going to provide that
marijuana, so that's an issue."

Baase argued that a moratorium is against his rights as a citizen and
prospective business owner and he said he would be contacting the
American Civil Liberties Union about potentially filing a civil lawsuit.

City attorney Matt Robison said a 180-day moratorium was in the best
interest of the city because the state statutes relating to medical
marijuana are not as black and white as most people think.

"I think we need to educate ourselves better and secondly (a
moratorium) allows time for some of these open questions to be
resolved, including cases that are happening in our legislature," he
said. "It doesn't matter that (63) percent of the voters in the state
said, 'We want this,' - marijuana is still considered a Schedule I
narcotic by federal law and they can actually come in and prosecute
people if they choose to."

Several residents said they believe medical marijuana is less
dangerous than many heavy painkillers on the market.

Mayor Joe Domingo agreed council needed more information on the
subject.

"A lot of us, when we hear 'marijuana' we automatically think, 'Woah,
we've got a drug problem,'" he said. "And now because it has become a
medical help for some people, we need to know exactly what it's all
about."