GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Grand Rapids City Commissioners are still working on a way to implement medical marijuana facilities within city limits.
In July of this year, Grand Rapids approved five facility types: growers, processors, safety and compliance businesses, provisioning centers and secure transporters -- however, those businesses haven't taken shape within the city yet.
In September, city leaders agreed to a moratorium on medical marijuana businesses to allow for more discussion and time to allocate to decisions.
During a special committee meeting Tuesday afternoon, the planning department went over the administrative police for medical marijuana business applications.
One of the major concerns is giving big box marijuana retailers too much freedom to saturate the market in the Grand Rapids area. One of the biggest priorities in creating the ordinance is keeping the businesses locally owned and operated.
Commissioners also heard about park waivers. As it stands, there is a 1000-foot separation distance between a park and a marijuana facility. Commissioners would be able to waive that distance, if they deem fit.
Another point of discussion was the use of energy. The planning department says this is the most energy intensive industry -- four indoor plants uses as much electricity as 29 refrigerators.
For more information about medical marijuana in the city, click here.
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