Manchester Township

MEDICAL MARIJUANA MORATORIUM EXTENDED FOR SIX MONTHS

Another moratorium has been placed on medical marijuana dispensaries
in Manchester Township.

The Board of Trustees voted unanimously Tuesday to extend the
moratorium another six months while an ordinance is properly drafted.

The moratorium, which was first voted on at the Oct. 12, 2010 meeting,
was another extension made by local governments in the wake of the
passage of Proposal 1 in 2008.

Ron Mann, the township supervisor, said adding more time to allow the
township to craft a well-thought out ordinance makes sense, especially
with federal raids taking place in dispensaries.

"The federal government has sent out a letter to several states,
saying marijuana is an illegal substance, anyone working on these
state deals, any state workers that are approving applications and so
on, could also be prosecuted under federal law," he said. "It kind of
leaves the impression that we could too, if we were to approve something."

The township first approved a moratorium at its Oct. 12, 2010
meeting.

Mann said last year, it was indicated the federal government would not
send enforcement teams. A string of raids, specifically in Oakland
County, have some marijuana dispensaries on their toes.

"The word was, (the federal government) didn't have the time or the
manpower to look into anything like that, but now, they've sent
letters to a dozen states saying, 'hey, it's still an illegal
substance,'" Mann said.

The township's planning commission has drafted an ordinance, which
would insure dispensaries stay at least 1,000 feet from schools, and
the township could limit how many are within its boundaries.

Mann said it would be best to keep the moratorium in place until the
township approves the changes.

Recently, the Village of Manchester Planning Commission recommended
dispensaries be banned from the village limits.