[00:00:02]
[INAUDIBLE] CLERK GUTHRIE.YOU'RE OFF THE FAMILY [INAUDIBLE].
YES, SIR, YOUR MEETING IS CURRENTLY LIVE.
I WILL NOTE THAT YOUR FLAG IS STUCK IN A DIFFERENT MEETING RIGHT NOW.
[2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE/INTRODUCTIONS]
SO I'M NOT SURE IF YOU WANT TO DO THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TONIGHT OR NOT.WELL WE CAN DO WITHOUT THE FLAG.
WE CAN SURE WE ALL HAVE THAT IMAGE IN OUR MINDS.
[1. CALL MEETING TO ORDER]
OK, I WILL THEN CALL ME TO ORDER AND WE WILL START WITH THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.I SUGGEST THAT YOU MUTE WHILE I SAY IT AND YOU SAY IT ALONG WITH ME.
WE NEED A ROLL CALL FROM OUR CLERK.
[3. ROLL CALL]
I KNOW WE HEAR YA.[4. CITIZENS ADDRESS AGENDA ITEMS AND NON-AGENDA ITEMS]
OK, MR. GEBES DO WE HAVE PEOPLE THAT ARE WAITING TO SPEAK DURING CITIZENS ADDRESSING THE NON AGENDA, AGENDA ITEMS? YOU HAVE ABOUT 20, 20 OR MORE PEOPLE IN THE ATTENDEE AREA AT THIS TIME, AND IT LOOKS LIKE SOME ARE EAGER TO SPEAK.OK, I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THIS, AND WITH POTENTIALLY SO MANY SPEAKERS, IT MIGHT DO US WELL TO LIMIT THE INITIAL SPEAKING TO TWO MINUTES INSTEAD OF THREE MINUTES.
SO UNLESS THERE'S AN OBJECTION, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO.
THE IDEA HERE IS FOR THE PUBLIC TO SPEAK TO US ABOUT ISSUES OF THE CONCERN FOR THEM.
THEY START WITH THEIR NAME AND ADDRESS, THE TRY TO TRY TO KEEP THEIR COMMENTS AS STRAIGHT ON POINT AS POSSIBLE, ADDRESS THE BOARD AS A WHOLE, NOT OTHER PEOPLE OR EACH OTHER.
AND WE WILL WE DO NOT GO BACK AND FORTH WITH THE SPEAKERS, BUT RATHER WE WILL HEAR WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY.
AND PERHAPS DURING THE MEETING WE MIGHT COMMENT IN RELATIONSHIP TO IT, BUT WE DON'T EVER GO BACK AND FORTH.
SO WITH THAT, I WILL ASK THAT WE GET OUR FIRST SPEAKER.
WE HAVE THE PERSON IN THE ZOOM AREA IS LISTED AS LYNN PAGE.
WE'RE GOING TO GIVE HER THE ABILITY TO SPEAK, REMIND HER THAT SHE NEEDS TO UNMUTE AND THEN BEGIN HER COMMENTS WITH BOTH NAME AND ADDRESS.
MY ADDRESS IS 3912 [INAUDIBLE] DRIVE IN OKEMOSAND I JUST HAVE A FEW COMMENTS.
I'VE ALREADY SUBMITTED SOME WRITTEN COMMENTS TO THE BOARD, BUT LIKE MOST ISSUES THAT COME BEFORE THE BOARD, THIS IS FUNDAMENTALLY A LAND USE DECISION THAT HAS
[00:05:06]
ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES.MARIJUANA IS STILL ILLEGAL AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL AND PERMIT MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP'S CHIEF OF POLICE COMMERCIAL MARIJUANA BUSINESSES WILL IMPACT LAW ENFORCEMENT OPERATIONS AND INCREASE THE BURDEN ON CALLS FOR SERVICE.
NOTHING HAS CHANGED SINCE MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP'S PREVIOUS DECISION TO OPT OUT OF COMMERCIAL RECREATIONAL CANNABIS, EXCEPT FOR THE FACT THAT ALMOST FOURTEEN HUNDRED MUNICIPALITIES IN THE STATE OF MICHIGAN HAVE ALSO OPTED OUT.
WHAT DOES THE MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP BOARD KNOW THAT THESE OTHER LEGISLATIVE BODIES HAVEN'T THOUGHT OF? COMMERCIAL MARIJUANA CAN BE PURCHASED IN THE ADJACENT COMMUNITIES OF EAST LANSING AND LANSING, WHICH ARE ABLE TO IMPOSE A CITY INCOME TAX ON THESE BUSINESSES AND THEIR EMPLOYEES.
BUT IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP, RESIDENTS WILL BEAR THE BURDEN OF THE ASSOCIATED PUBLIC SAFETY, INFRASTRUCTURE, PUBLIC SERVICE AND ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS RELATED TO THESE BUSINESSES.
THE NUMBER OF POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL MARIJUANA FACILITIES WILL BE OVERWHELMING FOR OUR SMALL COMMUNITY AND FAR EXCEEDS THE NUMBER OF OTHER BUSINESSES SERVING RESIDENTS SUCH AS GROCERY STORES, GAS STATIONS AND COFFEE SHOPS.
OTHER BUSINESSES MAY ALSO BE RELUCTANT TO LOCATE NEARBY COMMERCIAL MARIJUANA FACILITIES, WHICH COULD IMPACT FUTURE DEVELOPMENT.
THANK YOU FOR CONSIDERING MY INPUT.
AND THANK YOU FOR KEEPING IT WITHIN TWO MINUTES.
OK, OUR NEXT SPEAKERS, PLEASE.
MS. PAGE WILL BE FOLLOWED BY ROBIN SCHNEIDER.
UNFORTUNATELY, MS. SCHNEIDER IS USING AN OLDER VERSION OF ZOOM STAND BY WHILE I ACCOMMODATE.
MS. SCHNEIDER, GO AHEAD WITH YOUR COMMENTS, PLEASE BEGIN WITH YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS FOR THE RECORD, REMEMBER THAT YOU HAVE TO UNMUTE YOURSELF.
I RESIDE AT 5 [INAUDIBLE] STREET IN HASLETT, I'VE LIVED HERE MY ENTIRE LIFE, I'M A HASLETT GRADUATE AND I HAVE FOUR TEENAGERS THAT ARE ALSO IN SCHOOL AT HASLETT, ONE JUST GRADUATED.
AND I AM HERE TO SPEAK IN SUPPORT OF THE ORDINANCE OR THE COUNCIL'S POSSIBILITY OF OPTING IN TO ALLOW FOR ADULT USE ESTABLISHMENTS.
I THINK IT'S THE FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE THING TO DO.
AS A HOMEOWNER AND TAXPAYER, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE REVENUE THAT OTHER MUNICIPALITIES HAVE TOLD ME THAT THEY'RE ACHIEVING WITH WITH THE OPT IN.
AND I THINK OUR MUNICIPALITY DESERVES THAT AS WELL.
ALSO, I HAVE A NUMBER OF FRIENDS THAT I GREW UP WITH HERE THAT ARE DESPERATE FOR JOBS RIGHT NOW, AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING THEM GET THOSE GOOD PAYING JOBS.
AS MANY OF YOU MIGHT ALREADY KNOW, THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY IN MICHIGAN EMPLOYS EIGHT [INAUDIBLE] WORKERS NOW, SO THAT'S GREAT PROGRESS AND THOSE JOBS START OUT TYPICALLY LOW END ENTRY LEVEL POSITIONS ARE ABOUT 1 TO FIFTEEN DOLLARS AN HOUR.
SO THOSE ARE GOOD PAYING JOBS.
I KNOW A LOT OF MOMS IN MY TOWN THAT ARE HOPING THAT YOU GUYS OPT IN SO THAT THEY CAN GET THOSE JOBS.
MS. SCHNEIDER WILL BE FOLLOWED BY ANTHONY'S GALAXY NOTE 20.
PLEASE REMEMBER TO STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS FOR THE RECORD.
IF YOU'RE THERE, WE'RE NOT HEARING YOU.
I SEE HIM ON THE SCREEN NOW AS A NAME.
ANTHONY CAN YOU HEAR US? THERE HE IS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, [INAUDIBLE].
ANTHONY, I'M SORRY, YOU ARE REALLY BREAKING UP UNLESS WE CAN IMPROVE THAT AND MAYBE GET BACK IN LINE OR SOMETHING, I DON'T KNOW.
[00:10:01]
MY NAME IS ANTHONY [INAUDIBLE], I'M A MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP RESIDENT LIVING AT [INAUDIBLE] OKEMOS ROAD.I'M NOT ONLY [INAUDIBLE] MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP, BUT I'M ALSO A PROUD WORKER AT GREEN [INAUDIBLE] INDUSTRIES, WHICH OPERATE UNDER THE[INAUDIBLE].
YOU'VE DISAPPEARED FROM OUR SCREEN.
I THINK YOU'RE HAVING A CONNECTIVITY PROBLEM.
YOU COULD TRY AGAIN LATER ON AFTER WE HAD SOME MORE SPEAKERS.
STEPHEN, DO WE HAVE ANOTHER SPEAKER? YES, CINDY LOU IS NEXT ON THE LIST, WE'RE ALLOWING HER TO TALK.
IT LOOKS LIKE THE MICROPHONE'S MUTED.
PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS FOR THE RECORD.
CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? YES, WE DO.
MY NAME IS CINDY LOU AND MY ADDRESS IS ONE FIVE SEVEN FIVE [INAUDIBLE] LANE, OKEMOS MICHIGAN.
I'M HERE TO EXPRESS MY OBJECTION ON THAT RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA ISSUE.
JUST SIMPLY AS A PARENT, I HAVE TWO YOUNG KIDS AND I JUST FEEL MARIJUANA IS NOT SOMETHING THAT WILL MAKE OUR COMMUNITY KIDS FRIENDLY.
I KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, CIGARETTES THEY ARE LEGAL, BUT I WOULD NOT ALLOW THAT MY KIDS TO SMOKE EVEN THOUGH IT'S LEGAL.
SO I FEEL LIKE WE WANT TO KEEP OUR OKEMOS COMMUNITY AS KIDS FRIENDLY AS POSSIBLE.
WE ACTUALLY MOVED FROM [INAUDIBLE] TO HERE JUST FOR THE GOOD SCHOOL DISTRICT AND A VERY DIVERSE AND KIDS FRIENDLY COMMUNITY.
AND I AFTER I MOVED HERE, I REALIZED I'M PAYING DOUBLE THE PROPERTY TAX, BUT I'M WILLING TO PAY THAT PREMIUM FOR THE PROPERTY TAX, FOR A BETTER ENVIRONMENT, FOR MY KIDS TO GROW UP.
I THINK AS A PARENT, A LOT OF MY FRIENDS, PARENTS, FRIENDS ALSO HAVE THE SAME IDEAS AND HAVE FEELINGS LIKE ME.
SO I REALLY HOPE YOU GUYS CAN CONSIDER THAT.
KEEP MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP AS A GOOD KID FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT.
CAN WE HAVE ANOTHER SPEAKER? THE NEXT SPEAKER IS LISTED AS WAY YOU'VE BEEN GIVEN THE ABILITY TO SPEAK.
OK, CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? YES, I SAID BUT NOT VERY LOUD.
[INAUDIBLE] SO I'M TRYING TO SPEAK HERE TO OPPOSE TH RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA USE.
START OUT WITH YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS, PLEASE.
I'M TWENTY FIVE SIX FIVE SOPHIA PARKWAY.
I'M SPEAKING FOR AGAINST THE RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA USE, AND I'M NOT AGAINST IT BASED ON PRINCIPLE BECAUSE I HAVE NO ISSUE WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND MAKE IT LEGAL.
MY ONLY ISSUE HERE IS BECAUSE WE ARE ONLY THE TOWNSHIP HERE GOING TO ALLOW THIS IN THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOOD [INAUDIBLE] AND OUR AREA.
AND SO THERE WAS [INAUDIBLE] OUR TRAFFIC AS WELL AS ON PUBLIC SAFETY.
AND ALSO THE RECREATIONAL CANNABIS IS NOT A REVENUE STREAM FOR OUR TOWNSHIP.
[INAUDIBLE] ON SALES OF UNDERUSE FOR THOSE TAXES ARE DISTRIBUTED.
THE FIRST FUND GOING [INAUDIBLE] 20 MILLION FOR CLINICAL MEDICAL TRIALS FOR [INAUDIBLE].
SO ONCE THOSE OBLIGATIONS ARE MET.
THE SCHOOL AID FUND AND THE TRANSPORTATION FUND WILL BE THE BIGGEST BENEFICIARIES.
ONLY 15 PERCENT OF THE RECREATIONAL TAX WILL BE DISTRIBUTED TO THE MUNICIPALITIES [INAUDIBLE] RETAIL STORE IS LOCATED, S THEREFORE THE REVENUES FROM RECREATIONAL USE MAY NOT EVEN BE ENOUGH TO OFFSET TH ASSOCIATEDCOST OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND PUBLIC SERVICE AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL COST.
AND SO OUR COUNTY HERE IN EAST LANSING ALLOW [INAUDIBLE] 90 PERCENT OF MUNICIPAL PROHIBIT RECREATIONAL USE FOR MICHIGAN.
THE WORKING ONE HUNDRED OUT OF ONE SEVENTEEN HUNDRED SOMETHING.
AREAS [INAUDIBLE] OUR ONLY ONE OF THE VERY FEW ALLOWING THIS TO ATTRACT MORE PEOPLE TO OUR AREA.
IT'S NOT BECAUSE I'M IN PRINCIPLE AGAINST IT'S ONLY BECAUSE I'VE [INAUDIBLE] WAIT UNTIL THE SURROUNDING AREA ONE MORE [INAUDIBLE].
SUM UP YOUR TWO MINUTES ARE JUST ABOUT OVER.
WAY WILL BE FOLLOWED BY MICHAEL CHEN, PLEASE.
[00:15:03]
OK, CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES.MY NAME IS [INAUDIBLE] MICHAEL CHANG.
I'M A MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP RESIDENT, MY HOME ADDRESSIS 3812 [INAUDIBLE] DRIVE, OKEMOS MICHIGAN.
AND I'M GOING TO AIM TO OPPOSE THE RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA BECAUSE I HAVE LIVED IN THIS TOWNSHIP FOR A LONG TIME IN ALMOST 20 YEARS.
AND I REALLY LIKE IT AS A COMMUNITY.
AND MY TWO KIDS ATTENDED OKEMOS HIGH SCHOOL.
AND NOW IN ORDER TO FINISH BOTH SCHOOLS AND BUT, I REALLY LIKE YOU KNOW, THIS COMMUNITY BECAUSE WE THINK IT'S A WE PROVIDE A SAFE ENVIRONMENT AND FOR THE KIDS TO GROW UP AND ALSO FOR THE ADULTS LIKE MYSELF, EVEN AT MY AGE, I THINK THAT THE COMMUNITY IS VERY SAFE AND FRIENDLY AND, YOU KNOW, AND SO I WOULD TRY TO KEEP IT THE WAY IT IS.
AND I DON'T THINK THAT MARIJUANA, RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA WILL BRING A LOT OF REVENUE FOR THE TOWNSHIP.
AND BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, IT ALSO CAN INCREASE A LOT OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUES AND PROBABLY WOULD NEED TO HIRE MORE LIKE POLICEOR OTHER THINGS TO SUPPORT YOU KNOW, THIS BUSINESS.
AND ALSO THE [INAUDIBLE], A LOT OF THE BUSINESSES, THEY DON'T WANT TO ASSOCIATE THAT WITH THE MARIJUANA SHOPS NEARBY, YOU KNOW, SO THEY WOULD CAUSE A LOT OF THE DISRUPTIONS OVER THERE.
AND ALSO, I THINK IF THEY WANT TO MARIJUANA, RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA AND THEY CAN GO TO EITHER EAST LANSING OR LANSING OR ANY THE OTHER PLACE, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN GO OVER THERE AND GET IT WHAT THEY NEED.
SO I DON'T THINK OUR TOWNSHIP NEED THESE KIND OF THE BUILDINGS AND OR ANYTHING.
I DON'T THINK THAT THERE'S ANY MUCH BENEFIT TO HAVE RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP.
I THINK ALL THESE THINGS ARE NEGATIVE THINGS, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY'RE DEALING WITH THE PUBLIC SAFETY AND.
IF THE NEGATIVE IMAGES AND EVERYTHING WILL GO DOWN DOWNWARDS, YOU KNOW.
MR. CHEN IS FOLLOWED BY SCOTT [INAUDIBLE].
THANK YOU, MR. SUPERVISOR, BOARD OF MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP.
TWENTY FIVE SIX ZERO SEVEN WEDGE STREET UP IN CALUMET, MICHIGAN.
I REPRESENT TRANQUILITY FIELDS.
WE ARE A RECREATIONAL CANNABIS COMPANY.
AS A MICRO BUSINESS AND AS A RETAIL BUSINESS.
WE ARE VERY INTERESTED IN PUTTING A NOTE OF SUPPORT IN TONIGHT FOR RECREATIONAL CANNABIS.
OUR PLAN, IF YOU OPT IN, WE WANT TO PUT IN A TWO MILLION DOLLAR FACILITY IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP.
WE DO NOT WANT TO HAVE ANY CAR VOTES.
WE'RE NOT LOOKING FOR ANY TAXATION AS FAR AS ANY TYPE OF THINGS THAT WE COULD ASK FOR.
WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO OPEN UP A BUSINESS IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP AND EMPLOY 15 PEOPLE STARTING AT TWENTY FIVE DOLLARS AN HOUR JOB PAYWITH FULL BENEFITS.
SO WE'RE VERY INTERESTED IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP BECAUSE IT'S A GREAT LOCATION.
IT GOT GREAT PEOPLE THAT NEED EMPLOYMENT AND WE DEFINITELY WOULD LIKE TO OPERATE IN YOUR COMMUNITY.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I SEE HAPPENING ACROSS THE STATE WHEN WE'RE TALKING TO ANOTHER A LOT OF RURAL COMMUNITIES IS THAT WE ALSO OFFER TO DONATE ONE PERCENT OF OUR PROFIT FROM OUR BUSINESS TO ANY NONPROFIT THAT YOU HAVE IN YOUR COMMUNITY THAT'S GOING TO MAKE AN IMPACT ON YOUR COMMUNITY AND HAVING A BETTER WAY OF LIFE FOR PEOPLE THAT NEED SOMETHING.
SO THAT'S OUR STATEMENT FOR TRANQUILITY FIELDS.
I THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING ABLE TO HAVE OUR COMMENTS.
THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE, MR. [INAUDIBLE] WILL BE FOLLOWED BY JERRY RICHARDS.
MR. RICHARDS, WHENEVER YOU'RE READY, YOU'RE CURRENTLY MUTED.
SOME OF YOU KNOW, I WAS THE TOWNSHIP MANAGER FOR 20 YEARS, I'M CURRENTLY ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION, I'M NOT SPEAKING FOR THE PLANNING COMMISSION, BUT FOR MYSELF.
HOWEVER, I WILL TALK ABOUT THE MASTER PLAN.
ONE OF THE FIRST ITEMS IN THE MASTER PLAN IS TO PRESERVE AND STRENGTHEN RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS AND ALSO A SENTENCE UNDER THE LISTING OF GOALS THAT SAYS MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP IS TO BE A COMMUNITY OF CHOICE.
I GUESS I WANT TO MAKE IT REAL CLEAR I AM OPPOSED TO RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA.
I DON'T BELIEVE THIS ENHANCES ON RUNNING A TOWNSHIP IN TERMS OF
[00:20:01]
PRESERVING AND STRENGTHENING RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS, NOR DO I THINK THIS MAKES US A BETTER COMMUNITY OF CHOICE.MY QUESTION IS, WHY WOULD WE WANT TO RISK OUR CURRENT REPUTATION OF BEING ONE OF THE PREMIER PLACES IN MICHIGAN TO RAISE A FAMILY FOR A LITTLE BIT OF ECONOMIC GAIN? TO ME, THE RISK OF THIS UNKNOWN BUSINESS OPERATION IS NOT WORTH RISKING THE REPUTATION MERIDIAN HAS SPENT YEARS AND YEARS BUILDING.
SO WITH THAT, I WANT TO GO ON RECORD AS BEING OPPOSED TO MAKING RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA AVAILABLE IN BUSINESSES I MERIDIANTOWNSHIP.
THANK YOU, MR. RICHARDS, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO OUR PLANNING COMMISSION.
MR. RICHARDS WILL BE FOLLOWED BY [INAUDIBLE].
HI, MY NAME IS JACK CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS, PLEASE.
MY HOME ADDRESS IS A [INAUDIBLE] OKEMOS.
OK, I STRONGLY AGAINST RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA.
HERE IS ONE THING I WANT TO SHARE WITH EVERYONE HERE IS OUR GREAT GRANDPAS FROM MARIJUANA TO OPIUM IS A VERY, VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR OUR FAMILIES AND FOR THE COMMUNITY IN THE FUTURE.
YES, I DON'T THINK IT WILL BRING ANY VALUE FOR THE COMMUNITY HERE IS EVEN FOR THE BUSINESS SIDE.
HERE IS THE REASON I WANT TO SAY THAT IS THERE'S THE DEALERSHIP, THEY SAID THEY ARE GOING TO BUILD A DEALERSHIP HERE, BUT THEY CUT ALL THE TREES AND THEN AFTER THEY REMOVE ALL THE TREES.
SO ONE THING I WANT TO SEE IS I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT KIND OF VALUE IT WILL BRING IT TO OUR COMMUNITY WITH MARIJUANA.
IT IS NOT GOOD FOR OUR KIDS, FOR OUR FAMILY, FOR OUR COMMUNITY, EVEN FOR THE FUTURE.
HERE'S A LOOK AT LOTS OF LOTS OF PLACES.
THEY START WITH MARIJUANA AND THEN LATER THEY BRING UP [INAUDIBLE].
SO THIS IS TOTALLY, TOTALLY DIFFERENT SITUATION HERE TO BRING THE MARIJUANA TO THE COMMUNITY.
SO I'M STRONGLY AGAINST THE MARIJUANA INITIATIVE, HERE.
MR. ZANG WILL BE FOLLOWED BY AN [INAUDIBLE] HELLO, MY NAME IS ANTHONY [INAUDIBLE].
I'M A MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP RESIDENT LIVING AT 5317 OKEMOS ROAD.
I'M NOT ONLY A RESIDENT OF MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP, BUT I'M ALSO A PROUD WORKER OVER AT GREEN PEAK INDUSTRIES, WHICH OPERATES UNDER THE SKYMINT BRAND.
THEY ARE THE LARGEST VERTICALLY INTEGRATED CANNABIS COMPANY IN MICHIGAN.
SKYMINT HAS EXPERTIZE IN CULTIVATION, EXTRACTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF CANNABIS TO REGISTERED PATIENTS AND CUSTOMERS.
IT'S BEEN OPERATIONAL SINCE OCTOBER OF TWENTY EIGHTEEN AND LEADS THE WAY IN GROWING AND MANUFACTURING CONSISTENTLY HIGH QUALITY PRODUCTS ACROSS THE STATE OF MICHIGAN.
I WANT TO EXPRESS MY SUPPORT FOR THE TOWNSHIP TO OPT IN UNDER THE MICHIGAN ADULT USE MARIJUANA ACT USING THE FRAMEWORK THAT THEY'VE ALREADY ESTABLISHED FOR EXISTING MEDICAL MARIJUANA ORDINANCE AND ADVOCATING GRANDFATHERING IN THE EXISTING PERMIT HOLDERS, SIMILAR TO WHAT EAST LANSING HAS DONE.
THERE'S ESSENTIALLY NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE MEDICAL AND ADULT USE PROVISIONING CENTERS, AND BOTH CAN OPERATE IN THE SAM LOCATION IN HARMONY.
THE BOARD MEMBERS MAY REMEMBER TOURING SKYMINTS STORE.
SKYMINT IS ONE OF GREEN PEAKS STORES AND DEMONSTRATES THE QUALITY OF ITS ESTABLISHMENTS AND HIGH RETAIL STANDARDS THAT IT HOLDS.
THE REVENUE TO THE TOWNSHIP WOULD SUBSTANTIALLY HELP THE TOWNSHIP IN BEING ABLE TO FUND ITS POLICE AND FIRE SERVICES, WHICH IN TURN WOULD BE A WIN FOR THE CITIZENS OF MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP.
NOT ONLY WOULD THERE BE INCREASED REVENUE, BUT ALSO YOU SAW WITH SYKMINTS EAST LANSING STORE, IT INCREASED THE TAXABLE VALUE OF THE PROPERTIES AND THOSE SURROUNDING IT, WHICH WOULD BRING IN ADDITIONAL FUNDS TO THE TOWNSHIP.
LAST POINT I'D LIKE TO MAKE IS THAT MEDICAL ONLY STORES CANNOT SURVIVE IN TODAY'S MARKET.
IN ORDER FOR STORES TO BE VIABLE, THEY NEED TO BE ADULT USED LICENSE.
I BELIEVE THAT IS WHY THERE ARE NO MEDICAL ONLY STORES OPENING.
I BELIEVE THAT THE TOWNSHIP SHOULD ADOPT IN UNDER THE ADULT USE MARIJUANA ACT, UTILIZING THE FRAMEWORK OF MERIDIANS EXISTING MARIJUANA ORDINANCE AND CREATE A WIN FOR THE CITIZENS OF MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.
[00:25:05]
PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS AND THEN GO FORWARD.YES, YES, OH, THIS IS KEVIN, MY WIFE ACTUALLY [INAUDIBLE], SO I'M GOING TO ASK YOU SOME QUESTIONS THERE.
SO THIS IS A KEVIN LU ON 2690 MORNING GLORY DRIVE OKEMOS.
SO I'M GOING TO OPPOSE TO THE MARIJUANA PROPOSAL HERE, SO THE REASON IS THAT IN THE ONE OF THE BIGGEST REASON MY FAMILY MOVED OVER HERE IS THEIR REPUTATION FOR HIGHER QUALITY EDUCATION, FOR THIS ENVIRONMENT, THE MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP.
SO AND ALSO, I GUESS THERE ARE SOME OTHER BENEFITS, LIKE THE SAFETY CULTURE, DIVERSITY ENVIRONMENT FOR THIS TOWNSHIP.
YEAH, EXACTLY, SO IF THAT'S THE DIRECTION WE GO, I WAS CURIOUS OF WHAT THE SIGNAL WE GIVE TO THE PEOPLE.
SO I DO WANT THE PEOPLE TO MOVE OUT OF THIS TOWNSHIP BECAUSE WE'RE HEAVY ON THE BUSINESS LIKE THIS.
SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO ASK PEOPLE, SO WHAT'S NEXT? WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DO THEIR WHAT'S NEXT AFTER THE MARIJUANA.
SO I KIND OF LIKE TO THINK ABOUT IN BIG ENVIRONMENTS, TO SEE WHAT DO WE WANT TO GIVE RESIDENTS HERE TO HAVE A BETTER AND ENRICHED ENVIRONMENT FOR RAISING THE KIDS LIKE THE GENTLEMAN MENTIONED EARLIER.
SO WHAT DO WE WANT TO GIVE UP? YEAH, WHATEVER WE WANT TO GIVE UP.
WE DON'T WANT TO RISK OUR REPUTATION TO JUST FOR THE MARIJUANA IN THIS CASE.
I THINK THAT WE DON'T WANT TO GIVE UP OUR KIDS SAFETY TO SACRIFICE THEIR HOUSE TO GET SOME BENEFIT FROM SOME OF THE DRUG STORE.
THEY NEED SOME MONEY TO OUR COMMUNITY.
BUT WHERE DOES THE MONEY COME FROM? THE MONEY COMES FROM SACRIFICE, OUR KIDS SAFETY [INAUDIBLE] UNDER OUR COMMUNITIES REPUTATION.
THIS IS NOT WHY DO WE WANT TO GO? THANK YOU SO MUCH.
THE SECOND SPEAKER, PLEASE GIVE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS.
I REALIZE YOU'RE A SPOUSE, BUT GIVE YOUR NAMEAND ADDRESS.
MY NAME IS MAY [INAUDIBLE] I'M 2690 MORNING GLORY DRIVE OKEMOS.
HI THERE, MY NAME IS MIKE MACFARLIN, MY ADDRESS IS FIVE ONE FIVE [INAUDIBLE] AVENUE EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN.
I'M THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS MANAGER WITH GREEN PEAK INDUSTRIES, ALSO KNOWN AS SKYMINT, AND I JUST WANT TO SHOW MY SUPPORT FOR OPTING INTO THE ADULT USE MARKET.
WE KNOW THROUGH SEEING OTHER MUNICIPALITIES, SUCH AS EAST LANSING AND LANSING, THAT MUNICIPALITIES CAN BENEFIT FINANCIALLY FROM OPTING IN AND PUTTING MONEY BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY WITHOUT ADDING RISK OR DANGER.
SKYMINT LOCATIONS HAVE ONSITE SECURITY GUARDS AND CAMERAS BOTH IN AND OUTSIDE THE FACILITY THAT ARE MONITORED BY STAFF 24/7.
WE TAKE SECURITY EXTREMELY SERIOUSLY AND HAVE VERY MINIMAL ISSUES BETWEEN OUR 11 STORES AROUND THE STATE.
AND WE'VE ALSO NEVER HAD AN ODOR COMPLAINT, WHICH I KNOW THAT'S SOMETHING THAT RESIDENTS ARE OFTEN VERY CONCERNED ABOUT.
AND THEN BEYOND THE ECONOMIC BENEFIT OF A MARIJUANA RETAILER, I ALSO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THE COMMUNITY BENEFIT THAT COMES FROM HAVING A MARIJUANA RETAILER.
EACH MARIJUANA RETAILER MUST HAVE SOME SORT OF INVOLVEMENT WITH THE SOCIAL EQUITY PROGRAM WITH THE MRA.
THIS IS A WAY TO GIVE BACK TO SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES AND THOSE THAT MAY HAVE BEEN NEGATIVELY AFFECTED BY MARIJUANA.
SKYMINT DONATES TO CHARITABLE COMMUNITIES IN THE AREA, WERE INVOLVED IN THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
AND EACH CITY WE OPERATE, WE OFFER LIVING WAGES AND FULL BENEFITS, DIVERSE HIRING PRACTICES, AND MUCH LIKE WE DID IN EAST LANSING.
WE'RE ALSO COMMITTED TO DONATING ONE PERCENT OF OUR SALES TO THE COMMUNITY AS WELL.
LASTLY, I WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT AS A MARIJUANA OPERATOR THAT HAS BEEN LOCALLY APPROVED IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP ALREADY, THERE'S NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OUR STORES, WHETHER THEY'RE LICENSED MEDICALLY OR RECREATIONALLY.
BUT WE KNOW THAT THE MEDICAL MARKET IS NOT VIABLE AND IT'S IMPERATIVE THAT THE TOWNSHIP OPTS INTO ADULT USE IN ORDER FOR US TO BE SUSTAINABLE.
CARLA GALLIGAN, IT'S THE NEXT SPEAKER.
MS. GALLIGAN IS ALSO WAS RUNNING AN OLDER VERSION OF ZOOM.
WE'RE NOT HEARING YOU YET, PLEASE START WITH YOUR NAM AND ADDRESS WHEN YOU DO.
[00:30:08]
WE'RE STILL NOT HEARING HER MR. GEBES.YEAH, IT DOESN'T APPEAR TO BE MUTED.
I'M GOING TO SUGGEST THAT SHE MAY WANT TO CALL IN AT THE FIVE ONE SEVEN THREE FOUR NINE ONE, TWO, THREE, TWO TELEPHONE NUMBER AND WE'LL MOVE ON TO MARCUS DALADORI.
CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, GO AHEAD.
HI, THIS IS MARCUS DALADORI, I LIVE AT TWO TWO SIX SEVEN MOUNT HOPE ROAD OKEMOS MICHIGAN.
I LIVED IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP MY WHOLE LIFE.
I'VE BEEN INVOLVED WITH MARIJUANA LICENSING SINCE IT STARTED FOR VARIOUS RETAILERS AND SO ON.
I CAN JUST SAY THAT I REITERATE THE POINT THAT THE MEDICAL FACILITIES SIMPLY ARE NOT VIABLE WITHOUT ADULT USE BEING ATTACHED.
SO IT'S THERE'S A REASON THAT THERE HASN'T BEEN ANY DEVELOPMENT, AS FAR AS I KNOW, ON THE LOCATIONS HAVE BEEN SELECTED FOR MEDICAL AND JUST TO GO FORWARD WITH THAT AND FOR THE INVESTMENTS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN PROGRESSING IN REGARDS TO THOSE FOR THOSE TO GO FORWARD, SOMETHING IS GOING TO HAVE TO CHANGE.
AND AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF CASTLE ROCK, WHICH IS IN RELATION TO THE HAGADORN LOCATION, I CAN JUST SAY THAT, YEAH, IT'LL BE AN OVER A MILLION DOLLAR INVESTMENT IN THAT PROPERTY AND PROVIDE AT LEAST 15 TO 20 JOBS AT OVER FIFTEEN DOLLARS AN HOUR, PROBABLY OVER TWENTY DOLLARS AN HOUR.
SO IT'D BE GOOD FOR THE COMMUNITY IN THAT SENSE.
AND ALSO JUST THERE'S A LOT OF OVERSIGHT FROM THE STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, AND THE SECURITY REQUIREMENTS ARE FAIRLY DETAILED.
FROM WHAT I'VE SEEN IN THE FACILITIES THAT I'VE BEEN INVOLVED WITH, THE SECURITY MEASURES ARE REALLY GOOD.
ALL RIGHT, MY NAME'S MIKE MCCURDY, I LIVE AT FIVE, FOUR, FIVE EIGHT OKEMOS ROAD, I'M SECOND GENERATION MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP RESIDENT, AND AS A GRANDFATHER, I'M RAISING A THIRD AND FOURTH GENERATION MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP RESIDENTS.
AND I HAVE TO SAY, I'M REALLY SAD TO SEE SO MANY OF MY FELLOW TOWNSHIP RESIDENTS SO MISINFORMED ABOUT THE DANGERS OF MARIJUANA.
WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF A HEROIN EPIDEMIC IN THIS COUNTRY.
AND YET I CAN GO TO ALMOST ANY CORNER IN THE TOWNSHIP AND GET YOU KNOW, GET OPIOIDS.
AND YET HERE WE ARE DISCUSSING WHETHER WE SHOULD BE DISPENSING MARIJUANA.
OF COURSE, WE DON'T HAVE A MARIJUANA EPIDEMIC BECAUSE IT'S NOT A DANGEROUS DRUG.
WE HAVE AN EPIDEMIC OF ALCOHOLISM, DRUNK DRIVING.
THESE ARE THE PROBLEMS FACING OUR TOWNSHIP, NOT MARIJUANA.
YOU KNOW, THE BIGGEST PROBLEM WE'VE HAD WITH MARIJUANA IS PROHIBITION.
COMMUNITIES HAVE BEEN DESTROYED BECAUSE OF PROHIBITION, NOT BECAUSE OF BEING ALLOWED TO USE MARIJUANA, BECAUSE OF NOT BEING ALLOWED TO USE IT.
WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO BUY IT LEGALLY.
MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP RESIDENTS DESERVE THAT RIGHT.
YOU KNOW, A HUGE PERCENTAGE OF RESIDENTS USE IT.
AND ALL THINGS LIKE THIS DO IS [INAUDIBLE].
IF WE MAKE IT ILLEGAL TO BUY IT THEN OR TO SELL IT, THEN WE CAN'T BUY IT.
WE HAVE TO BUY IT OFF THE BLACK MARKET.
AND PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BUY IT.
THEY'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO USE IT.
AND FRANKLY, WE KNOW IT'S SAFER THAN ALCOHOL.
WE KNOW IT'S SAFER THAN OPIOIDS FOR PEOPLE USING IT FOR FOR PAIN, FOR PEOPLE USING IT FOR MEDICINE.
SO THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NO REASON RETAILERS SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO SELL IT.
LIKE I SAID, OPIOIDS ARE SOLD ALL OVER THE PLACE, RITE AID, WALGREENS, YOU NAME IT.
YOU KNOW, THE BARS ARE EVERYWHERE.
AND FRANKLY, IT'S JUST ABSURD.
AND PEOPLE ARE JUST MISINFORMED.
IT'S GOT A BAD REPUTATION, BUT IT'S NOT IT'S MR. MCCURDY.
JUST I'M WORKING WITH THE CANNABIS CAUCUS OF MICHIGAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY TO GET PEOPLE OUT OF PRISON WITH ORDINANCES LIKE THIS ARE JUST GOING TO DRIVE IT UNDERGROUND AND STICK PEOPLE BACK IN PRISON.
PLEASE LET PEOPLE SELL ITLEGALLY.
[00:35:01]
NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE.HI, IT'S CARLA [INAUDIBLE], FOUR, THREE, SIX, SEVEN AZTEC WAY OH, SORRY, I HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE ZOOM CONNECTION.
[INAUDIBLE], I'M CALLING IN BECAUSE I'M OPPOSED TO OPTING IN TO COMMERCIAL RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP FOR A FEW REASONS.
IT'S WELL DOCUMENTED IN STUDIES.
COMMERCIAL MARIJUANA SALES HAVE BEEN LINKED TO AN INCREASE IN CRIME, WITH RATES BETWEEN TWENTY SIX TO ONE THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED AND FIFTY TWO PERCENT HIGHER THAN IN NEIGHBORHOODS WITHOUT COMMERCIAL MARIJUANA.
ALSO, THE PUBLIC HEALTH CONSEQUENCES HOSPITALIZATIONS HAVE BEEN RISING AND CALLS INTO THE POISON CONTROL CENTER, POSSIBLY DUE TO THE STRENGTH OF THE EDIBLES AND PURCHASES MADE TO THE DISPENSARIES.
AND THE COLORADO STUDIES SHOW AN INCREASE IN MARIJUANA USE AMONG THE EIGHTEEN TO TWENTY FIVE YEAR OLDS IN EXCESS OF 10 PERCENT SINCE THEY OPENED THEIR COMMERCIAL RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES.
THERE ARE ALSO ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS.
I KNOW SOMEONE MENTIONED ODOR.
WELL, ODOR SEEMS TO BE A BIG PROBLEM THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES.
FROM THE GROWERS DISPENSARIES AND PROCESSING OF THE MARIJUANA.
THERE ARE MANY LAWSUITS RELATED TO ODORS AND ALSO PROPERTY VALUES DECREASING BECAUSE PEOPLE PROPERTY AROUND THE PROCESSING CENTERS, YOU KNOW, AREN'T A DESIRABLE PLACE TO LIVE.
SO FOR ALL THOSE REASONS, I AM OPPOSED TO OPTING IN.
HI, I'M KAT EBERT, I WAS IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP, RESIDENT AT TEN FIFTY EIGHT BUCKINGHAM ROAD HASLETT MICHIGAN FOR 15 YEARS OF MY LIFE.
I'M CURRENTLY IN EAST LANSING AS AN MSU STUDENT.
I'M REPRESENTING THE MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY CHAPTER OF STUDENTS FOR SENSIBLE DRUG POLICY, AS WELL AS THE GLOBAL NONPROFI ORGANIZATION.
I'M THE VICE CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR SSDP GLOBAL.
I'M SPEAKING IN SUPPORT OF ALLOWING RECREATIONAL CANNABIS TO BE SOLD IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP.
THE FIRST, WHICH I KNOW HAS BEEN MENTIONED SEVERAL TIMES, IS REVENUE.
AS SOMEONE THAT GREW UP IN A SUBDIVISION RIGHT OFF OF CORNELL ROAD, I THINK WE'RE ALL AWARE THAT ROADS ARE A HUGE ISSUE.
I'M GOING TO CITE A FEW SOURCES.
RECREATIONAL SALES FOR CANNABIS IN MICHIGAN FOR THE FIRST YEAR.
WE'RE AT FOUR HUNDRED AND FORTY MILLION DOLLARS.
AND THE REVENUE TAX FROM THE FIRST LEGAL CANNABIS YEAR WAS SEVENTY THREE MILLION DOLLARS.
SO THAT'S A LOT OF MONEY AND THAT CAN GO TOWARDS A LOT OF DIFFERENT AREAS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.
THIS WILL ALSO INCREASE FOOT TRAFFIC AND WHICH WILL INCREASE REVENUE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES.
AND I HEARD AN ARGUMENT ABOUT INCREASING TRAFFIC LIKE ROAD TRAFFIC BECAUSE OF THIS.
AND I'D LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT MERIDIAN MALL IS LOCATED IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP, WHICH ALREADY HAS A LOT OF TRAFFIC.
SO AS SOMEONE THAT HAS HAD MY MEDICAL MARIJUANA CARD SINCE I WAS 18 YEARS OLD, THERE'S NEVER BEEN A MEDICAL CANNABIS DISPENSARY THAT HAS BEEN CLOSE TO ME.
AND I'VE HAD TO DRIVE AND BUY IT SOMEWHERE ELSE.
AND THIS KIND OF GOES WITH THE ARGUMENT THAT IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO OPERATE A MEDICAL CANNABIS FACILITY IN THE CURRENT TIMES WITH RECREATIONAL CANNABIS BEING A THING AS WELL.
SO BY ALLOWING RECREATIONAL CANNABIS TO BE SOLD.
WRAP UP, YOU'RE DOWN TO YOUR TWO MINUTES ARE UP.
SO BY ALLOWING RECREATIONAL CANNABIS, YOU'RE ACTUALLY ALLOWING THE PATIENTS THAT USE IT MEDICINALLY AND EVEN THE PATIENTS THAT USE IT FOR MEDICAL PURPOSES THAT MIGHT NOT HAVE A MEDICAL CARD TO USE THAT AND NOT HAVE TO DRIVE OTHER PLACES.
AND SIMULTANEOUSLY, YOU'RE INVESTING IN THE COMMUNITY.
KAT WILL BE FOLLOWED BY RLD WAY I'M, GOING ACROSS.
[00:40:02]
YEAH, THIS IS BOB VALDORY.I'VE LIVED HERE IN MERIDIAN, TOWNSHIP, FOR OVER 40 YEARS AT 2719 MOUNT HOPE ROAD.
I HAVE TO SAY, I'M A LITTLE BIT SHOCKED AT SOME OF THE THINGS I'VE HEARD TONIGHT BECAUSE THEY'RE SO MISINFORMED.
SO ONE OF THE RECENT SPEAKERS SAID INCREASE IN CRIME.
ABSOLUTELY FALSE AND INCREASE IN USE.
THE WAR ON DRUGS HAS BEEN AN ABSOLUTE DISASTER AND IT'S BEEN SERIOUSLY DAMAGING TO THE TRUTH AND FACTS.
OPTING IN WILL HAVE NOTHING BUT A POSITIVE EFFECT ON THIS COMMUNITY.
THE OBJECTIONS I'VE HEARD TONIGHT ARE IRRATIONAL AND FOR THE MOST PART, DELUSIONAL.
THAT IS, THEY'RE BASED ON BELIEFS, NOT FACTS.
ALMOST EVERY OBJECTION THAT I'VE HEARD TONIGHT HAS BEEN THOROUGHLY DEBUNKED BY SCIENCE.
I'VE GOT LITERALLY DOZENS OF CLIENTS.
I'M AN ATTORNEY THAT'S BEEN REPRESENTING PEOPLE IN THE MARIJUANA FIELD FOR 4 YEARS, AND I'VE GOT CLIENTS AND MUNICIPALITIES FROM DETROIT TO BREEDSVILLE AND FROM [INAUDIBLE] TO DETOUR, WHICH IF YOU GO TO THE BRIDGE AND TURN RIGHT AND STOP JUST BEFORE YOU GET TO CANADA, THAT'S WHERE DETOUR IS.
EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE COMMUNITIES, THE PRESENCE OF RETAIL AND OTHER LEGAL MARIJUANA FACILITIES THAT HAVE NOTHING BUT A POSITIV EFFECT ON THE COMMUNITY AND NOT JUST FROM AN ECONOMIC IMPACT POINT OF VIEW, BUT IN MANY OTHER WAYS.
THERE HAVE BEEN ZERO PROBLEMS WITH RESPECT TO LAW ENFORCEMENT OR REGULATION OF THE FACILITIES.
THE PEOPLE WHO OBJECT TO THE COMMERCIALIZATION OF THIS COMMODITY ARE ACTUALLY BEHAVING IN A WAY THAT IS COUNTERPRODUCTIVE TO THEIR OWN GOALS.
IF YOU REALLY CARE ABOUT KEEPING MARIJUANA OUT OF THE HANDS OF MINORS, THE RECORD IS CLEAR.
LEGALIZE IT AND NORMALIZE AND USE BY MINORS DECREASES.
OPTING OUT WILL ONLY MAKE WHATEVER PROBLEMS THAT CURRENTLY EXIST WORSE AND WILL CONTRIBUTE NOTHING POSITIVE TO THIS COMMUNITY.
IT'S TIME TO DEAL WITH REALITY.
NEXT SPEAKER WILL BE KELLIN BRANDON.
MR. BRANDON, YOU'RE MUTED, YOU'LL NEED TO UNMUTEYOURSELF.
THEY DISAPPEARED FROM MY SCREEN AS WELL.
THEN THE LAST SPEAKER WE HAVE ON THE LIST AT THIS TIME IS MR. ALAN [INAUDIBLE].
HELLO, THIS IS ALAN [INAUDIBLE], I AM THE ATTORNEY FOR THE CURE LEAVE TC WE ARE ONE OF THE PERMANENT HOLDERS FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA.
I WANT TO RAISE JUST A COUPLE ISSUES.
I'VE NEVER SEEN A STUDY I'VE BEEN A MARIJUANA ATTORNEY FOR THREE YEARS NOW 4 YEARS, I'VE NEVER SEEN A STUDY WHERE CRIME GOES UP OR WHERE THE USE OF CHILDREN GOES UP.
WE'VE HAD MULTIPLE FACILITIES THROUGHOUT THE STATE.
WE'VE NEVER HAD A SAFETY ISSUE.
WE'VE NEVER HAD A SMELL COMPLAINT FROM ANY OF THE TENANTS OR RESIDENTS IN THE AREA.
THE STATE OF MICHIGAN HAS THESE HIGHLY REGULATED WHEN IT COMES TO THINGS LIKE SAFETY THE WINDOWS TINTED SO THAT NO ONE CAN SEE THE PRODUCT FROM THE OUTSIDE, SO THAT IT'S NOT AN ISSUE FOR CHILDREN WHEN THEY'RE WALKING BY OR WHEN THEY'RE DRIVING BY A MARIJUANA FACILITY.
THE FACT THAT THE CITY IS CONSIDERING OPTING IN FOR RECREATIONAL IS A GREAT THING FOR THE CITY.
ON TOP OF ALL THE OTHER THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN SAID, IF YOU LOCATE THESE FACILITIES WHERE THEY ARE MEDICAL AND RECREATIONAL, AS THE WOMAN FROM THE MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY SAID, YOU'RE ADDING LOCATIONS WHERE MEDICAL PATIENTS TO NO LONGER HAVE TO DRIVE FURTHER AWAY TO GET THEIR MEDICATION THAT THEY NEED.
YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE THESE FACILITIES THAT HAVE BOTH RECREATIONAL AND MEDICAL MARIJUANA.
THE PRODUCTS THEMSELVES ARE NEARLY IDENTICAL.
THE STATE HAS LIMITS IN PLACE FOR WHAT RECREATIONAL PRODUCT, HOW CONCENTRATED IT CAN BE.
THE SAFETY, AGAIN, IS AN ISSUE THAT THEREIS NOT AN ISSUE.
THERE'S POLICING THAT'S THE SAME POLICING OF THE MEDICAL FACILITIES CAN BE DONE FOR THE RECREATIONAL FACILITIES.
YOU ARE NOT HAVING TO INCREASE ANY OF THE POLICE FORCE BEYOND WHAT'S ALREADY BEEN PLANNED FOR, WHAT'S APPROVED FOR THE SPECIAL LANDUSE OF THE SEVEN LOCATIONS THAT ALREADY EXIST OR SIX LOCATIONS? EXCUSE ME? AND THE CITIES THAT HAVE OPTED OUT ALL OPTED OUT THE FOURTEEN HUNDRED I KEEP HEARING THIS NUMBER FROM ALL THE PEOPLE THAT ARE TALKING, ALL THOSE CITIES OPTED OUT BECAUSE THERE WAS A DEADLINE IN THE STATE STATUTE.
THAT'S THE REASON THE NUMBER IS SO HIGH OUT OF THE NUMBER OF SPEAKERS] TIME IS UP.
AND WE NEVER HEARD YOUR ADDRESS.
IT'S ONE ZERO EIGHT SOUTH MAIN STREET SUITE A ROYAL OAK, MICHIGAN, FOUR EIGHT ZERO SIX SEVEN.
THERE ARE NO MORE RAISED HANDS AND THERE ARE NO TELEPHONE CALLS.
[00:45:01]
OK, THAT MEANS THE MEETING BELONGS TO ALL OF US AT THIS POINT, RECALL APPROVAL OF[5. APPROVAL OF AGENDA]
THE AGENDA.IS THERE SUPPORT? SUPPORT MS. JACKSON.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE AGENDA.
PUT YOUR HANDS IN FRONT OF YOUR FACE.
I DON'T THINK WE NEED TO ROLL CALL ON THIS IT'S PRETTY CLEAR.
ALL RIGHT, NOW WE MOVE ON TO OUR ONE DISCUSSION ITEM AND THAT IS RECREATIONAL
[6A. Recreational Marihuana]
MARIJUANA.AND WE HAD ASKED PRIOR TO THIS MEETING, FOR OUR ATTORNEY TO LOOK AT THE LEGAL ASPECTS IN TERMS OF HOW WE COULD DO THIS, WHAT WE CAN DO.
AND SO I'D LIKE TO CALL ON MR. FAHEY OR [INAUDIBLE] WHICHEVER IS APPROPRIATE TO START OUT BY DESCRIBING WHAT THE STATUS IS IN TERMS OF THE LAW.
THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR STYKA, I'M MATT KUSCHELFROM FAHEY SCHULTZ AND WE WORK WITH THE TOWNSHIP AS TOWNSHIP COUNCIL.
I'M GOING TO WALK THROUGH THE OPINION PROVIDED IN YOUR PACKET.
AND THEN THERE WAS ALSO SOME ADDITIONAL COMMENTS PROVIDED BY SOME MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
AND I'LL BRIEFLY ADDRESS THOSE AS WELL, JUST TO PROVIDE BACKGROUND AND A FOUNDATION FOR YOUR DISCUSSION GOING FORWARD.
SO MICHIGAN HAS THREE MARIJUANA LAWS CURRENTLY, THE FIRST IS THE 2008 CAREGIVER ACT MEDICAL MARIJUANA ACT, THE MMFLA, WHICH ESTABLISHED COMMERCIALIZATION OF THAT MEDICAL PROCEDURE.
AND THE TOWNSHIP HAS OPTED IN TO THE MMFLA AND PERMITTED ONE OR MORE OF EACH OF THE FIVE DIFFERENT FACILITY TYPES WHICH ARE PROVISIONING CENTERS OR RETAIL OR DISPENSARIES, PROCESSORS, WHICH PROCESSE THE MARIJUANA SECURE TRANSPORTERS, WHICH MOVE IT IN BETWEEN DIFFERENT FACILITIES.
GROWERS, THERE ARE DIFFERENT CLASSES OF GROWERS AND THEN MEDICAL SAFETY COMPLIANCE FACILITIES WHICH TEST THE MEDICAL MARIJUANA.
THEN THE MAIN MARIJUANA STATUTE UNDER DISCUSSION TONIGHT IS THE NEW OR NEWER 2018 RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA ACT OR MRTMA.
IT'S ALSO REFERRED TO AS ADULT USE MARIJUANA.
SO YOU'LL HEAR RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA OR ADULT USE OF MARIJUANA.
AND FOR THE SAME TYPES OF MARIJUANA ESTABLISHMENTS AS ON THE MEDICAL SIDE, BUT THEN ADDITIONALLY HAD SOME NEW ONES, SO IT ALSO HAS GROWERS WITH DIFFERENT CLASSES OF PLANTS, ALTHOUGH, OF COURSE, JUST TO MAKE THINGS CONFUSING, DIFFERENT CLASSES HAVE DIFFERENT PLANTS, WHETHER YOU'RE MEDICAL OR RECREATIONAL.
THERE IS A PROCESS OR LICENSE, AGAIN, FOR PROCESSING THE MARIJUANA.
THERE IS A SAFETY COMPLIANCE FACILITY AGAIN FOR TESTING.
YOU'RE TRANSPORTED AGAIN FOR MOVING IT AROUND.
THE PROVISIONING CENTER ON THE ADULT USE SITE IS CALLED A RETAILER OR A RECREATIONAL RETAILER OR MARIJUANA RETAILER WHERE AN ADULT INDIVIDUAL OVER 21 YEARS OR OLDER CAN PURCHASE MARIJUANA.
AND THEN THERE IS A NEW SIXTH ESTABLISHMENT TYPE CALLED A MICRO BUSINESS.
THIS ALLOWS THREE DIFFERENT LICENSE TYPES IN ONE PLACE, UP TO ONE HUNDRED FIFTY PLANTS AS A GROWER, A PROCESSOR AND THEN ALSO RETAILER ONSITE FOR THAT MARIJUANA THAT'S BEEN GROWN THERE.
SO IT'S SIMILAR IN IDEA TO LIKE A BREWPUB TYPE WHERE THEY'RE MAKING THE BEER AND SELLING THE BEER.
SAME IDEA IS TO GROW THE MARIJUANA AND SELL THAT MARIJUANA ALL IN ONE FACILITY.
ADDITIONALLY, THE ACT PERMITTED THE REGULATORY AGENCY, THE MARIJUANA REGULATORY AGENCY, WHICH DOES PROMULGATE RULES FOR ALL THREE OF THESE ACTS TO ESTABLISH ADDITIONAL OR CREATE RATHER ADDITIONAL ESTABLISHMENT TYPES.
AND THEY DID CREATE FOUR NEW ESTABLISHMENT TYPES OUTSIDE THE ACT.
ONE IS A DESIGNATED CONSUMPTION ESTABLISHMENT, WHICH CREATES A ROOM OR LOCATION WHERE YOU CAN CONSUME MARIJUANA, AND IT HAS REGULATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS FOR SETTING UP THAT TYPE OF LOCATION.
CREATED THE EXCESS MARIJUANA GROWER, FACILITATING REALLY HIGH VOLUME, GROWING BEYOND THE TRADITIONAL PLANT LIMITS.
A MARIJUANA EVENT ORGANIZER AND A TEMPORARY MARIJUANA EVENT LICENSE, AND THIS WOULD BE FOR SOMEONE TO BE ABLE TO ORGANIZE LIKE AN OUTDOOR FAIR OR BE PART OF SOME TYPE OF EVENT, AND THEN THEY WOULD ACTUALLY BRING IN A RETAILER, WOULD
[00:50:03]
BUY A BOOTH AT A MARIJUANA EVENT.SORT OF HOW THOSE WORK, SO IN TOTAL, 10 DIFFERENT ESTABLISHMENT TYPES THAT THE TOWNSHIP CAN CONSIDER UNDER MRTMA.
WITH THE SIX THAT ARE CLOSER TO THE TRADITIONAL ONES THAT YOU SAW WHEN YOU LOOKED AT MEDICAL AND THEN ALSO THESE ADDITIONAL FOUR.
MRTMA ALSO ALLOWED INDIVIDUAL ADULT USE AND OF COURSE, INDIVIDUALS CAN GROW THEIR OWN UP TO 12 PLANTS IN A RESIDENCE AND THEN ALSO TO POSSESS AND USE MARIJUANA IS PERMITTED IN MICHIGAN.
AND THERE HAVE BEEN SOME COURT CASES, CAN'T USE IT IN PUBLIC.
AND IF YOU'RE GROWING YOUR OWN, IT SHOULDN'T BE VISIBLE FROM A NEIGHBORING HOME OWNER A NEIGHBORING HOME OR STRUCTURE.
AND THEN THERE'S JUST SOME OTHER ELEMENTS WE'VE HIGHLIGHTED A FEW CASES ON IT, THERE'S THE EXCISE TAX, WHICH WE'VE TALKED ABOUT.
BRIEFLY IN THE COMMENTS, INITIALLY, THERE WAS A TAX FOR THE MEDICAL MARIJUANA THAT WENT AWAY WHEN RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA WAS PASSED, SO THE ONLY EXCISE TAX NOW IS THE 10 PERCENT EXCISE TAX ON RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA.
AND THAT IS ON ALL SALES AT RETAIL OR MICRO BUSINESS ESTABLISHMENTS, AND IT'S ALLOCATED TO SEVERAL DIFFERENT ENTITIES ON A FUNDING FORMULA.
MOST IMPORTANT TO THE TOWNSHIP IS THAT 15 PERCENT OF MARIJUANA REVENUE WOULD COME TO THE TOWNSHIP IF THE TOWNSHIP ESTABLISHED EITHER A RETAILER OR A MICRO BUSINESS WITHIN ITS BOUNDARIES.
SO IF YOU PERMITTED RECREATIONAL GROWERS, FOR EXAMPLE, IT WOULDN'T COME WITH ANY ADDITIONAL EXCISE TAX REVENUE.
AS I MENTIONED, THERE IS ALSO STATE REGULATION THAT THE MRA PUTS OUT AND WE NOTED SOME OF THE REGULATIONS FOR EDIBLES AND TO PROTECT THEM IN CHILD RESISTANT PACKAGING, THINGS LIKE THAT.
MOVING MORE CLOSELY INTO WHAT WE'RE REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT HERE, WHICH IS THE TOWNSHIPS REGULATION OF MARIJUANA, THE MRTMA STATUTE EXPLICITLY PERMITS THE TOWNSHIP TO BOTH OPT OUT AND OPT IN.
THE TOWNSHIP CAN LIMIT THE NUMBER OF MARIJUANA ESTABLISHMENTS PERMITTED IN THE MUNICIPALITY.
AND ALSO, CAN ALSO CHOOSE TO COMPLETELY PROHIBIT IT.
AND THEN IF YOU OPT IN, YOU ALSO HAVE THE ABILITY TO REGULATE TIME, PLACE AND MANNER OF THOSE OPERATIONS AND CHARGE THAT SAME FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS APPLICATION FEE THAT WE TALKED ABOUT AND SEE ON THE MEDICAL SIDE.
SO VERY SIMILAR THERE, ALTHOUGH THERE IS SOME DIFFERENT LANGUAGE ABOUT WHAT THE ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITY IS BETWEEN THE TWO STATUTES, MEDICAL AND ADULT USE.
SO FAR IT'S COME OUT VERY MUCH THE SAME IN TERMS OF HOW MUNICIPALITIES HAVE ADOPTED ORDINANCES IF THEY'RE OPTING IN.
HAVEN'T SEEN ANY SIGNIFICANT OPERATIONAL DISTINCTIONS.
FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE, THE FEW DISTINCTIONS THAT I DO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT FIRST IS THE VIOLATION STRUCTURE.
IN OUR MEDICAL ORDINANCE, WE HAVE AN ESCALATING FEE SCHEDULE SO THAT SECOND VIOLATIONS TRIGGER A HIGHER FINE, THIRD VIOLATIONS, A HIGHER FINES TO REALLY CREATE A DISINCENTIVE FOR CONTINUING VIOLATIONS.
AND THEN WE ALSO DO HAVE A MISDEMEANOR ENFORCEMENT COMPONENT.
IF THERE IS TRULY A BAD ACTOR WHO APPEARS TO BE NOT FOLLOWING THE RULES.
IN THE ADULT USE SIDE, THOSE TOOLS ARE REDUCED.
IN THE STATUTE THE FINE IS LIMITED TO A CIVIL INFRACTION.
SO THE MISDEMEANOR COMPONENT IS REMOVED AS AN OPTION AND THE MAXIMUM FINE IS FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS A DAY.
SO NO ESCALATING FINE STRUCTURE, UNLESS YOU START AT LOWER, SAY, 100 250 AND THEN YOU'D HAVE FIVE HUNDRED AS YOUR MAXIMUM.
NEXT IS A COMPETITIVE REVIEW PROCESS.
IN OUR MEDICAL MARIJUANA ORDINANCE, WE LIMITED THE NUMBER OF AVAILABLE PERMITS FOR THOSE FACILITIES.
IN THE PROVISIONING CENTER CONTEXT, WE REGULATED THAT TO A MAXIMUM OF SIX PERMITS THROUGHOUT THE TOWNSHIP.
IF WE TOOK A SIMILAR TACK WITH RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA AND LIMITED IT TO SIX PERMITS, LIMITING THAT NUMBER TRIGGERS A STATUTOR PROVISION THAT IF WE RECEIVED MORE APPLICATIONS THAN PERMITS WERE AVAILABLE, WE WOULD HAVE TO ENGAGE IN
[00:55:02]
A COMPETITIVE REVIEW PROCESS TO DETERMINE WHICH APPLICANT IS BEST SUITED TO OPERATE IN THE TOWNSHIP, THAT'S REALLY ALL THE DIRECTION WE'RE GIVEN IN THE STATUTE.IT'S A REQUIREMENT TO USE A COMPETITIVE REVIEW TO SORT THROUGH MORE APPLICANTS.
SO IN THE MEDICAL CONTEXT, WE HAVE A LOTTERY.
ESSENTIALLY, IT'S SAYING WE COULDN'T USE THAT SAME PROCESS HERE.
BUT THEN WHAT EXACTLY GOES INTO THE COMPETITIVE REVIEW PROCESS, HOW YOU WEIGHT THOSE FACTORS, WHICH FACTORS YOU CONSIDER ALL ARE FOR LOCAL COMMUNITIES TO DECIDE AND DISCUSS.
SO WE'VE PROVIDED A LIST OF OF COMMON FACTORS THAT WE'VE SEEN COMMUNITIES CONSIDER OR ADOPT.
BUT OF COURSE, THEN IT'S UNIQUE TO EACH COMMUNITY.
SO WE'VE BEEN IN TOWNSHIPS WHO ARE PRIMARILY INTERESTED IN THE GROWER PERMITS.
AND SO ONE THING THEY'RE REALLY INTERESTED IN, IN A POTENTIAL COMPETITIVE REVIEW IS WHAT'S YOUR AGRICULTURAL HISTORY? RIGHT.
PRETTY IMPORTANT FOR A GROWER.
NOT AS IMPORTANT FOR A RETAILER.
SO THAT'S JUST TO HIGHLIGHT THAT THE TOWNSHIP DOES HAVE DISCRETION IN THE COMPETITIVE REVIEW PIECE TO CREATE WHAT IS APPROPRIATE IN THIS COMMUNITY.
SO WE THEN HIGHLIGHTED A FEW OF THOSE IN MORE DEPTH.
ONE IS THE PERMIT HISTORY SINCE WE DO HAVE MEDICAL MARIJUANA IN THE COMMUNITY.
WHETHER THAT SHOULD BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT AND TO HOW MUCH WE THINK THERE IS A DOOR THERE IN THE STRUCTURE OF THE MRTMA, THE ADULT USE STATUTE AS PASSED.
INITIALLY, ANY APPLICANT WHO WANTED AT THE STATE LEVEL TO HAVE A LICENSE HAD TO ALSO HAVE AN MMFLA LICENSE AND THEREFORE WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF ORDINANCES THAT REQUIRED THE LOCAL PERMIT HOLDER TO ALSO HAVE A LOCA MEDICAL PERMIT AS ESSENTIALLY A PREREQUISITE, WHICH WAS CONSISTENT WITH THE MRTMA SCHEME AT THE TIME.
SO THAT IS ONE OPTION OR WAY TO REVIEW THAT COMES WITH SOME OTHER CHALLENGES, AND NOTABLY THE MRA HAS NOW WAIVED THAT PREEXISTING PERMIT HOLDER REQUIREMENT AT THE STATE LEVEL.
BUT THE STATE LEVEL, YOU DO NOT NEED A MMFLA PERMIT OR LICENSE TO APPLY FOR AN ADULT USE LICENSE.
THEY'LL ACCEPT IT FROM ANYONE STARTING MARCH 1ST.
SO AT THE SAME TIME, THE TOWNSHIP BOARD COULD ALSO BE CONSISTENT WITH THE CURRENT STATE PRACTICE IF IT DECIDED TO REDUCE ITS RELIANCE ON A CURRENT PERMIT.
ANOTHER OPTION WE ADDRESSED WAS SOCIAL EQUITY, AND THERE WAS JUST A SURVEY RELEASED BY THE MRA IN DECEMBER 2020 REGARDING SOM OF THE LICENSE HOLDERS AND THE VARIOUS WAYS THAT'S BEEN DISTRIBUTED.
AMONG THE COMMUNITIES, WE'RE SEEING A LOT OF WELL FUNDED ENTRANCE, WHICH IS GOOD.
YOU KNOW, YOU WANT PEOPLE WHO HAVE CAPITAL AND ARE ADVANCING THE BUSINESS AT THE SAME TIME YOU ALSO WANT TO SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES AND YOU WANT TO SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES.
AND SO THIS PROVISION GOES THROUGH SOME OF THOSE NUMBERS, WHAT THAT SURVEY FOUND FROM THE STATE REGARDING APPLICATION HOLDERS, THERE WAS A WORKING DOCUMENT RELEASED BY THE MRA ON IDEAS TO ADDRESS THEIR SOCIAL EQUITY GOALS.
IT'S CERTAINLY A COMPLEX AREA, WE TOUCHED ON SOME OF THAT, AND I'M HAPPY TO TALK ABOUT IT A LITTLE BIT MORE.
ESSENTIALLY, IT'S MOVING FORWARD, THE MRA'S ADVANCING A PROGRAM.
WE THINK THERE'S OPPORTUNITY FOR THE TOWNSHIP IN ADVANCING ITS GOALS TO WORK WITH MRA AND KIND OF FOLLOW ALONG WITH THAT, BE A STRONG AND EARLY PARTNER.
AND THEN AT THE SAME TIME, IF THERE ARE SPECIFIC GOALS THE TOWNSHIP WANTS TO DISCUSS, EITHER TONIGHT OR IN THE FUTURE, THEN WE CAN LOOK CLOSELY AT WHAT THOSE GOALS ARE AND THEN HOW WE CAN TAILOR A WELL DEFINED PROGRAM TO HELP ACHIEVE THEM.
SO ONE OF THE BIG QUESTIONS THEN THAT COMES OUT IS HOW DO WE EVALUATE OUR APPLICATIONS BECAUSE WE HAVE THIS COMPETITIVE REVIE QUESTION OR LANGUAGE THAT'S DISTINCT AND DIFFERENT FROM WHAT WE HAVE IN THE MEDICA AND WHAT WHAT MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP DID DIFFERENTLY WHEN IT ADOPTED ITS MEDICAL.
ALTHOUGH WE DO HAVE THAT DISCRETION WE ARE NOW SEEING STATEWIDE SOME GREATER LITIGATION AROUND THAT.
WE HIGHLIGHTED ONE CASE OUT OF TRAVERSE CITY.
THAT'S SOMEWHAT CLOSE TO WHERE MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP IS NOW IN CONSIDERING ITS MARIJUANA, THEY MOVE FORWARD WITH MEDICAL FIRST AND THEN THEY MOVED INTO ADULT USE.
THE CRITICAL FACTOR THERE IS THEY DID NOT ALLOW AS MANY ADULT USE PERMITS AS MEDICAL
[01:00:02]
PERMITS, AND SO THOSE OPERATING ENTITIES IN TRAVERSE CITY THEN DID BRING A LAWSUIT SEEKING TO GET PERMITS TO LOCATE WITHIN TRAVERSE CITY.THEY BROUGHT A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT CLAIMS. FIRST, THEY BROUGHT A SECTION SIX FIVE CLAIM, WHICH THEN I'LL GET INTO THAT JUST BELOW, BUT ESSENTIALLY ARGUING THAT SINCE THEY'RE OPERATING A MEDICAL FACILITY, THEY HAVE TO BE ALLOWED TO OPERATE A RECREATIONAL ESTABLISHMENT.
THEY HAD BROUGHT CLAIMS AGAINST THE PROCESS, THAT COMPETITIVE REVIEW.
THEY SOUGHT AN INJUNCTION FOR THE CITY AND THEN SOUGHT A DECLARATORY RELIEF REGARDING THE NATURE OF THE ACT.
SO OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THAT LITIGATION IS THAT IT'S CONTINUED TO BE ONGOING, WE BELIEVE IT'S CURRENTLY IN MEDIATION AND SO THE OUTCOME IS NOT CLEAR AND THERE ISN'T, AS FAR AS I'M AWARE OF ANY ADDITIONAL LITIGATION ON THE HORIZON PERTAINING TO THAT.
SO DIVING A BIT MORE INTO THE SECTION SIX FIVE ITEM THAT I NOTED, IT'S IN THE MRTMA STATUTE UNDER THE POWERS OF THE MUNICIPALITY AND PUTS A LIMIT ON WHAT THE MUNICIPALITY IS ABLE TO DO, WE CANNOT PROHIBIT A MARIJUANA GROWER, A MARIJUANA PROCESSOR OR MARIJUANA RETAILER FROM OPERATING WITHIN A SINGLE FACILITY OR FROM OPERATING A LOCATION SHARED WITH A MARIJUANA FACILITY.
SO THE QUESTION IS THERE'S TWO DIFFERENT QUESTIONS.
IT ALL SURROUNDS [INAUDIBLE] LOCATION CAN THOSE THREE GROWER PROCESSOR, RETAILER.
ARE THEY PERMITTED TO OPERATE REGARDLESS OF ZONING OR OTHER ORDINANCE CONTROLS FROM A MUNICIPALITY OR NOT, OR CAN OR DOES THE MUNICIPALITY ORDINANCE TRUMP THAT? AND IF WE SAY, LOOK, WE HAVE ZERO GROWERS ALLOWED, WE KNOW IF WE ALLOW GROWERS, YOU CAN HAVE ONE THERE.
BUT WE'RE NOT ALLOWING GROWERS SO YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO GROW.
OR DO THEY GET TO GROW ANYWAY? THAT'S A QUESTION THAT WE HAVEN'T SEEN SO MUCH YET.
I THINK ANY QUESTIONS FROM THAT WILL COME LATER AS THE INDUSTRY CONTINUES TO MATURE.
WHAT WE'RE SEEING MORE IS THE OTHER SIDE WHERE THE SECOND SENTENCE FROM OPERATING ON A LOCATION SHARED WITH A MARIJUANA FACILITY.
SO THIS IS WHAT THEY BROUGHT IN TRAVERSE CITY.
THEY SAID, I HAVE A MARIJUANA FACILITY, I HAVE AN OPERATING PERMIT, I HAVE A PROVISIONAL CENTER.
THEREFORE, YOU CAN'T PROHIBIT ME FROM HAVING A MARIJUANA RETAILER THERE.
EVEN THOUGH YOUR ORDINANCE ONLY SAID WE HAD FOUR AND I DIDN'T GET ONE OF THOSE FOUR, I SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO OPERATE THERE.
SO IT'S NOT CLEAR IN THE LANGUAGE OVER WHETHER THE SIX ONE IN THE ORDINANCES WE CAN PASS ARE GOING TO CONTROL VERSUS THIS LANGUAGE IN SIX FIVE.
AND AS WE MENTIONED, THE LITIGATION IS JUST REALLY NOW STARTING TO COME OUT, BUT IT IS CLAIMS THAT ARE POPPING UP IN A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT PLACES IN THE STATE.
SO FAR, I'M NOT AWARE OF ANY RULING EVEN FROM A CIRCUIT COURT.
AND CERTAINLY THERE HASN'T BEEN ANYTHING FROM THE COURT OF APPEALS.
SO IT'S UNCLEAR HOW IT WILL RESOLVE.
BUT I DID WANT TO RAISE IT AND THAT STATUTORY LANGUAGE FOR THE BOARDS CONSIDERATION.
FINALLY, WE HAVE SOME ZONING CONSIDERATIONS, ALONG WITH ANY POLICE POWER ORDINANCE.
WE WOULD ALSO THEN HAVE ZONING TO PERMIT THE LOCATION AS WE JUST WENT THROUGH.
WE WOULD EXPECT IF ADULT USE ESTABLISHMENTS WERE PERMITTED, THEY WOULD TEND TO CO-LOCATE WITH MEDICAL FACILITIES AND MAY BE ABLE TO DO THAT BY RIGHT.
BUT YOU STILL HAVE YOUR OTHER ZONING CONSIDERATIONS YOU CAN PUT IN PLACE.
YOU COULD LOOK AT ZONING THEM DIFFERENTLY THAN THE MEDICAL PERMITS.
BUT AGAIN, YOU HAVE THAT SIX FIVE THERE.
AND THEN THE FINAL NOTE IS ON CAREGIVERS, ACTUALLY, BECAUSE THERE HAS BEEN SOME RECENT ACTION FROM THE MICHIGAN SUPREME COURT THA AFFIRMED LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES ABILITY TO ZONE AND REGULATE CAREGIVERS.
WE'VE ACTUALLY SEEN SOME INCREASE IN CAREGIVER ACTIVITY.
SO REGARDLESS OF WHAT WE DO ON MRTMA, WE WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THAT AND POTENTIALLY ALSO DEVELOP SOME ZONING FOR PRIMARY CAREGIVER.
SO THAT COVERS MY INITIAL NOTE, AND THEN I WANTED TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE COMMENTS AND INSIGHTS FROM THE MEMORANDUM PROVIDED BY CLERK GUTHRIE AND TRUSTEE OPSOMMER AND JACKSON.
THE FIRST QUESTION AND IDEA THAT THEY RAISE IS FOLLOWING ALONG EAST LANSING'S ORDINANCE AND NOTING THAT EAST LANSING HA NOT BEEN SUED, WHICH IS A GREAT THING FOR ANY MUNICIPALITY OR COMMUNITY.
AND SO IF WE CAN DO WHAT THEY DID, THAT SEEMS LIKE A GREAT PATH TO FOLLOW.
THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE THERE IS THAT WE HAVE LIMITED THE NUMBER OF MEDICAL FACILITIES
[01:05:01]
WE PUT A NUMBER IN AND SAID SIX EAST LANSING DIDN'T DO THAT.EAST LANSING TOOK A ZONING APPROACH.
THEY ONLY HAVE A ZONING ORDINANCE.
AND THEY SAID YOU CAN'T LOCATE WITHIN A THOUSAND FEET OF ANOTHER PROVISIONING CENTER AND YOU CAN ONLY LOCATE WITHIN CERTAIN OVERLAY DISTRICTS.
THAT NATURALLY LIMITED THE NUMBER OF AVAILABLE PARCELS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.
AND WHEN I CHECKED THE MRA, THEY HAVE A LIST OF COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE OPTED IN AND OPTED OUT, THE MRA IS SHOWING EAST LANSING HA OPTED IN TO BOTH MEDICAL AND ADULT USE AS A NO LIMIT COMMUNITY.
SO IT SEEMS LIKE THEY'VE USED THEIR ZONING TO NATURALLY BUFFER IT.
RATHER THAN USING A LOTTERY WITH A SPECIFIC NUMBER TO SAY ONLY SIX, AND THAT GETS BACK TO THE MRA LANGUAGE OF IF YOU LIMIT THE NUMBER, WE'VE LIMITED THE NUMBER.
ALTHOUGH EAST LANSING HAS A PRACTICAL CEILING ON HOW MANY COULD OPEN, THEY DON'T APPEAR TO HAVE LIMITED THE NUMBER AND CERTAINLY NOT IN THE SAME WAY.
THE OTHER INTERESTING THING TO NOTE IS JUST THE TIMING THAT THEY OPTED IN TO MEDICAL MARIJUANA BEFORE RECREATIONAL WAS AUTHORIZED.
I THINK THEIR AUDIENCES WERE EFFECTIVE IN TWENTY EIGHTEEN AND THEN THEY OPTED INTO ADULT RETAILERS IN NOVEMBER, 2019 SHORTLY AFTER THE STATE BEGAN ACCEPTING PERMITS OR LICENSE APPLICATIONS, RATHER, SO I THINK THAT WORKED WELL FOR THEM IN THE SENSE THAT THEIR MEDICAL PERMITS WERE REQUIRED TO HAVE A MEDICAL LICENSE TO THE STATE.
AND SO THEY WERE ABLE TO JUST KIND OF GO ALONG ON THAT PATH WHERE NOW WE SEE THE MRA HAS WAIVED THAT REQUIREMENT.
SO IT'S NOT QUITE AS CLEAN OF A PATH POTENTIALLY FOR THE TOWNSHIP.
AND THE NEXT QUESTION WAS NOTING THAT EAST LANSING HAS THIS ONE PERCENT DONATION LANGUAGE AND THEY TIED THAT TO A ZONING STATUTE.
IT'S SOMETHING WE COULD EXAMINE TO PUT INTO AN ORDINANCE IS NOT SOMETHING WE HAVE IN OUR MEDICAL ORDINANCE OR IN THE TEMPLATE THAT WE PROVIDED INT HE PACKET.
I'M NOT EXACTLY CLEAR WHICH FOUNDATION OR HOW THEY CAME AT THAT FROM A LEGAL PERSPECTIVE, I THINK IT'S SUFFICE TO KNOW THERE ARE CERTAIN QUESTIONS WE WERE GOING TO ASK AND GET RESOLVED.
IS IT A FEE? IS IT A TAX? HOW DO YOU COME AT IT FROM A ZONING CONDITION? HOW EXPANSIVE IS THAT ZONING CONDITION? SO I THINK THERE ARE SOME QUESTIONS AROUND THAT, BUT IT IS SOMETHING THAT THE EAST LANSING DOES CURRENTLY HAVE IN ORDINANCE.
THE NEXT ITEM I WANT TO TOUCH ON WAS THE ANGEL INVESTMENT FUND WITH THE EDC, AGAIN, ANOTHER GOOD IDEA AND SOMETHING WE TOUCHED ON A LITTLE BIT WITH THE SOCIAL EQUITY AND MAYBE HOW DOES THE TOWNSHIP WANT TO ADDRESS THAT? LOOKED AT THE EDC ACT AND LOOKED AT HOW SOME OF THAT IS DONE IN LOCALLY WITH LEAP.
NOT SURE THAT THE EDC IS NECESSARILY THE BEST VEHICLE, PERHAPS A DIFFERENT TYPE OF NONPROFIT COULD BE FORMED TO MOVE THOSE IDEAS FORWARD.
BUT AGAIN, AS WE SAID, AS WE GET SPECIFIC IDEAS, WE CAN DIVE INTO DETAILS ON THE BEST WAY TO PROMOTE OR ACHIEVE THE GOALS THE TOWNSHIP IS LOOKING FOR THERE.
AND THEN FINALLY ON THE REVENUE SIDE, AND I THINK THIS, YOU KNOW, MOSTLY TRACKS IT TRACKS WHAT I'VE HEARD.
WE WERE JUST IN A CONFERENCE WITH DIRECTOR BRISBOOF THE MRA AND HE GAVE VERY SIMILAR NUMBERS IN TERMS OF WHAT THE 15 PERCENT TAX IS GOING TO BE.
MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT IT HASN'T BEEN DISBURSED YET, BUT HE'S ACTUALLY ANTICIPATING THAT THAT WOULD HAPPEN POTENTIALLY BY EVEN THE END OF THE MONTH.
SO WE MIGHT GET SOME HARD AND FAST NUMBERS.
I THINK THE NUMBER HE GAVE US, IF I WROTE IT DOWN CORRECTLY, WAS TWENTY EIGHT THOUSAND PER ESTABLISHMENT, SO EACH RETAILER IN THE TOWNSHIP WOULD EQUAL A TWENTY EIGHT THOUSAND DOLLAR REVENUE SHARING FROM THE EXCISE TAX.
AND THEN SIMILARLY TO HOW THE MEMO LAYS IT OUT, THERE'S ALSO, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW SOME MORE ESTABLISHMENTS WILL BE APPROVED IN OTHER COMMUNITIES.
WE KNOW THERE ARE LIKELY TO BE MORE SALES.
THE MARKET ISN'T COMPLETELY SATURATED YET.
AND HOW THOSE TWO BOUNCE OFF EACH OTHER AND A LEVEL OFF THAT, WHATEVER THE INITIAL NUMBER IS THIS YEAR PER ESTABLISHMENT, IS PROBABLY GOING TO GO DOWN SOME, BUT NOT A WHOLE LOT.
AND AGAIN, I THINK WE'RE PRETTY CLOSE IN TERMS OF THE INFORMATION WE HAVE IS
[01:10:02]
SOMEWHERE AROUND TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR THOSE ESTABLISHMENTS GOING FORWARD ON AN ESTIMATED BASIS.AND THEN, OF COURSE, IT WOULD POTENTIALLY BRING IN ADDITIONAL PROPERTY TAX REVENUE AS WELL.
SO THAT'S THE THAT'S THE QUICK OVERVIEW OF THE MATERIAL PRESENTED AND JUST ALSO ATTEMPTING TO PROVIDE SOME ADDITIONAL FEEDBACK AND COMMENTS TO WHAT WE'VE ALREADY RECEIVED FROM THE BOARD.
BUT I'M HAPPY AND AVAILABLE FOR THE BOARD'S QUESTIONS.
AND BEFORE WE GO ANY FURTHER, ANY QUESTIONS FOR OUR ATTORNEYS, MR. OPSOMMER.
YEAH, MATT, ONE CLARIFICATION, SO WITH WHAT EAST LANSING DID, BASICALLY THEIR STRUCTURE FOR MEDICAL MIRRORS OURS, EXCEPT FOR THE CAP THAT WE PUT ON THE NUMBER OF FACILITIES, BASICALLY ALL THEY DID WAS SAY YOU CAN'T BE LOCATED WITHIN A THOUSAND FEET OR WHATEVER THE BUFFER THEY PUT ON.
BUT WE COULD DO THE SAME THING FOR OUR OVERLAY DISTRICTS, WHICH WOULD JUST BE A DIFFERENT WAY TO CODIFY ONE PERMIT PER OVERLAY.
YES, I THINK YOU COULD, BUT THAT WOULD ALSO BE YOU'D GO BACK TO THE MEDICAL AND REWORK HOW THAT GETS PUT TOGETHER SO YOU WOULDN'T HAVE A HARD CAP ON THE NUMBER OF PERMITS.
YOU WOULD SIMPLY HAVE BUFFER LIMIT, WHICH WOULD LEAD TO A NATURAL LIMITATION ON THE NUMBER.
WE WOULD TAKE THE BIGGEST OVERLAY AND MAKE THE BUFFER SUFFICIENT TO COVER THE OVERLAY OR WE COULD EVEN PUT BUFFERS BY OVERLAY, PERHAPS EVEN.
AND THEN YOU TAKE THE CAP BE, HOW THAT WOULD WORK.
I MEAN, THERE'S INTERESTING QUESTIONS OF, OK, YOU ALREADY HAVE SOME, BUT THERE'S APPLICANTS IN EVERY OVERLAY CURRENTLY.
SO WHETHER CHANGING, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THEIR USE GOING FORWARD RELATIVE TO AMENDMENTS TO THAT ORDINANCE.
SO, YOU KNOW, SOME POTENTIAL DETAILS JUST ABOUT HOW THAT SHAKES OUT, BUT IF YOU KNOW, YES, YOU CAN ALWAYS GO BACK AND AMEND AN ORDINANCE SO YES, YOU COULD GO BACK AND AMEND THE MEDICAL ORDINANCE AND CHANGE THE WAY PERMITS ARE ISSUED.
AND THEN BY VIRTUE OF DOING THAT, IF WE DID KIND OF MIRROR THEIR LANGUAGE BY REQUIRING A SPECIAL USE PERMIT APPROVAL, OR WE COUL LOOK AT, AS YOU GUYS ADDRESS IN THE MEMORANDUM, APPLICATION STATUS, THE PERMIT STATUS, WHICH IS NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT.
THE PERMIT IS WHAT WE THE SECOND PERMIT THAT WE CAN GIVE THEM BASICALLY TO OPEN THEIR DOORS AT THE FINAL STEP IN THE PROCESS.
BUT THERE'S ALL THOSE DIFFERENT LOCAL FACTORS AND WE COULD CODIFY USING THAT TO INSULATE OURSELVES FROM WHAT TRAVERSE CITY DID, WHICH IS TO ESTABLISH 12 MEDICAL FOR REC AND NOT COMINGLE THE TWO PERMITTIN PROCESSES TOGETHER IN ANY WAY.
SO NOW TRAVERSE CITY COULD END UP WITH A 16 FACILITIES THEY COULD END UP WITH FOUR REC ONLY 12 MEDICAL ONLY, PERHAPS.
BUT OBVIOUSLY THEY'VE GOT ALL THESE LEGAL CHALLENGES FROM THOSE MEDICAL APPLICANTS WHO WERE VESTED AND HAD PAID RENEWAL FEES AND INITIAL FEES OVER THE YEARS.
RIGHT, AND I MEAN, AND THE ONE CONCERN THERE IS JUST THE INITIAL ORDINANCE STRUCTURE IS OUT THERE AND THE LOTTERY WAS HELD AND HO THAT POTENTIALLY WOULD PLAY INTO CONCERNS OVER WHEN THOSE PERMITS ARE THEN ISSUED.
IT'S JUST IT'S UNCLEAR IT'S UNCLEAR HOW AN APPLICANT UNDER EITHER PROCESS WOULD THEN MOVE FORWARD AND SAY, YOU KNOW, IF I DIDN'T GET IT RIGHT AND NOW I'M UPSET THAT I DIDN'T GET MY PERMIT.
WHAT ARE MY LEGAL AVENUES? IT'S UNCLEAR HOW HAVING THE PREVIOUS LOTTERY SYSTEM WITH A CAP ON THE PERMITS.
HOW THAT'S GOING TO PLAY INTO THEN WELL, DID WE LIMIT THE NUMBER OF ESTABLISHMENTS UNDER A DIFFERENT NAME.
BUT THE OTHER TO THAT POINT, I MEAN, IT WOULD HAVE TO BE PERSPECTIVE, BECAUSE EVERY AMENDMENT HAS TO BE PERSPECTIVE MOVING FORWARD OR RETROACTIVE AND PERSPECTIVE.
SO WE'D HAVE TO HAVE LANGUAGE IN THERE TO STATE WHICH IT IS, AND IT WOULD BE PROSPECTIVE FOR FUTURE IF A CURRENT APPLICANT OR A SPECIAL USE PERMIT HOLDER CHOOSES NOT TO RENEW.
AND WE HAVE TO START OVER UNDER THE ORDINANCE AT A LATER POINT, AT A FUTURE POINT IN TIME, THEN THAT NEW PROCESS WOULD TAKE EFFECT.
[01:15:05]
HOWEVER, FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES, WE WOULD COLLECT APPLICANTS FROM THE OVERLAY AND PICK ONE OF THEM.I GUESS I'M NOT SURE WHAT YOU MEAN, SO THAT IS ONE QUESTION WITH A BUFFER DISTANCE SYSTEM, HOW DO YOU DETERMINE WHO COMES IN FIRST? SO IF WE HAD A MAP CAN DROP OUT AND YOU OVERLAY 3, LET'S SAY, AND THERE'S NO ONE THERE, THEN WE GET TWO NEW APPLICANTS, BOTH WITHIN 500 FEET OF EACH OTHER.
BUT THE MAXIMUM DISTANCE IS A THOUSAND FEET.
HOW DO YOU DETERMINE WHO GETS THAT SLOT? NOW, IT COULD HAPPEN NATURALLY, RIGHT, DEPENDING ON WHO HAS THEIR SUP PROCESSED TOGETHER.
BUT WE HAVE TO FORMULATE THAT FOR RECANYWAY IT WOULD BE UNDER THE MRTMA THAT WE ALREADY HAVE TO ESTABLISH A PROCESS THAT WE COULD MIRROR, ESSENTIALLY JUST MIRROR WITHIN OUR MEDICAL ORDINANCE.
YES, YOU COULD USE A COMPETITIVE REVIEW UNDER MEDICAL.
WE DO HAVE A HANDFUL OF COMMUNITIES THAT STARTED OUT THAT WAY AND HAVE CONTINUED TO USE IT.
THAT'S ALL THE QUESTIONS I HAVE FOR THE ATTORNEY.
MR. DESCHAINE QUESTIONS FOR THE ATTORNEY.
LOOKING FOR YOUR MUTE BUTTON, I SEE.
[LAUGHTER] THANK YOU MATT FOR YOUR GOOD WORK [OFFMIC] TRUSTEE OPSOMMER [INAUDIBLE].
SO IT SEEMS THAT AN TRUSTEE OPSOMMER [INAUDIBLE] IF WE'RE GOING TO USE A PROCESS SIMILAR TO WHAT WE'RE FAMILIAR WITH WE'VE GOT TO GO BACK.
AND SINCE THEY [INAUDIBLE] WORK.
THE MEDICAL ORDINANCE THAT WE PASSED TWO YEARS AGO, IF WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GO IN AND SAY THE PHONE NUMBER.
AND THEREFORE, WE'RE GOING [INAUDIBLE] AVOIDPOTENTIAL LITIGATION.
MY QUESTION IS THIS WE HAVE BEEN TOLD MANY TIMES BY THESE PROVIDERS THEY DON'T WANT MEDICAL LICENSES.
IT'S ESSENTIALLY WORTHLESS TO THEM EXCEPT AS A GLIDE PATH TO RECREATIONAL [INAUDIBLE] DOWNSIDE WITH THIS CONFUSION MOVING FORWARD OF SIMPLY GOING BACK AND [INAUDIBLE] NOTIFICATION TO THE EXISTING LOTTERY WINNERS WHO HAVE 12 MONTHS TO APPLY FOR A PERMIT [INAUDIBLE] DEVICES [INAUDIBLE] AND CHANGE THE ORDINANCE SO WE CLEAR OUT MEDICAL.
WE'VE BEEN TOLD IT'S WORTHLESS BY THESE PROVIDERS.
THEN START ANEW AND SAY WE ARE GOING TO LOOK AT RECREATIONAL ALL BY ITSELF, THAT WAY WE DON'T GET INTO THIS MESS THAT TRAVERSE CITY IS.
THEY'VE GOT MEDICAL THEY HAVE RECREATIONAL.
SO THE IMPLICATIONS [INAUDIBLE] WE'VE BEEN TOLD BY THESE PROVIDERS, THEY DON'T WANT MEDICAL.
WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS OF GOING BACK EITHER [INAUDIBLE] OPEN UP VOTE TO PERMIT [INAUDIBLE].
WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS OF THAT.
CAN YOU COULD YOU UNDERSTAND ALL THAT BECAUSE HE ECHOED A LOT AS HE SPOKE.
YEAH, IF I UNDERSTAND YOUR QUESTION, YOU'RE ASKING CAN WE TELL THE MEDICAL PERMIT APPLICANTS, EITHER FINISH THE PROCESS AND OPEN OR WE'RE GOING TO RESCIND OUR ORDINANCE AND ESSENTIALLY NOT HAVE MEDICAL.
THAT'S MY QUESTION, CORRECT? THERE YOU GO MUCH BETTER DESCHAINE.
THE BIGGEST ISSUE THERE IS WHETHER THEY WOULD HAVE A VESTED RIGHT TO THAT PERMIT AND WHAT TYPES OF PROCEDURES AND GROUNDS WE WOULD OFFER IN TAKING THAT PERMIT AWAY.
SO, AGAIN, YES, YOU CAN ALWAYS AMEND AN ORDINANCE AND YOU CAN REVOKE ORDINANCES AS WELL.
IN THIS CONTEXT, WE DO HAVE LANGUAGE, AND I THINK I NOTED IT IN THE MEMO, THAT THE PERMIT HOLDERS DO NOT HAVE A PROPERTY RIGHT IN THE PERMIT.
SO THAT'S THE STANCE WE'VE TAKEN FROM AN ADMINISTRATIVE PERSPECTIVE.
THERE IS SOME CASE LAW THAT WOULD SUGGEST THAT THEY MAY HAVE A PROPERTY RIGHT IN THAT PERMIT.
THE THING OF VALUE THAT ALLOWS THEM TO DO SOMETHING, IF THAT WERE TO BE THE CASE IF THE COURT, WERE TO TAKE THAT POSITION THEN THERE ARE ADDITIONAL PROCEDURES IN TERMS OF BOTH PROVIDING DUE PROCESS FOR REVOKING IT.
SO, YES, WE COULD REPEAL OUR ORDINANCE, BUT ESSENTIALLY THEY COULD END UP POTENTIALLY GRANDFATHERED IN IF WE DON'T HAVE A SUFFICIENT DUE PROCESS, PROCEDURE AND OR REASON TO TAKE THAT PERMIT AWAY FROM THEM.
[01:20:06]
IT DOES ALSO POTENTIALLY RAISE A TAKINGS ISSUE IF YOU'RE TAKING A THING OF VALUE FROM AN INDIVIDUAL, WHETHER THERE COULD BE A TAKINGS CLAIM, THOSE WOULD BE THE TWO MAIN ISSUES I WOULD SEE WITH THAT APPROACH.IS THERE ANY VALUE TO THAT APPROACH? I MEAN, WHAT DO WE GAIN BY TAKING THAT APPROACH? RIGHT, YOU WOULD GAIN THE ABILITY TO HAVE YOUR RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA ON A CLEAN SLATE, ASSUMING YOU'VE GOT TO A CLEAN SLATE, BUT IT WOULD ALSO TAKE SOME TIME BECAUSE YOU'D HAVE TO GO THROUGH THAT PROCESS AND PROCEDURE.
AND AT LEAST AS HE INDICATED IN HIS QUESTION, GIVE THEM SOME TIME TO OPEN.
HOW MUCH TIME YOU WOULD TAKE TO GO THROUGH THAT PROCESS IS UNCLEAR.
OK, MR. DESCHAINE, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR.
MATT WOULD YOU SAY A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THIS COLOCATION ISSUE? ARE YOU SAYING THAT IT IS POSSIBLE THAT IF WE PERMIT RECREATIONAL, THEY WILL, IN ESSENCE, HAVE THE ABILITY TO ALSO BE A GROWER AND A PROCESSOR? IS THAT WHERE THE CASE LAW IS BEING DECIDED NOW? YES, I THINK IT'S ACCURATE TO SAY IT'S POSSIBLE IT'S AGAIN, IT'S UNCLEAR BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T SEEN LITIGATION COME THROUGH AND FINALIZE AN ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION AND [INAUDIBLE] ASKED ABOUT BEING GROWERS.
SO FAR, THE LITIGATION IS LARGELY SURROUNDING WHETHER A MEDICAL PERMIT HOLDER IS AUTOMATICALLY AUTHORIZED TO COLOCATE WITH A RECREATIONAL PERMIT HOLDER.
AND THEN YOU'RE ASKING THE NEXT QUESTION DOWN THE LINE IS, NOW THAT I HAVE MY RETAILER PERMIT OR MY GROWER PERMIT, CAN I COLOCATE WITH THE OTHER? I THINK IT'S POSSIBLE, BUT IT'S UNCLEAR.
OK, AND THE THIRD QUESTION, IT SOUNDS LIKE BASED ON TRAVERSE CITY, IF WE'RE GOING TO ALLOW RECREATIONAL, IF WE LET ANYTHING LESS THAN SIX PERMITS BE USED, WE TRY AND LIMIT IT TO FOUR OR FIVE OR THREE.
WE'RE INVITING A LAWSUIT ON DAY ONE.
IS THAT CORRECT? THAT IS CERTAINLY THE EXPERIENCE THE TRAVERSE CITY HAD, AND I THINK THE POTENTIALLY THE EVEN BIGGER TAKEAWAY IS JUST THAT THE INDUSTRY SEEMS TO BE MATURING AND AS SOON AS THAT HAPPENS, IT'S RUNNING INTO MORE CONFLICT.
SO WE'RE SEEING MORE LITIGATION ARISE BECAUSE, AGAIN, THERE'S A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY WITH THE DIFFERENT PROVISIONS OF THE STATUTE AND HOW THEY OPERATE TOGETHER.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF I WOULD SAY AUTOMATICALLY, I SUPPOSE, BUT WE ARE SEEING AN INCREASE IN THAT AREA GIVEN THE LACK OF CLARITY.
BECAUSE WE HAVE NO SOCIAL EQUITY BUILT INTO OUR RECREATION OR MEDICAL FACILITY, AND THAT'S BECOME A CRITERIA HERE TO ME THAT LENDS ITSELF TO RESCINDING THE MEDICAL AS WELL, STARTING FRESH WITH A RECREATIONAL ORDINANCE THAT INCORPORATES SOME SIGNIFICANT SOCIAL EQUITY COMPONENTS THAT ARE MISSING FROM OUR MEDICAL ORDINANCE, BUT IT JUST WASN'T BROUGHT UP OR IMPLEMENTED THREE AND A HALF YEARS AGO WHEN WE STARTED THE MEDICAL PROCESS.
WE COULD ALSO FACE A LAWSUIT IN THAT REGARD TOO BECAUSE OUR CURRENT ORDINANCE HAS NONE OF THAT, AND IT'S LACKING.
AND SINCE OUR TOWNSHIP GOALS INCLUDE DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION, WHICH TRUSTEES OPSOMMER AND WISINSKI KNOW VERY WELL, TO THEN PASS A SIGNIFICANT ORDINANCE THAT ALLOWS FOR RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA THA DIDN'T INCLUDE SOCIAL EQUITY TO ME SEEMS TO BE REALLY CONTRARY TO THOSE GOALS.
ADDITIONAL FOR THE ATTORNEY, MR. OPSOMMER.
YES, I HAD ONE OTHER QUESTION FOR THE ATTORNEY, MATT YOU NOTED THAT THE FINES UNDER THE MRMTA ARE DIFFERENT AND THEY'RE CAPPED AT FIVE HUNDRED.
BUT WITH THE APPROACH THAT EAST LANSING AND OTHER UNITS HAVE TAKEN WITH GRANDFATHERING BY MAKING EACH RECREATIONAL FACILITY FIRST PURSUE THE MEDICAL PERMIT, THEN WE CAN STILL IMPOSE THOSE HIGHER FINES UNDER THE MEDICAL ACT.
THAT'S AN INTERESTING IDEA, YOU WOULD HAVE TO KNOW THE NATURE OF THE UNDERLYING VIOLATION, WHETHER IT WAS THE SAME FOR BOTH RECREATIONAL AND MEDICAL, YOU COULD HAVE SITUATIONS WHERE IT WOULD BE A VIOLATION UNDER ONE, BUT NOT THE OTHER.
AND THEN I THINK THERE'S A QUESTION OF DO YOU REACH THE ADULT USE USER OR PERMIT HOLDER?
[01:25:01]
AND POTENTIALLY, I THINK THAT'S AN INTERESTING IDEA THAT WOULD MERIT FURTHER STUDY, IF WE GO THAT ROUTE.AND THE FEES ARE SEPARATED DISTINCTLY BETWEEN THE 2X, SO I WOULD ASSUME THAT THE FINES ARE SEPARATED DISTINCTLY BETWEEN THE 2X.
IF YOU'RE OPERATING AS A MEDICAL PROVISIONING CENTER, YOU'RE GOVERNED BY THAT STATUTE.
RIGHT, SO THE PERMIT HOLDER, YOU KNOW, IF IT'S KUSCHEL ONE HAS A MEDICAL AND KUSHEL TWO HAS A REC KUSCHEL ONE, MIGHT WOULD GET A MEDICAL FINE OF A THOUSAND DOLLARS AND KUSCHEL TWO WOULD GET A REC FINE OF FIVE HUNDREDDOLLARS.
YEAH, MY POINT IS SIMPLY THAT IT BEHOOVES THE TOWNSHIP FOR YET ANOTHER REASON.
IN ADDITION TO THOSE OUTLINED IN THE MEMO THAT TRUSTEE JACKSON AND CLERK GUTHRIE AND I AUTHORED TO AMEND ALL THE TWO PERMITTIN PROCESSES.
SO THERE'S JUST SOMETHING THAT CAUGHT MY ATTENTION WHEN YOU WERE GOING OVER YOUR MEMO.
ALL RIGHT, ANYTHING ELSE FOR THE ATTORNEY AT THIS STAGE AND OF COURSE, WE'RE GOING TO KEEP THE ATTORNEY HERE BECAUSE I'M SURE OTHER ISSUES ARE GOING TO COME UP, ANYTHING ELSE RIGHT NOW.
I'M A LITTLE CONFUSED ABOUT WHAT OPTING IN, ACTUALLY OBLIGATES US TO ALLOW.
YOU MENTIONED WHAT IS IT? ADULT CAREGIVERS AND THE SUGGESTED THAT BY OPTING IN ANY WAY TO ADULT USE MARIJUANA, THAT WE DO HAVE THE CAPACITY AS A TOWNSHIP TO LIMIT TO PLACE LIMITS ON THAT USE, BUT DOES THAT INCLUDE NOT HAVING TO DEAL WITH OTHER FORMS OF RETAILERS OR PUBLIC USE, LIKE ADULT CAREGIVERS, OR I THINK THE OTHER ONE I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT WAS MICRO BUSINESSES, ANDET CETERA.
SO TWO DIFFERENT QUESTIONS HERE, FIRST, MICRO BUSINESSES.
YES, THAT IS A DEFINED ESTABLISHMENT TYPE UNDER MRTMA YOU COULD ADOPT AN ORDINANCE THAT SAID ZERO MICRO BUSINESSES AND SOME OTHER NUMBER OF ANY OF THE OTHER ESTABLISHMENT.
ADULT CAREGIVERS IS THE SEPARATE 2008 ACT, THE TOWNSHIP CANNOT COMPLETELY PROHIBIT THEM, BUT IT CAN ADOPT REGULATIONS REGARDING THEIR OPERATIONS.
SPECIFICALLY, LAND USE AND LOCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS HAVE BEEN APPROVED, HAVE BEEN UPHELD, RATHER I SHOULD SAY.
SO THE TOWNSHIP COULD ADOPT A ZONING ORDINANCE THAT SAID A PRIMARY CAREGIVER, WHICH CAN GROW UP TO 72 PLANTS, CAN ONLY OPERATE IN AN INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT OR CAN ONLY OPERATE AS A HOME OCCUPATION.
THERE ARE DIFFERENT THINGS YOU CAN DO THERE, SO YOU CAN'T COMPLETELY PROHIBIT CAREGIVERS IN THE SAME WAY THAT, YES, YOU CAN COMPLETELY PROHIBIT A MICRO BUSINESS.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR MATT AT THIS STAGE? OK, DAN, YOU INDICATED YOU WANTED TO SPEAK GENERALLY ON THE ISSUES.
YES, THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR STYKA.
SO JUST ONE THOUGHT PROCESS HERE.
YOU KNOW, WE DO HAVE SIX ONE APPLICANT, ONE NEW APPLICANT, IN THE HAGADORN OVERLAY DISTRICT.
WE HAVE FOUR SPECIAL USE PERMIT HOLDERS WHERE THE PLANNING COMMISSION HAS RECOMMENDED APPROVAL UNANIMOUSLY OF THOSE SPECIAL USE PERMITS AND THE BOARD HAS APPROVED THEM.
SO THAT'S JUST SOMETHING TO KEEP IN MIND WE HAVE VETTED THESE APPLICANTS IN TERMS OF LOOKING AT THE IDEA OF THROWING THEM ALL OUT AND THEY ALL HAVE EXPRESSED INTEREST IN MEDICAL PRODUCTS.
WHERE THE SENTIMENT IS COMING FROM THAT THEY SEE NO USE IN OPERATING WITH MEDICAL, THEY DO.
THE SKYMINT IN EAST LANSING FUNCTIONS AS MEDICAL AND RECREATIONAL UNDER THEIR ORDINANCE, AND BECAUSE THEY HAVE MEDICAL, THEY DO HAVE PRODUCTS THAT ARE UNIQUE TO MEDICAL, HIGHER CONCENTRATION AND POTENCY OF PRODUCTS FOR PEOPLE THAT
[01:30:01]
DEAL WITH SIGNIFICANT CHRONIC PAIN.SO I DO WANT TO POINT OUT THAT WE HAVE AN ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIP WITH THESE FOLKS AND WE HAVE VETTED THEIR SITE PLANS AND THEIR OPERATIONAL PLANS AS PART OF THEIR SPECIAL USE PERMIT APPROVAL PROCESS.
AND WE HAVE SUCCESSFULLY, UNDER OUR CURRENT MEDICAL ORDINANCE, NAVIGATED WITHOUT ANY LITIGATION, AND WE ALSO SUCCESSFULLY NAVIGATED THE APPLICATION WINDOW FAIRLY SUCCESSFULLY.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT OTHER COMMUNITIES, THEY'VE HAD 80 TO 100 APPLICATIONS, BUT THEY ARE NOT SIMILAR POPULATIONS.
BUT WE HAD TWENTY ONE, I BELIEVE, THAT WERE WITHIN THE OVERLAY DISTRICTS AND TWO APPLICATIONS THAT WERE OUTSIDE OF THEM.
SO IN TERMS OF THE STAFF TIME AND RESOURCE THAT WE COMMITTED TO CONDUCTING THE INITIAL APPLICATION REVIEW AND THE LOTTERY, IT WAS A FRACTION OF THE SIZE THAT OTHER COMMUNITIES HAVE HAD TO UNDERGO.
SO I'M GOING TO KEEP MY COMMENTS GERMANE TO PROVISIONAL CENTERS.
I THINK THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE'RE AT AT THIS POINT.
THE PUBLIC SPOKE A LOT ABOUT YOUTH ACCESS AND WHETHER OR NOT OPTING IN IS GOING TO INCREASE OR DECREASE YOUTH ACCESS.
I DID TAKE THE TIME TO TOUR SEVERAL DIFFERENT FACILITIES, BOTH WHEN WE WORKED ON OUR MEDICAL ORDINANCE AND THEN ALSO MOR RECENTLY AS WE'VE STARTED TALKING ABOUT RECREATIONAL OR ADULT USE.
SO FOR ANYBODY THAT HASN'T BEEN TO A FACILITY, IT'S HIGHLY UNIQUE IN HOW IT'S STRUCTURED.
YOU HAVE TO FIRST GO INTO A WAITING ROOM, YOU HAVE TO CHECK IN WITH THE RECEPTIONIST AND YOU HAVE TO SHOW ID AND GET PAST THAT RECEPTIONIST DESK IN ORDER TO GET OUT OF THE SHOWROOM.
SO ANY INDIVIDUAL ARRIVING AT THE SITE HAS TO GO THROUGH HIGH SECURITY CLEARANCE JUST TO GET INTO THE SHOWROOM WHERE THE PRODUCT ACTUALLY IS.
SO THIS ISN'T LIKE OUR CONVENTIONAL COMMERCIAL OR RETAIL ESTABLISHMENT WHERE IF YOU'RE GOING TO MYER OR RITE AID OR A DIFFERENT RETAILER, ALL THE COMMODITIES ARE OUT IN THE OPEN, AND VIEWABLE TO THE PUBLIC AT LARGE.
SO IT'S HIGHLY UNIQUE IN THAT REGARD.
AND FOR THE STUDIES THAT I'VE LOOKED AT, I READ A PEER REVIEWED STUDY RECENTLY THAT FOCUSED ON COLORADO AND WASHINGTON, THOSE WERE THE FIRST TWO STATES TO OPT IN FOR ADULT USE AND RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA.
AND WHAT THEY FOUND WAS A SLIGHT DECREASE IN YOUTH AMONGST USE, WHICH MAKES SENSE WHEN YOU TAKE THE PRODUCT AND YOU PUT IT IN SUCH A REGULATED ENVIRONMENT WHERE YOUTH HAVE NO ACCESS.
NOT ONLY THAT, BUT ADULTS WHO MIGHT BE ACCESSING THAT PRODUCT FOR THE YOUTH ARE NOW GOING TO A COMMERCIAL FACILITY WHERE THE COMMODITY IS, FRANKLY, MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE PRICES OF THE COMMODITIESTHAT ARE AT THESE FACILITIES THEY ARE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE EXPENSIVE THAN WHAT YOU WOULD FIND ON THE ILLICIT MARKET TWO TO FOUR TIMES AS MUCH.
THERE WAS ALSO SOME FOCUS ON THE OVERLAY DISTRICT'S.
AND WHETHER OR NOT THERE WOULD BE IMPACT IN NEIGHBORHOODS.
I THINK OUR OVERLAY DISTRICTS HAVE STOOD THE TEST OF TIME.
WE'VE HAD A NUMBER OF NEIGHBORHOODS COME OUT WHEN WE WERE CRAFTING THEM UNDER THE MEDICAL ORDINANCE AND WE USED, YOU KNOW, BUFFERS LIKE GRAND RIVER AVENUE, CENTRAL PARK, MARSH ROAD, RED CEDAR AND OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE.
AND WITHIN THE TOWNSHIP THAT BUFFER THOSE OVERLAY DISTRICTS FROM OUR NEIGHBORHOODS.
ONE OTHER POINT THAT I WAS THINKING OF RECENTLY IS REDI-RIDE ACCESS, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE MEDICAL COMMODITY AND HAVING ACCESS FOLKS, THAT RIDE ON REDI-RIDE DO HAVE ACCESS TO OUR PHARMACIES BUT THEY DON'T HAVE ANY ACCESS TO MEDICAL MARIJUANA CURRENTLY IN THE TOWNSHIP.
SO THOSE THAT RELY ON PUBLIC TRANSIT DO HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED ACCESS TO MEDICAL MARIJUANA.
AND THEN JUST TO GO OVER A FEW OF THE HIGH POINTS FROM THE MEMO THAT WE PUT TOGETHER.
BUT IT'S ALREADY BEEN TOUCHED ON TO SOME EXTENT BY MATT.
I WOULD JUST NOTE THAT THE REVENUE FIGURES THAT I WAS ABLE TO GET FROM THE MRA, THE MICHIGAN REGULATORY AGENCY WITHIN LARA.
INSIDE THAT, THERE IS ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY APPROVED LARA FACILITIES.
LAST FISCAL YEAR, SOME OF THOSE MAY NOT HAVE QUALIFIED FOR REVENUE DISTRIBUTION THOUGH, SO THESE NUMBERS ARE CONSERVATIVE.
AND THERE WAS 31 MILLION IN REVENUE.
SO USING THE DISTRIBUTION, WE WOULD HAVE RECEIVED ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY FIVE
[01:35:04]
THOUSAND IN EXCISE TAX REVENUE ALONE AND THEN ALS THE ADDITIONAL PROPERTY TAX AND ANNUAL FEE REVENUE, WHICH THE PROPERTY TAX REVENUE WOULD BE ABOUT THIRTY SEVEN THOUSAND.AND THE ANNUAL FEE REVENUE WOULD BE ABOUT SIXTY THOUSAND.
SO THOSE ARE MY INITIAL COMMENTS, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO THE SUPERVISOR AND OTHER BOARD MEMBERS TO WEIGH IN.
WITH THE BOARD'S PERMISSION, I'D LIKE TO SHARE MY NOTES ON THE SCREEN, I ACTUALLY PUT THIS IN THE FORM OF A BRIEF POWERPOINT.
I THINK ALL OF THE BOARD KNOWS THAT IT'S GOING TO IMPACT OUR TOWNSHIP.
THE SPECIAL MEETING WAS REALLY A GOOD FIRST START, AND I THANK THE BOARD MEMBERS WERE COMING TOGETHER THIS NIGHT WHEN WE ALL HAVE OTHER OBLIGATIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES, BUT TO TAKE THIS TIME TO DO THIS AND IT'S GOING TO BE A PROCESS.
SINCE THIS BOARD IS COMMITTED TO DOING THE RIGHT THING WE HAVE IN THE PAST AND WE WILL IN THE FUTURE.
I THOUGHT ABOUT THIS AND I'VE COME UP WITH SOME OF MY OWN MUSINGS OR CONSIDERATIONS.
AND IF I COULD SHARE WITH THE BOARD HERE, I'VE GOT A FEW SLIDES.
LET ME TRY AND SHARE MY SCREEN, IF I COULD.
OK, AND CAN WE ALL SEE THAT SCREEN.
SO THE FIRST QUESTION IS TO ASK WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS AND WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF APPROVING UP TO SIX RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA STORES IN MERIDIAN? I MEAN, THAT'S THE QUESTION.
IT'S NOT REAL, NOT A SLAM DUNK LIKE OPEN A COSTCO STORE.
THERE ARE RISKS AND THERE ARE BENEFITS WITH THIS.
THE FIRST BENEFITS THAT I CAN SEE ARE IMMEDIATEACCESS OF THE SIX STORES FOR OUR RESIDENTS WHO WOULDN'T HAVE TO GO TO EAST LANSING IT WOULD BE RIGHT IN THE TOWNSHIP, BY TWENTY THOUSAND.
PHIL, HAVE YOU DONE ANYTHING BESIDES THE INITIAL SCREEN? BECAUSE ALL WE ARE SEEING IS THE SCREEN THAT SAYSRECREATIONAL MARIJUANA BOARD STUDY SESSION.
IS IT MOVING NOW? YEAH, NOW YOU'RE ON THE THATSAYS BENEFITS.
ALL RIGHT, SO WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS? OK.
BENEFITS ARE THE SIX ADDITIONAL SIX LOCATIONS.
TWENTY THOUSAND SQUARE FEET OF NEW RETAIL OR RENOVATED RETAIL, THE TAX AND LICENSING REVENUE AND UP TO 60 JOBS THAT WHAT WE HEARD TONIGHT WAS ABOUT [INAUDIBLE] FIFTEEN DOLLARS AN HOUR TO START.
THE FIRST BENEFIT IS THESE LOCATIONS WE ARE ALL FAMILIAR WITH THE SIX OVERLAY DISTRICTS, CENTER AND WESTERN HALF OF THE TOWNSHIP.
THE TAX AND LICENSING REVENUE I COME UP WITH SOME SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT FIGURES FROM SOME MRA NUMBERS THAT I GOT, I CAME UP WITH ABOUT ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND, AND I WOULD AGREE WITH TRUSTEE OPSOMMER SOMEWHERE PROBABLY ABOUT FORTY THOUSAND IN ADDITIONAL PROPERTY TAX REVENUE.
BUT WE'RE PROBABLY GETTING THAT MUCH OF THAT ALREADY FOR THE EXISTING RETAIL.
SO MAYBE A NET GAIN OF TWENTY THOUSAND IN PROPERTY TAX REVENUE.
I'VE GOT A LITTLE CHART THAT I COME UP WITH THATTALKS ABOUT THE EXCISE TAX BASED ON MRA'S DATA.
FOUR HUNDRED AND FORTY MILLION DOLLARS IN SALES THAT NUMBER WE CAN ALL AGREE ON.
10 PERCENT OF THAT IS FORTY FOUR MILLION, 20 MILLION COMES OUT FOR VETERANS RESEARCH GIVES US A NET REVENUE OF TWENTY FOUR MILLION.
A LOCAL PERCENTAGE OF THAT IS 15 PERCENT.
AND THERE'S TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY TWO APPROVED STORES ACCORDING TO MRA WHEN I CHECKED THIS PAST WEEK, THAT COMES UP ABOUT FIFTEEN THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED AND SEVENTEEN DOLLARS PER STORE.
SIX STORES IN MERIDIAN WOULD BE ABOUT 93,000.
BUT HERE'S THE REALLY ALSO INTERESTING THING IS THAT THESE STORES ARE SELLING ABOUT ALMOST TWO MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR IN MARIJUANA.
OK, SO WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THIS NUMBER HERE OF 12 MILLION, ALMOST 11 AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS IN MARIJUANA SALE IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP.
THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MARIJUANA THAT WOULD BE BROUGHT INTO OUR COMMUNITY.
AT LEAST WE KNOW HOW MUCH IT'S ALMOST 12MILLION DOLLARS WORTH.
[01:40:02]
[INAUDIBLE] TWENTY THOUSAND SQUARE FEET OF COMMERCIAL SPACE THAT COULD USE THIS IN THE OVERLAYS.AND THE JOBS, WE TALKED ABOUT HOW WE'LL GET MORE INFORMATION ON THE JOBS LATER ON, BUT 60 JOBS IS 60 JOBS.
AND WE DO HAVE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO WOULD LOVE THESE JOBS HERE IN THE TOWNSHIP AND WE WANT TO KEEP YOUNG PEOPLE HERE.
GOING ON TO RISKS [INAUDIBLE] THIS FOUR BIG RISKS.
THE FIRST AND FOREMOST ON MY MIND IS WE ARE BREAKING A PROMISE WE MADE IN 2019 WE MADE A PROMISE.
SECOND IS EXTENSIVE APPLICATION TO ADMINISTRATIVE ENFORCEMENT COSTS.
THE THIRD IS THAT WE HAVE ATTORNEY KUSCHEL HERE TO LITIGATION.
WE'RE GOING TO SEE ON SEVERAL FRONTS ALMOST GUARANTEEING NO MATTER WHAT WE DO.
AND WE DON'T KNOW YET HOW IT'S GOING TO IMPACT OUR SCHOOLS, OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, OUR FAMILIES AND OUR SUBURBAN MERIDIAN COMMUNITY.
WE MADE A PROMISE THAT WE WOULD HAVE AT LEAST ONE YEAR OF MEDICAL EXPERIENCE BEFORE HE MOVED ON TO RECREATION.
THEY TOLD US THEY DON'T WANT TO OPEN THESE MEDICAL STORES, THERE'S NO COMMERCIAL BENEFIT TO THEM.
SO THAT'S WHY [INAUDIBLE] BUT WE STILL MADE A PROMISE.
AND SO NOW, BECAUSE THE MARKET IS CHANGED, WE'RE WILLING TO BREAK THAT PROMISE.
WELL, I'M NOT WILLING TO GIVE UP ON THAT PROMISE SO EASILY.
WE DID MAKE A PROMISE THAT WE'D GET SOME EXPERIENCE WITH THIS IF WE MOVED ON TO A MUCH MORE EXPANSIVE AREA OF RECREATIONAL.
WHAT IS SO COMPELLING ABOUT RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA THAT'S WORTH US MAKING A PROMISE WE MADE TO OUR RESIDENTS AND WE VOTED SEVE ZERO TO ENDORSE.
SECOND RISK IS THE EXTENSIVE APPLICATION, ADMINISTRATIVE AND ENFORCEMENT COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH ADULT USE.
DO WE KNOW HOW MANY TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS WE SPENT ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA? TRUSTEE WALSH, I WOULD ASK YOU TO GET THAT NUMBER, FOR US AT SOME POINT IT WOULD BE USEFUL TO KNOW WHAT WE SPENT IN TWENTY NINETEEN.
WE'RE LUCKY TO SPEND THAT AND MORE BECAUSE WE WEREN'T SUED IN TWENTY NINETEEN WE'RE [INAUDIBLE] SUED THIS TIME.
WE HAVE THE STAFF WORK, BUT COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TEAM, TRYING TO DEVELOP NEW PRODUCTS, ITS STAFF.
IT'S LOST OPPORTUNITY STAFF TIME.
I'VE HEARD FROM CULLEN HARKNESS, OUR COUNTY PROSECUTOR, THAT THE ONLY TOWNSHIP HAS THREE DEDICATED POLICE OFFICERS FOCUSED UNDER SIX RECREATIONAL BUSINESSES.
SO THERE ARE ENFORCEMENT COSTS OF THIS AS WELL.
WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE, BUT WE WOULD BE FOOLISH TO THINK THERE SHOULD BE NO ENFORCEMENT WITH THESE SIX NEW STORES.
GOING BACK TO LITIGATION, WE'VE BEEN TOLD THAT TONIGHT, WE'VE HEARD IT ANECDOTALLY THERE'S A LOT OF LITIGATION GOING ON REGARDING RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA.
WE COULD BRING IN SOMEONE FROM TRAVERSE CITY AND GET THERE [INAUDIBLE] TO ME.
AND TO ME, THIS IS THE BIGGEST RISK, WE DON'T KNOW HOW THIS IS GOING TO IMPACT OUR SCHOOLS OR OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, OUR FAMILIES AND OUR SUBURBAN MICHIGAN COMMUNITY.
RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA IS BRAND NEW.
WE DON'T KNOW THE IMPACT HERE IN MERIDIAN.
EAST LANSING HAS APPROVED IT BUT EAST LANSING, THE CITY, EAST LANSING IS A COLLEGE TOWN.
ANN ARBOR HAS APPROVED IT ANN ARBOR IS A COLLEGE TOWN AND IT'S A CITY.
WE DON'T KNOW THE IMPACT ON A SUBURBAN COMMUNITY LIKE OURS.
AND THAT CAN'T BE UNDERSTATED.
I DID SOME RESEARCH ON AS TRUSTEE OPSOMMER DID AND MANY OF YOU PROBABLY HAVE ON THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF MARIJUANA, AND THERE REALLY HASN'T BEEN A LOT OF RESEARCH ON REGULAR USE OF MARIJUANA OR, IF YOU WILL, LEGAL USE OF IT, BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN ILLEGAL UNTIL SEVEN YEARS AGO, NO STATE HAD PROVIDED RECREATIONAL.
BUT I DID FIND THAT IN TWENTY SEVENTEEN, THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF MEDICINE CONVENED A PANEL OF 16 LEADING MEDICAL EXPERTS TO ANALYZE SCIENTIFIC DATA ON CANNABIS.
AND I'M QUOTING HERE FROM AN ARTICLE IN THE NEW YORKER BY GLADWELL, THE ECONOMIST WHO WROTE FREAKONOMICS.
AND HE SAYS IT CONTAINS NO BOMBSHELLS OR SURPRISES, WHICH IT EXPLAINS WHY IT WENT UNNOTICED IT SIMPLY STATES OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
AND NORTH AMERICANS HAVE BEEN ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT A DRUG THAT REMAINS MYSTERIOUS.
FOR EXAMPLE, SMOKING POT, WIDELY WAS SUPPOSED TO DIMINISH NAUSEA ASSOCIATED WITH CHEMOTHERAPY, BUT THE PANEL FOUND OUT THERE ARE NO GOOD QUALITY RANDOM TECH TRIALS THAT INVESTIGATE THIS OPTION.
WE HAVE EVIDENCE THAT MARIJUANA IS A GREAT TREATMENT FOR PAIN, BUT VERY
[01:45:02]
LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE EFFICACY DOSE ROUTES OF ADMINISTRATION OR SIDE EFFECTS OF COMMONLY USED COMMERCIAL CANNABIS PRODUCTS IN THE UNITED STATES.THIS IS 17 OF THE BEST SCIENTISTS IN THE COUNTRY.
IS IT GOOD FOR EPILEPSY? THERE'S INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE.
TOURETTE SYNDROME, LIMITED EVIDENCE, ALS HUNTINGTON'S PARKINSON'S DISEASE, INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE.
IBS INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE, DEMENTIA AND GLAUCOMA.
THERE'S NOT THAT MUCH RESEARCH ON IT.
THEN HE GOES ON TO SAY THAT IN CHAPTERS FIVE THROUGH 15, THE HEART OF THE REPORT CONCERN MARIJUANA'S POTENTIAL RISK.
THE HAZE OF UNCERTAINTY CONTINUES.
DOES CANNABIS INCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD OF A FATAL CAR ACCIDENT.
YES, BUT HOW MUCH UNCLEAR DOES IT AFFECT MOTIVATION AND COGNITION? HARD TO SAY, BUT DOES IT AFFECT EMPLOYMENT PROSPECTS? PROBABLY WILL, IT IMPAIR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT.
LIMITED EVIDENCE EITHER WAY, ACCORDING TO THE REPORT.
AGAIN, THERE'S NOT GOOD SCIENCE ON ANY OF THIS.
SO MY QUESTION IS, WHAT IS OUR URGENCY? THE CONSENSUS IS OF VIRTUALLY ALL OF THE TOWNSHIPS IN MICHIGAN IS THAT THIS IS TOO RISKY TO ALLOW RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA.
THE EVIDENCE SAYS THEY OPTED OUT, AS WE DID TWO YEARS AGO.
AND I'M ASKING, WHAT IS THIS BOARD OR WHY IS THIS BOARD WILLING TO TAKE THAT RISK? WHAT'S THE BENEFIT OF BEING AN OUTLIER, DOING WHAT SO FEW OTHER TOWNSHIPS HAVE DARED TO DO? PARTICULARLY IN A POSITION WE ARE IN WE ARE RATED THE NUMBER ONE COMMUNITY IN THE STATE.
BY MORE THAN ONE SOURCE, SO WHERE DO WE GO FROM THERE DOWN, WHAT COULD TRIGGER THAT FALL? A RISKY CHOICE LIKE THIS.
IT'S NOT THE INCOME, IT'S NOT BECAUSE OUR RESIDENTS ARE CLAMORING FOR IT.
WE HEARD FROM SOME RESIDENTS TODAY, BUT MOST OF THE PEOPLE IN FAVOR WERE INDUSTRY PEOPLE.
IT IS ESSENTIALLY THAT MARIJUANA MANUFACTURERS ARE PUSHING THIS MORE TO SELL IN MERIDIAN, AND SINCE WHEN DOES THIS BOARD SET ITS AGENDA BY DEVELOPERS? WE HAVE LOTS OF DEVELOPERS TO COME TO US, BUT WE PRIDE OURSELVES THAT WE THAT WE MAKE CHOICES BASED ON THE BEST INTEREST OF OUR RESIDENTS, NOT THE BEST INTERESTS OF COMMERCIAL INTERESTS.
AND LET'S NOT FORGET THAT TODAY IS TAX DAY, AND I SPENT ALL DAY COLLECTING HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF PAYMENTS, 90 PLUS PERCENT OF ALL OF OUR REVENUE COMES FROM OUR RESIDENTS IT DOESN'T COME FROM OUR COMMERCIAL BASE IT DOESN'T COME FROM INDUSTRY.
IT COMES FROM OUR RESIDENTS AND PROPERTY TAX.
WE ARE A PROPERTY TAX, RESIDENTIAL PAYING COMMUNITY, NOT ONE LIKE DOW IN MIDLAND OR OTHER GENERAL MOTORS IN DETROIT.
OUR RESIDENTS PAY THE BILLS HERE, NOT COMMERCIAL INTERESTS.
TO ME, THE QUESTION IS, IS IT WORTH THE MANY RISKS TO PROCEED WITH MARIJUANA STORES IS A SIGNIFICANT RISK.
A RISK IS WE DON'T KNOW THE IMPACT.
WE DON'T, BECAUSE THERE ARE NO LONG TERM STUDIES ON INDIVIDUALS, FAMILIES, SCHOOLS OR NEIGHBORHOODS.
THE FACT IS, YOU CAN'T STUDY AN ILLEGAL SUBSTANCE IN ACADEMIA.
SO THAT'S WHY WE HAVE NO GOOD UNIVERSITY BASED STUDIES, THERE WAS NO FUNDING FOR IT BECAUSE IT WAS THOUGHT OF AND STILL I THOUGHT OF AS A CLASS A DRUG LIKE HEROIN BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
SO NO FUNDING WAS EVER PUT OUT THERE FOR MARIJUANA.
SO IT'S GOING TO BE YEARS BEFORE WE HAVE THAT RESEARCH.
AND EVEN NOW IT'S STILL A FEDERAL CLASS A DRUG.
SO THERE'S NOT A LOT OF RESEARCH MONEY THERE.
SO IF WE GO INTO THIS, WE GO INTO IT BLIND WITHOUT THE RESEARCH.
GLADWELL GOES ON TO SAY, WHEN IT COMES TO CANNABIS, THE BEST CASE SCENARIOS THAT WE'LL MUDDLE THROUGH, LEARNING MORE ABOUT ITS TRUE EFFECTS AS WE GO ALONG, ADOPTING AS WE NEED IT, LIKE THE ONCE EXTRAORDINARY INNOVATION OF AUTOMOBILE THAT HAS BEEN GRADUALLY CHANGED THE COURSE OF OUR HISTORY.
CARS WERE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.
THE FIRST IN DECADES, EXTREMELY.
AND WE FIGURE IT OUT, BUT ONLY AT THE COST OF MILLIONS OF LIVES.
SO BY GOING FIRST, BY BEING OUTLIERS, ARE WE NOT MAKING OUR RESIDENTS TEST CASES IN THIS QUESTION OF MARIJUANA WITHOUT THE SOLID RESEARCH? I DON'T KNOW, BUT IT APPEARS THAT'S A QUESTION WE'RE ASKING.
WHAT'S THE MESSAGE BEING CONVEYED BY SIX MARIJUANA STORES? IT'S LEGAL TO OWN A HANDGUN IN MICHIGAN, WOULD IT BE PRUDENT TO OPEN UP SIX GUN STORES AND SHOOTING RANGES IN MERIDIAN.
WHAT MESSAGE WOULD THAT SAY TO OUR YOUTH OR PEOPLE VISITING OUR TOWNSHIP? REGARDING THE MEMOS AND THAT REVENUE PORTION MEMO SENT OUT LAST FRIDAY, WHEN HAVE WE YOU EVER APPROVED OR SUPPORTED REZONING BECAUSE OF REVENUE? THE ANSWER IS NEVER IF WE'VE ALL I THINK ON THE ZBA AT ONE TIME OR ANOTHER AND
[01:50:01]
MANY OF YOU HAVE BEEN ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION, ANY DEVELOPER WHO PUTS ON THEIR APPLICATION, THIS IS GOOD FOR THE TOWNSHIP BECAUSE IT CREATES NEW TAX REVENUE IS ALL BUT LAUGHED OUT OF THE ROOM.WE NEVER CONSIDERED THAT CRITERIA.
THE CRITERIA THAT IS IMPORTANT IS IS THIS THE BEST FOR THE COMMUNITY? WE ARE AFFLUENT ENOUGH THAT WE CAN MAKE THAT KIND OF A DECISION WE DON'T FACE IF THAT WERE THE CASE WE WOULD HAVE A LOT MORE STUDENT HOUSING THAN WE WOULD HAVE SAID YES TO ALL THAT STUDENT HOUSING THAT CAME TO US THE PAST FOUR YEARS.
EVERY TIME WE MADE THE RIGHT CHOICE AND SAID, NO, WE DIDN'T LOOK AT THE REVENUE.
SO THIS IS NO TIME TO START LOOKING AT A LITTLE BIT OF REVENUE, MAYBE TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS A YEAR, LESS THAN ONE HALF, ONE PERCENT OF OUR BUDGET.
MORE LIKELY IT'S GOING TO BE CLOSER TO ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS OUT OF A TWENTY FOUR MILLION DOLLAR BUDGET.
WE SPENT THREE TIMES THAT ON SOLAR LAST YEAR.
SO THE REVENUE SHOULDN'T BE A FACTOR.
THE REVENUE QUESTION TO ME DISTRACTS FROM THIS ONE, DOES ADDING SIX MARIJUANA STORES WITH 11 MILLION DOLLARS IN ANNUAL MARIJUANA SALES BENEFIT OR DETRACT FROM THE QUALITY OF LIFE HERE IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP? DOES IT BENEFIT OR DETRACT FROM POOR QUALITY OF LIFE.
WE KNOW IT WILL BENEFIT THE PRODUCERS.
THEY'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT COMING IN HERE.
THEY'VE BEEN AT A LOT OF MEETINGS, MAYBE A LOT MORE.
THEY SEE US AND THEY'RE PROBABLY RIGHT.
BECAUSE OUR RESIDENTS ARE AFFLUENT.
BUT IS IT THE BEST CHOICE? IS IT THE BEST MESSAGE TO SEND? REGARDING COMPARING OURSELVES TO EAST LANSING MERIDIANS AVERAGE AGE IS THIRTY SIX POINT SEVEN, EAST LANSING IS TWENTY ONE POINT FOUR.
SORRY, THIS GRAPH ISN'T VERY GOOD.
EAST LANSINGS POPULATION OF FORTY EIGHT THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED AND TWENTY NINE, COMPARED TO OUR FORTY THREE FIVE IN MERIDIANTOWNSHIP.
EAST LANSING IS APPROXIMATELY THIRTY THOUSAND STUDENTS IN THE EIGHTEEN TO TWENTY FIVE COHORT.
AS YOU SAW FROM THE PACKET THAT WAS PREPARED 40 PERCENT PLUS OF THE AGE GROUP, EIGHTEEN TO TWENTY FIVE, WHICH IS CLEARLY A PLURALITY OF THE MAJORITY OF EAST LANSINGS POPULATION HAVE USED MARIJUANA IN THE PAST YEAR AND 20 COMPARED TO 18 PERCENT OF ALL OTHER ADULTS AND MORE THAN TWICE AND TWENTY SEVEN POINT FIVE AND THIRTEEN POINT EIGHT IN THE PAST MONTH.
IT IS THE EIGHTEEN TO TWENTY FOUR YEAR OLD COHORTS THAT'S CONSUMING TWO OR TWO AND A HALF TIMES THE MARIJUANA THAN THE REST OF THE ADULT POPULATION.
MAKES SENSE THAT EAST LANSING WOULD EMBRACE THIS.
THEY HAVE FAR MORE CONSUMERS OF IT.
THIS IS THEIR TARGET POPULATION.
MUCH FOR US AND ALMOST TWICE THE AVERAGE AGE.
AND WHO DO THEY HAVE TO ENFORCE THIS.
EAST LANSING HAS ONE HUNDRED AND TWO POLICE OFFICERS.
FIFTY ONE SWORN FIFTY ONE NON SWORN.
MSU HAVE EIGHTY FIVE MORE SWORN OFFICERS.
SO THAT'S ALMOST TWO HUNDRED POLICE OFFICERS IN THE CITY OF EAST LANSING.
MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP HAS FORTY ONE SWORN AND THIRTEEN NON SWORN.
WE HAVE BUT A THIRD THE POLICING THAT THEY HAVE IN EAST LANSING RIGHT NOW.
THESE ARE ALL IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION.
I THINK TO COMPARE US TO EAST LANSING IS DANGEROUS.
WE ARE A VERY DIFFERENT COMMUNITY FROM EAST LANSING.
WE EXIST IN PART BECAUSE OF OUR DIFFERENCE FROM EAST LANSING.
YET WE CAN BENEFIT FROM EAST LANSING BECAUSE AS FORMER CLERK DREYFUS, A VERY BIG MARIJUANA SUPPORTER SAID AT THE LAST MEETING, ACCESS IS NOT AN ISSUE.
IT IS VERY EASY TO GET RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA IN EAST LANSING.
AND SO WE CAN BENEFIT FROM EAST LANSING BEING A COLLEGE TOWN FOR THOSE THAT WANT RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA.
THE QUESTIONS ARE, WHAT'S NEXT IS WE NEED TO HEAR FROM EDUCATORS, WE NEED TO HEAR.
WE ARE THE TOP NICHE COMMUNITY BECAUSE OF OUR SCHOOLS.
BUT WE OUGHT TO TALK TO SOME OF OUR EDUCATORS, NOT JUST THE SUPERINTENDENT.
WE OUGHT TO TALK TO SOME OF OUR PARENT ASSOCIATIONS.
WE OUGHT TO TALK TO SOME TEACHERS AND COUNSELORS BECAUSE LOTS OF EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES TO TALK TO IN EAST LANSING HAS THE PUBLIC [INAUDIBLE] OKEMOS AND HASLETT PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
WE ALSO NEED TO HEAR FROM OUR NEIGHBORHOOD LEADERS.
CHIEF PLAGA HAS AN EXCELLENT GROUP OF 50 OR MORE PEOPLE ATTEND THOSE NEIGHBORHOOD MEETINGS.
I WOULD LOVE TO BRING THIS TOPIC BEFORE THEM.
WE ALSO DO NEED TO HEAR FROM OUR POLICE AND OUR PROSECUTORS AND WE NEED TO CONTINUE HEARING FROM OUR RESIDENTS.
I'M PROBABLY OVER MY TIME, BUT THESE ARE MY THOUGHTS AND MY CONCERNS, AND I APPRECIATE YOU ALL ALLOWING ME TO SHARE THEM WITH YOU.
OTHER BOARD MEMBERS THIS IS OUR DISCUSSION TIME, WE'RE TRYING TO LEARN ABOUT THIS.
[01:55:01]
HELLO, THANK YOU.I APPRECIATE ALL THE TIME TREASURER DESCHAINE YOU PUT INTO THAT AND ALL THE INPUT TRUSTEE OPSOMMER YOU'VE GIVEN AS WELL.
FOR THOSE WHO KNOW ME, I PUT A LOT OF THOUGHT AN A LOT OF RESEARCH INTO THIS.
I'M A VERY QUANTITATIVE BRAIN THINKER AND I'VE READ ALL OF THE EMAILS AND I'VE LOOKED AT ALL THE CONCERNS REGARDING OUR KIDS, THE SECURITY, TRAFFIC, THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND I REALLY HAVE PUT IN A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF TIME AND THOUGHT AND SOME OF THOSE COMMENTS WERE ALSO MY OWN CONCERNS.
SO I REALLY WANTED TO TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT.
YOU KNOW, I THINK THE OVERARCHING QUESTION IS, YOU KNOW, WHAT ADVANTAGES DOES THIS BRING TO MERIDIAN? AND SOME OF THE MAIN CONSIDERATIONS I'VE LOOKED AT AND MY BIGGEST CONSIDERATION FROM WHEN WE BEGAN THE CONVERSATIONS, WHEN I STARTED MY CONVERSATIONS WITH MEDICAL MARIJUANA, WHICH I CAME IN SOMEWHAT IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT WAS ACCESS AND SOCIAL EQUITY.
TO ME, THE REASON THAT I FEEL LIKE WE NEED MEDICAL MARIJUANA IS SO THAT OUR RESIDENTS HAVE THAT ABILITY TO ACCESS THAT TREATMENT IF NEEDED.
AND SO WHEN WE FIRST PASSED MEDICAL, I THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, MY INITIAL THOUGHT WAS, OK, WE'LL SEE HOW THIS GOES.
WE CAN KIND OF ADDRESS MANY OF THOSE CONCERNS THAT MIGHT COME UP, WHETHER IT BE SECURITY OR TRAFFIC OR SOME OF THOSE THINGS, AND THEN KIND OF ASSESS FOR THERE BEFORE WE GO INTO INTO RECREATIONAL, WHICH TREASURER DESCHAINE MENTIONED, LIKE, WHAT'S THE HURRY? RIGHT.
AND SO I FULLY I FULLY AGREED WITH THAT.
YOU KNOW, WHEN WE DID PASS THAT, WHICH I THINK SOMEBODY MENTIONED WAS THREE YEARS AGO .
IT COULDN'T BE THREE BECAUSE I HAVE ONLY BEEN HERE TWO, BUT CLOSE NONETHELESS.
I THINK WHAT'S HAPPENED SINCE THEN IS, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD COVID HAPPEN.
AND SO NOW WE'VE HAD OTHER COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE OPTED IN CLOSE TO US LIKE LANSING AND EAST LANSING.
AND NOW WE'RE AT A POSITION WHERE IF WE DON'T CONSIDER OPTING INTO ADULT USE MARIJUANA, WE'RE GOING TO RESTRICT THAT ACCESS TO OUR RESIDENTS THAT NEED IT FOR MEDICAL.
YOU KNOW, AND I GO BACK TO MERIDIAN, VOTED 61 PERCENT FOR RECREATIONAL.
AND I KNOW, YOU KNOW, WE DO HEAR FROM THE FOLKS THAT HAVE CONCERNS, WHICH IS ABSOLUTELY IMPORTANT.
BUT I KNOW IT'S MORE DIFFICULT WHEN YOU'RE CONTENT WITH THE DECISION TO KIND OF COME OUT AND SPEAK OUT.
BUT ALSO THERE'S A STIGMA ASSOCIATED WITH THIS.
AND I THINK THAT DOES RESTRICT FOLKS FROM MAYBE COMING OUT AND SPEAKING FOR IT, BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN KNOWN AS A STIGMA TO SOCIETY IN THE PAST, JUST LIKE OTHER THINGS WERE UNTIL THEY WERE BECOME NORMALIZED, I SUPPOSE.
SO, LIKE I SAID, MY BIGGEST THOUGHT PROCESS IS THAT ACCESS FOR THAT SOCIAL EQUITY COMPONENT, I'LL MOVE ON TO, WHICH IS NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART TOO.
I HAVE TWO TEENAGERS AND SO I'VE GIVEN THIS TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF THOUGHT WHEN IT COMES TO IS THIS SAFE? HOW DOES THIS AFFECT OUR TEENS? HOW DOES THIS AFFECT OUR YOUNG POPULATION? AND, YOU KNOW, I ALSO HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT SKYMINT IN EAST LANSING AND I WILL SAY PRIOR TO GOING THERE, I DID HAVE KIND OF A THOUGHT LIKE, WHAT IS IT GOING TO LOOK LIKE THIS IN OUR COMMUNITY? WILL THERE BE CRIME? WHAT'S THAT OPPORTUNITY FOR KIDS TO HAVE ACCESS? AND QUITE HONESTLY, IT TO ME, IT CHANGED MY MIND WHEN IT CAME TO SECURITY.
THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF SECURITY THERE FROM THE TIME YOU PULLED INTO THAT THAT, YOU KNOW, PARKING LOT CAMERAS EVERYWHERE TO THE TIME YOU WALKED INTO THE FRONT RECEPTION AREA.
NOBODY CAN GET PAST THAT RECEPTION AREA WITHOUT HAVING SOME SORT OF I.D.
AND THEN FROM THERE WALKING IN, THERE WAS SECURITY EVERYWHERE.
YOU COULDN'T JUST GRAB THINGS OFF THE COUNTER.
EVERYTHING HAD TO BE CHECKED AND DOUBLE CHECKED.
SO THAT SECURITY PEACE HELPED ME THINK LIKE HUH.
IF WE CAN REGULATE THIS ANY DRUG FOR THAT MATTER, BUT SPECIFICALLY MARIJUANA, THAT HELPS GET SOME OF THAT ILLICIT DRUGS OFF THE STREET.
NOW DOES IT COST MORE TO GO HERE? ABSOLUTELY.
BUT IN THE BIG SCHEME OF THINGS, TO ME, THE MORE WE CAN REGULATE IT, THE LESS IT'S GOING TO BECOME.
YOU DON'T BUY CIGARETTES OFF THE STREET VENDOR ANYMORE, RIGHT? THOSE ARE NOW REGULATED.
AND FOR ME, I HAVE A 16 YEAR OLD THAT I KNOW HAS, YOU KNOW, PROBABLY PARTAKED
[02:00:06]
IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS.AND IT DID NOT COME FROM A REGULATED STORE.
AND SO THAT HIT HOME PRETTY QUICK AND MOST RECENTLY.
SO TO ME, I THINK IT IS A SAFER ROUTE FOR OUR TEENAGERS IF WE CAN REGULATE THIS PARTICULAR PRODUCT.
SO THOSE TWO BIG THINGS FOR ME WAS THE KIDS.
TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE SECURITY.
I TRULY I WAS QUITE ASTOUNDED BY THE AMOUNT OF SECURITY THAT WAS AT THAT FACILITY.
AND THAT FACILITY IS AMONG MANY FACILITIES.
SO THERE'S, YOU KNOW, A LEVEL OF CORPORATE OVER SURVEILLANCE AS WELL AS THE INTERNAL SURVEILLANCE.
THERE WAS NO YOU COULDN'T EVEN TELL IT WAS A MARIJUANA FACILITY.
THERE WAS NO SIGNS YOU CAN'T SEE INTO THE WINDOWS.
EVERYTHING WAS VERY CERTAINLY THOUGHTFUL AND INTENTIONAL ON WHAT TYPE OF CONSUMER THEY WANTED TO ATTRACT.
I WILL SAY I WAS A LITTLE WORRIED ABOUT THE SMELL AS WELL, OUTSIDE OF THAT BUILDING, YOU COULD NOT SMELL ANYTHING.
AND I REALLY TRIED TO TO SMELL IT.
AND INSIDE THERE CERTAINLY WAS A SMELL, BUT EVERYTHING WAS KEPT IN CLOSED CONTAINER, SO IT WASN'T PREVALENT.
SO I THOUGHT THAT HELPED THAT WITH THE AIR THATHVAC SYSTEM THE HEATING, THE AIR CONDITIONING VENTILATION SYSTEM, I THINK HAS REALLY YOU COULDN'T SMELL ANYTHING FROM THE OUTSIDE.
I'LL SAY LAST AND, I'M NOT GOING TO SPEAK TO REVENUE TOO MUCH BECAUSE I DO THINK THAT THERE'S PROBABLY YOU KNOW, THERE'S I THINK THERE'S PROS AND CONS SIDES TO THE REVENUE.
AND I THINK THAT THE REVENUE THAT WE WILL MAKE EVENTUALLY IT MIGHT TAKE SOME TIME UP FRONT.
I THINK IF WE CAN MAKE THAT WHERE WE CAN PUT THAT RIGHT BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY, THAT WOULD BE FANTASTIC.
SO RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE PEOPLE THAT ARE IN SUCH NEED IN MERIDIAN AND ACROSS THE WORLD IN THIS COUNTRY.
BUT IF WE CAN PUT SOME OF THAT REVENUE, YOU KNOW, UPWARDS AT THIRTY THOUSAND PER CENTER INTO LIKE MERIDIAN CARES OR THE NEW FOOD PANTRIES OR CATA OR CADL OR ANY OTHER COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION, I THINK THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY THERE AS WELL.
THE OTHER THING THAT WE TALK ABOUT TRAFFIC, ANDTHE OTHER THING THAT I NOTICED MYSELF WHEN I WAS AT THE ONE FACILITY WAS, YOU KNOW, IT'S CURBSIDE NOW DUE TO COVID, WHICH I THINK HAS HELPED OUT A BIT, BUT EVERYTHING'S CURBSIDE, SO EVERYTHING'S CALLED IN AHEAD OF TIME.
SO THERE REALLY ISN'T LIKE THIS TRAFFIC.
A TON OF PEOPLE COMING IN, LET'S SAY, AT FIVE O'CLOCK AFTER WORK OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
IT'S GOTTEN TO BECOME A PRETTY REFINED SYSTEM TO THAT TRAFFIC COMPONENT, BECAUSE THAT WAS A BIG QUESTION FOR ME AS WELL.
IF YOU'RE IN THESE SMALLER AREAS, IF YOU'RE SHARING A PARKING LOT, LIKE, HOW DOES IT AFFECT OTHER TENANTS? SO THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT I THOUGHT THAT THEY HAD REALLY THOUGHT THROUGH.
AND THE OTHER QUESTION THAT CAME UP WHILE I WAS AT THE WALK THROUGH WAS, YOU KNOW, THIS IDEA OF CASH ONLY BUSINESS.
AND I KNOW THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DOESN'T RECOGNIZE IT AS A LEGAL BUSINESS.
HOWEVER, THEY SPECIFICALLY SAID THAT THEY DO USE A BANK AND THERE'S THERE'S SEVERAL BANKS, I THINK UPWARDS OF 10 TO 15 BANKS THAT DO PROVIDE BANKING TO THE INDUSTRY.
AND SO THIS PARTICULAR FACILITY DID USE A BANK TO PROCESS ALL OF THEIR REVENUE COMING IN AND GOING OUT.
AGAIN, I JUST WANT TO JUST THE EQUITY COMPONENT IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME, I FEEL THAT WE NEED TO BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT SAYING THAT PEOPLE CAN JUST GO TO EAST LANSING OR CAN JUST GO TO LANSING TO GET TO GET THIS SPECIFIC PRODUCT WHERE WE REALLY NEED TO BE ABLE TO BE, YOU KNOW, MAKE ALL OF THOSE, YOU KNOW, ANY PRESCRIPTION OR ANY TREATMENT AVAILABLE TO OUR RESIDENTS AS WELL.
AND WE REALLY SHOULDN'T HAVE TO GET ON A BUS OR DRIVE A CAR TO GO GET THAT IF, IN FACT, THAT'S WHAT WE NEED.
SO I THINK I'VE SAID ENOUGH FOR NOW.
LOOKING FOR OTHER BOARD MEMBERS.
A LOT HAS BEEN SAID, BOTH PRO AND CON HERE TONIGHT, AND AND I ONLY WANT TO AT THIS POINT CONTRIBUTE A COUPLE OF MORE CONS TO THE IDEA OF PROVIDING EQUITY
[02:05:07]
AND EQUITY OF ACCESS TO CANNABIS IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP.THREE POINTS I'D LIKE TO NOTE.
BY PROVIDING IT AT A RETAIL LEVEL, WE ARE PROVIDING A PRODUCT THAT IS REGULATED AND CONSISTENT.
AND EVERYBODY WHO USES IT IN WHATEVER WAY THEY USE, THEY KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY'RE GETTING AND THEY KNOW THAT THE STATE HAS ESTABLISHED VERY STRENUOUS PROCESSES FOR CONTAINING THE ACCESS AND USAGE OF THIS PRODUCT.
AND FINALLY, STATE SANCTIONED OUTLETS CANNOT SELL, DO NOT SELL IT, IT IS ILLEGAL IN THE STATE OF MICHIGAN TO SELL TO ANYONE UNDER THE AGE OF 21.
FOR THOSE REASONS AND MANY OF THE OTHERS, I AM STILL LEANING TOWARDS SUPPORTING AND FINDING A WAY TO ALLOW ADULT USE MARIJUANA IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP UNDER THE FRAMEWORK THAT WE VERY CAREFULLY SET UP.
ASSUMING OUR ABILITY TO MAXIMALLY SUPPORT AND PROTECT OUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND OUR RESOURCES.
OTHER BOARD MEMBERS? I APPRECIATE THE TIME THAT TRUSTEE OPSOMMER AND TREASURER DESCHAINE THEM INTO VERY WELL THOUGHT OUT MEMO AND POWERPOINT PRESENTATION AND TREASURER DESCHAINE, IF YOU CALL IT, I WOULD LIKE TO INCLUDE THAT WITH THE PACKET ON THE WEBSITE SO THAT WE CAN HAVE THAT OUR POINT ON THERE SO THAT YOU COULD SEND THAT TO ME.
MY THOUGHTS ARE SIMILAR TO THAT OF TRUSTEE JACKSON.
ONE IS FOR THE BOARD WHO VOTED FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA AND THE TIME THAT THE BOARD WANTED TO GIVE TO SEE HOW MEDICAL MARIJUANA WOULD SHAPE UP IN THE COMMUNITY.
AND I THINK WHAT I'M HEARING THROUGH SOME OF THE COMMENTS IS THE TIME THAT YOU'VE HAD TO RESEARCH ADDING RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA AS AN OPTION IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP HAS LED YOU TO BELIEVE THAT THIS I SOMETHING THAT THE TOWNSHIP SHOULD HAVE.
THIS IS FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE SPOKEN FOR IT, THIS IS WHAT I'M HEARING.
SO PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG.
AND IF I'M CORRECT, THEN IT LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT THERE REALLY ISN'T ANOTHER YEAR THAT YOU NEED TO ASSESS THE MEDICAL MARIJUANA.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S A QUESTION OR AN ASSUMPTION OR ANYONE CAN CLARIFY ME, CLARIFY FOR ME WHAT YOUR OPINION IS IN REGARDS TO THAT, SINCE I BELIEVE I WAS THE ONLY PERSON ON THE BOARD WHO WASN'T HERE AT THE TIME, MAYBE.
AND THEN I HAD SEVERAL QUESTIONS REGARDING A MENDING MAKING AMENDMENTS TO MEDICAL MARIJUANA.
IF THERE ISN'T THE INTEREST AND I HAVEN'T THOUGHT ABOUT TREASURER DESCHAINE'S COMMENT IN REGARDS TO THROWING IT OUT AND STARTING AGAIN, SO TO SPEAK, BUT IF THERE HASN'T BEEN AN INTEREST AND THEY'RE NOT INTERESTED IN IT, DO WE REALLY NEED SIX? THERE'S ONLY FOUR PERMITS OUT THERE.
AND MAYBE WE ONLY WE [INAUDIBLE] AT THOSE FOUR PLACES.
[02:10:05]
DO WE REALLY NEED SIX? MAYBE NOT.IF THEY HAVEN'T BUILT, THEY'RE NOT EVEN HERE YET.
SO MAYBE IT CAN BE REDUCED AND WE CAN DO SOME AMENDMENTS TO THE CAREGIVER COMPONENT THAT TRUSTEE JACKSON HAD BROUGHT UP AND SOME OTHER COMPONENTS FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA.
AND THEN THERE ARE SEVERAL, OF COURSE, THE DISCUSSION ON, YOU KNOW, WHICH OF THESE C OMPONENTS OF RECREATIONAL THAT WE ALLOW IN THE TOWNSHIP.
I ALSO-- I DON'T KNOW IF WE'VE HAD COMPLAINTS FROM RESIDENTS IN REGARDS TO MEDICAL MARIJUANA.
ARE RESIDENTS EVEN UP IN ARMS THAT NO MEDICAL MARIJUANA FACILITIES HAVE COME HERE? ARE THEY COMPLAINING THAT THEY HAVE TO DRIVE FAR AWAY OR ARE THEY COMING IN? ARE THEY COMING TO BOARD MEMBERS SAYING WHERE'S MY MEDICAL MARIJUANA? HOW COME IT HASN'T COME YET? I GOT TO GO ALL THE WAY TO TIMBUKTU TO GO GET IT.
I GOT TO GO TO THE CAREGIVERS HOUSE.
I GOT A GO TO THE RECREATIONAL FACILITY NEXT DOOR.
I MEAN, WHAT ARE THE RESIDENTS SAYING ABOUT NOT GETTING MEDICAL MARIJUANA? AND THEREFORE, WHAT IS THE RESIDENT SAYING FOR RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA? WE REALLY HAVEN'T HEARD FROM THEM.
I KNOW WHAT MY OPINION IS, AND I BELIEVE I HEAR WHAT YOUR OPINION IS, BUT I WOULD REALLY LOVE TO HEAR THE OPINION OF OUR RESIDENTS.
AND MAYBE THAT GOES BACK TO THE CITIZENS SURVEYTHAT TOWNSHIP MANAGER WALSH AND ASSISTANT TOWNSHIP MANAGER [INAUDIBLE], WE'RE DISCUSSING IN REGARDS TO THE CITIZENS SURVEY.
HOW MUCH IF WHAT I'M HEARING IS THAT PEOPLE ARE RELUCTANT TO COME IN FRONT OF THE BOARD AND GIVE THEIR OPINION BECAUSE OF THE STIGMA AND THEY'RE AFRAID OF WHAT PEOPLE ARE GOING TO THINK ABOUT THEM, THEN MAYBE WE DO NEED A CITIZENS SURVEY.
AND IT'S AN ANONYMOUS OPINION SURVEY ASKING YOUR RESIDENTS, IS THIS REALLY WHAT YOU WANT IN OUR COMMUNITY? DOESN'T IT TAKE MUCH TIME.
I HAVEN'T REALLY HAD ANYBODY CLAMORING FOR IT.
AND COMING TO ME SAYING, I REALLY WANT RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA, I REALLY HAVEN'T HAD THAT.
I DON'T KNOW IF OTHER BOARD MEMBERS HAVE.
MAYBE WE DO OUR THIS IS AN IMPORTANT TOPIC.
DO OUR DUE DILIGENCE AND AND HAVE THAT AS PART OF THIS SURVEY.
THOSE ARE MY MAIN I HAVE SEVERAL QUESTIONS FOR THE ATTORNEY, BUT MOSTLY AROUND [INAUDIBLE] AS WE LOOK AT RECREATIONAL, IF THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GOING TO DO.
SEVERAL OTHER QUESTIONS HAD TO DO WITH RECREATIONAL AND WHAT WE WOULD BE REALLY COMMITTING TO AND WHAT WE COULD BE OPENING OUR DOORS TO LITIGATION FOR.
BUT I'LL HOLD THOSE FOR LATER AND THEN THOSE ARE MAINLY MY COMMENTS ABOUT THEM.
AND THEN MY LAST THING, I GUESS, WOULD BE W HAT WOULD HAPPEN TO MEDICAL FACILITIES IF WE SAID NO TO RECREATIONAL? DO WE REVISIT THAT? DO WE SCRAP IT LIKE TREASURER DESCHAINE SAID BECAUSECOMPANIES HAVE BEEN COMING TO US AND SAYING IT'S NOT VIABLE, IT'S NOT A VIABLE BUSINESS PLAN, AND WE CAN'T SUSTAIN IT ANY LONGER, SO WE NEED RECREATIONAL.
SO JUST A THOUGHT DOWN THE ROAD, JUST A HYPOTHETICAL.
WHAT IF IT WAS ABSOLUTELY NO [INAUDIBLE] NEED TO LOOK AT.
WELL, WHAT DO WE DO WITH THESE MEDICAL IF THERE'S NO RECREATIONAL? SO JUST SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT.
[INAUDIBLE] THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR.
YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT AS FAR AS RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA, EVERYBODY KIND OF KNOWS THAT IT'S IN THE COMMUNITY, IT'S PROBABLY BEING SOLD ILLEGALLY.
I THINK THIS IS AN ATTEMPT TO REGULATE AND MAYBE GET SOME OF THAT PRODUCT OFF THE STREETS.
I THINK THAT WE CAN CONTRIBUTE TO OUR COMMUNITY WITH THE FEES THAT ARE GOING TO BE GENERATED.
I BELIEVE THAT WE NEED TO HAVE THE RECREATIONAL IN ORDER TO SUPPORT THE MEDICAL MARIJUANA.
I DON'T KNOW IF THE MEDICAL MARIJUANA IS GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THE LONG RUN WITHOUT THE RECREATIONAL.
[02:15:01]
SO I THINK ON SEVERAL AVENUES, I THINK WE JUST REALLY NEED TO CONSIDER GETTING RECREATIONAL.WE'VE GOT SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES THAT ARE ALREADY IN THE BUSINESS AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.
SO, YOU KNOW, MAYBE WE WANT TO GET ON BOARD AND GET STARTED.
AND I GUESS A FEW THINGS HERE.
WE APPROVED MEDICAL AT A TIME WHEN WE THOUGHT WE WERE REALLY GOING TO GET MEDICAL.
AND WE DID IT MAINLY IN MY OPINION, BECAUSE THERE WAS A DIVERSITY OF OPINION AS TO WHAT, HOW, WHERE, WHEN, ETC. THE WAY WE ENDED UP COMPROMISING TO GET THERE WAS THE ACCESS ISSUE THAT THERE WAS A GENERAL FEELING THAT IF SOMEBODY HAD A MEDICAL CONDITION THAT REQUIRED, [INAUDIBLE] THAT REQUIRED USE OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA, THEN IT WAS UNFAIR AND IMPROPER FOR US NOT TO HAVE THAT AVAILABILITY.
WE STILL KIND OF ARGUED ABOUT HOW MANY THAT WOULD MEAN AND WHERE THEY SHOULD BE.
WE ENDED UP WITH SIX, WHICH WAS MORE THAN WHAT I ADVOCATED FOR, BUT MAYBE LESS THAN WHAT SOME OTHERS ADVOCATED FOR.
AND WE THOUGHT BY NOW THEY WOULD BE OPERATING.
WE WOULD HAVE HAD SOME HISTORY WITH THEM AND WE WOULD KNOW WHAT WE'RE GETTING INTO IN TERMS OF OTHER ASPECTS.
UNFORTUNATELY, WE DON'T HAVE ANY OF THAT HISTORY.
AND IN SORT OF AN INTERESTING TWIST, THOSE WHO COULD GIVE US THAT HISTORY ARE REFUSING TO GIVE US THAT HISTORY TO SAY, OH, NO, WE CAN'T OPEN.
THEREFORE, YOU CAN NEVER FIND OUT.
YOU HAVE TO INSTEAD MAKE US RECREATIONAL WITHOUT KNOWING THAT.
AND I GUESS WE HAVE TO TAKE THEM AT THEIR WORD BECAUSE WE HAVE NO OTHER WAY AROUND IT.
WE'RE KIND OF YOU KNOW, THEY KIND OF PUT US AT A POINT WHERE THEY STICK IT TO US IN A SENSE, BECAUSE IF THEY DIDN'T ACT QUICKLY, THEY DID NOT OPEN ANYTHING.
JUST A THOUGHT THAT YOU PIECE OF THAT SAID OUT OF THE SIX AND NONE OF THEM HAVE ACTUALLY BUILT ANYTHING OR OPENED ANYTHING.
I GO BACK TO THE COMMENT THAT JERRY RICHARD SAID WHEN HE SPOKE TO US.
YOU KNOW, ONE OF OUR PRIMARY THINGS IN MERIDIANTOWNSHIP IS TO PRESERVE AND STRENGTHEN THE RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS.
YOU KNOW, THAT'S TO ME, THAT'S WHAT MERIDIAN IS ALL ABOUT.
WE'RE NOT EAST LANSING, WE'RE NOT LANSING.
WE'RE NOT, YOU KNOW, A RURAL TOWNSHIP LIKE [INAUDIBLE].
WE'RE NOT A MUNICIPAL AREA EDGE OF A COLLEGE TOWN, BUT WE'RE NOT A COLLEGE TOWN.
WE'RE IN AN AREA WHERE PEOPLE COME TO LIVE TO RAISE FAMILIES.
AND THE SCHOOLS ARE A BIG PART OF THAT.
WE HAVE EXCELLENT SCHOOL DISTRICTS WHICH DRIVE THAT.
WE HAVE REALLY NICE NEIGHBORHOODS.
SO WHAT YOU'RE GETTING [INAUDIBLE] BUT YOU WOULD NOT WANT TO DRIVE INTO THEIR VERY NICE PLACES TO LIVE AND RAISE FAMILIES.
AS A RESULT, WE HEAR FROM PERIODICALLY, YOU KNOW, THIS NICHE THING IN THIS NEWSWEEK THING.
EVERY FEW YEARS SOMEBODY WILL ANNOUNCE THAT MERIDIAN OR OKEMOS WITHIN MERIDIEN OR HASLET WITHIN MERIDIAN ARE AMONG THE TOP PLACES, IF NOT THE TOP PLACE TO LIVE.
WHY? BECAUSE WE'RE A FAMILY PLACE TO LIVE.
THEY HAVE THESE GREAT NEIGHBORHOODS.
SO FOR ME, THAT'S AN UNDERLYING ISSUE I HAVE TO LOOK AT ALL THE TIME.
WHAT, IF ANYTHING, WOULD HAPPEN IN TERMS OF OUR TOWNSHIP IF WE BECOME A CENTER FOR RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA? THERE'S NO EASY ANSWER BECAUSE WE HAVE NO EXPERIENCE WITH THE MEDICAL, UNFORTUNATELY.
BUT THAT'S IN THE BACK OF MY MIND ALL THE TIME.
WILL THAT HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND THE PERCEPTION OF OUR AREA ON THIS VIEW OF THIS AREA AS BEING THE NUMBER ONE PLACE TO LIVE.
YOU KNOW, IT'S INTERESTING, THE TOP FIFTEEN COMMUNITIES IN THAT STUDY THAT SAID THAT WE WERE NUMBER ONE, WHO ACTUALLY HAD OKEMOS ONEAND HASLET THIRTEEN, THE TOP FIFTEEN.
ONLY ONE OF THOSE ACTUALLY OFFERS RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA.
[02:20:02]
ALL THE OTHER ONES, WHETHER IT'S THE GROSS POINTS [INAUDIBLE] THEY DON'T OFFER RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA.AND THAT'S ANN ARBOR, WHICH IS KIND OF A UNIQUE COMMUNITY, WHICH IS ALWAYS RATED AS ONE OF THE TOPS BECAUSE OF ITS UNIQUENESS.
SO, YOU KNOW, THERE'S SOMETHING TO BE SAID ABOUT THAT.
THERE'S SOMETHING TO LOOK AT THERE.
IN TERMS OF VOTERS AND WHAT THEY THINK.
WE VOTED FOR RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA ON A STATEWIDE BASIS.
YOU KNOW, 60 PLUS PERCENTAGE OF US DID.
BUT DOES THAT MEAN THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU WANT MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP TO HAVE RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA? THEY'RE REALLY TWO DIFFERENT THINGS.
NOW THERE WAS A WHOLE ISSUE PUT OUT BY THE [INAUDIBLE] LAST SUMMER ABOUT MARIJUANA.
AND THEY POINTED OUT IN THERE THAT THEY HAD [INAUDIBLE] TWO, FOUR, SIX, EIGHT, DIFFERENT CASE STUDIES OF COMMUNITIES THAT SAID NO TO RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA, EVEN THOUGH THESE WERE THROUGH VOTES, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE UNDER THE LAW, YOU CAN HAVE PEOPLE PETITION TO ACTUALLY VOTE ON IT.
THE PEOPLE WHO VOTED YES OVERALL TO ALLOWING IT STATEWIDE VOTED NO TO HAVING IT IN THEIR COMMUNITY.
IT'S THE OLD THING, YOU KNOW, NOT MY BACKYARD FOR THE GREATER GOOD.
AND THESE WERE COMMUNITY COMMUNITIES.
YOU THINK THAT WAS NEIGHBORHOODS LIKE COMMUNITIES ARE THE ONES THAT ARE BEING, YOU KNOW, VERY INTERESTING.
SO I'M NOT SOLD BY THE IDEA THAT, YOU KNOW, WE OVERWHELMINGLY APPROVED, WHICH WE DID ON A STATEWIDE BASIS FOR RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA, THAT DOESN'T DO MUCH FOR ME.
I HAVE-- I'M NOT SAYING NO HERE, I'M JUST WONDERING HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH.
YOU KNOW, WHEN IT CAME TO THE MEDICAL, WE WERE ALL ABOUT ACCESS AND MAKING SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, GRANDMA AND GRANDPA, WHOEVER COULD GET IT, GET THEIR SUPPLY EASILY IF THEY WERE SUFFERING FROM CANCER OR OTHER ISSUES, PARKINSON'S, WHATEVER.
WITH RECREATIONAL IT'S A WHOLE WORLD.
I MEAN, IT ONLY TAKES TEN MINUTES TO GET TO EASTLANSING, MAYBE 15 TO GO TO LANSING.
IT'S NOT LIKE WE'RE SAYING, NO, YOU CAN'T HAVE IT, WE'RE NOT MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE.
AND RECREATIONAL IS A LOT DIFFERENT IN TERMS OF [INAUDIBLE] AND THE NEED TO GET IT.
AND THE MEDICAL IN OTHER WORDS, DO WE HAVE TO BE CONCERNED WHETHER OR NOT [INAUDIBLE] CAN TAKE YOU TO THE RECREATIONAL STORE? I DON'T THINK SO.
MEDICAL, YES, BUT NOT NECESSARILY TO THE RECREATIONAL, BECAUSE THAT'S A WHOLE DIFFERENT KIND OF CHOICE.
A LOT OF OUR DEALINGS WITH MARIJUANA AND, YOU KNOW, IT IS NOT THIS HORRIBLE DRUG THAT'S GOING TO CAUSE PEOPLE TO GO DOWN THE DRUG PATH AND EVERYTHING ELSE, WE KNOW THAT.
MANY PEOPLE HAVE USED IT FOR EONS WITHOUT ILL EFFECTS, BUT IT DOES HAVE SOME NEGATIVES HEALTH WISE.
THERE IS DATA ABOUT YOUNG DEVELOPING BRAINS AND NEGATIVE IMPACTS ON THOSE YOUNG BRAINS.
AND, YOU KNOW, THAT'S STILL A PROBLEM OF JUST LIKE WITH ALCOHOL WHEN WE, YOU KNOW, TWENTY ONE YEAR OLDS BUY IT AND GIVE IT TO THEIR 18 YEAR OLD FRIENDS SO THEY CAN GIVE IT TO THEIR 16 YEAR OLD FRIENDS.
WHEN WE LOWER THE DRINKING AGE TO 18, WE FOUND THAT THE 18 YEAR OLDS ARE GIVING IT TO THEIR 16 YEAR OLD FRIENDS WHO ARE GIVING IT TO THE 14 YEAR OLD FRIENDS.
SO WE TOOK THE DRINKING AGE BACK TO TWENTY ONE.
WELL, THERE'S A SIMILAR KIND OF THING WITH, I THINK WITH POTENTIAL HERE WITH MARIJUANA IN TERMS OF WHO'S GOING TO GET IT THROUGH TH LEGAL CHANNELS.
DEFINITELY YOU CAN GET IT THROUGH ILLEGAL CHANNELS.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE DON'T WANT AND WE WANT TO REPLACE TO THE EXTENT WE CAN.
BUT IT'S ANOTHER FACTOR, AND I'M NOT SAYING ANY OF THESE THINGS ARE AN ANSWER TO THINGS TO THINK ABOUT.
YOU KNOW, IF WHAT YOU HAVE IS JUST RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA, YOU PENALIZE MEDICAL MARIJUANA NEEDERS BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO PAY 10 PERCENT EXTRA.
WHEN YOU BUY FROM A RECREATIONAL STORE, IT'S 10 PERCENT MORE IN TERMS OF THE EXCISE TAX THAN IF YOU ARE A MEDICAL PERSON WHO ACTUALLY NEEDS IT AND HAS A CARD.
THAT'S ANOTHER THING TO THINK ABOUT.
AND I GUESS, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE ADVOCATING THAT MAYBE THESE STORES ARE BOTH LEGAL ISSUES HERE.
IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S GOING TO BE A CONSENSUS TO GO FORWARD WITH IT.
BUT FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE, AS A LAWYER AND AS A GOVERNMENT LAWYER MOST OF MY LIFE, MY MAIN CONCERN THEN BECOMES DOING IT RIGHT BY DOING IT SO THAT WE DON'T GET LEGAL CHALLENGES DOING IT SO WE DO FOLLOW THE LAW DOING IT RIGHT.
AND THAT MAY TAKE A LITTLE MORE TIME.
AT ONE POINT IT LOOKED LIKE THERE WAS A BIG PUSH TO HAVE THIS HAPPEN OVERNIGHT.
[02:25:03]
AND THAT'S NOT THE RIGHT WAY TO GO.WHENEVER I HAD A STATE AGENCY TO DO SOMETHING OVERNIGHT, I ALWAYS SLOWED THEM DOWN, BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T TAKE YOUR TIME AND DO IT RIGHT LATER ON YOU SUFFER WHEN THE LAWSUITS COME IN.
SO, YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE MY THOUGHTS.
YOU KNOW, TREASURER DESCHAINE MAKES SOME EXCELLENT POINTS IN TERMS OF THE NEGATIVE SIDE OF THIS.
YOU KNOW, WE DID MAKE THAT PROMISE, ALTHOUGH THAT'S KIND OF MADE IT POSSIBLE TAKE IT AWAY FROM US IN TERMS OF THE ONE YEAR EXPERIENCE OR THREE MONTH EXPERIENCE OR WHATEVER WE SAID.
BUT THERE ARE ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS, POLICING COSTS THAT ARE UNKNOWN, THAT I MEAN, THEY'RE THERE.
WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW MUCH THEY ARE.
AND WE'VE HAD A REAL EXPERIENCE, AGAIN, WITH THE MEDICAL SIDE TO EVEN BE ABLE TO COME UP WITH ANY NUMBERS FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE.
AND EVERY COMMUNITY WILL BE DIFFERENT.
THERE ALWAYS ARE, BUT THERE ARE MORE SO HERE, INCLUDING LITIGATION THAT MAY COME ABOUT BY POTENTIAL COMPETITORS.
YOU KNOW, PART OF MY EXPERIENCE WAS IN THE MEDICAL WORLD, THERE'S LIMITATIONS ON HOW MANY DIFFERENT KINDS OF MODALITIES AND TREATMENTS HOSPITALS CAN OFFER, AND THEY COMPETE FOR THOSE AND THEY HAVE COMPARATIVE REVIEWS, SOMETHING THAT OUR ATTORNEYS SAID WE'D HAVE TO HAVE HERE FOR RECREATIONAL.
AND SOMETIMES THOSE WHO DON'T WANT OTHERS TO GET IT GET INVOLVED WITH THE COMPARATIVE REVIEW TO SLOW THINGS DOWN, THOSE THINGS DOWN AND CREATE LITIGATION.
YOU KNOW, AND LOSERS OFTEN CREATE LITIGATION.
WE HAVEN'T REALLY HEARD A LOT AN THIS GOES TO WHAT CLERK GUTHRIE SAID, I THINK, AS WELL AS TREASURER DESCHAINE, WE HAVEN'T REALLY HEARD FROM OUR PUBLIC.
THEY VOTED A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO FOR RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA.
BUT AS I SAID BEFORE, YOU ALWAYS HAVE THAT NOT IN MY BACKYARD SYNDROME.
WE HAVEN'T HEARD FROM THEM RECENTLY.
WE HAVEN'T HEARD FROM THEM ON THIS.
AND THE IDEA OF SHOULD WE HAVE IT IN MERIDIAN AND HOW MANY SHOULD WE HAVE, IT APPEARS TO ME THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE IT IN MERIDIAN.
THE QUESTION IS, WHAT SHOULD WE HAVE? HOW MANY SHOULD WE HAVE AND WHERE SHOULD THEY BE? WE KIND OF FIGURED THAT OUT.
AND WE ENDED UP WITH THE SIX AREAS BECAUSE ONCE WE CAME UP WITH THE REALLY REASONABLE SCENARIOS OF IT NEEDED TO BE A THOUSAND FEE FROM A SCHOOL, 500 FEET FROM A CHURCH, ET CETERA.
WE ONLY HAD ABOUT SIX SPOTS IN THE WHOLE TOWNSHIP WHERE YOU COULD PUT THEM.
SO THAT'S HOW WE CAME TO THAT.
SO THAT'S THE UPPER LIMIT IN A LOT OF WAYS, ALTHOUGH YOU COULD PUT MULTIPLE ONES WITHIN EACH DISTRICT.
BUT WE HAVEN'T HEARD FROM OUR EDUCATORS, THOSE WHO WORK DIRECTLY WITH STUDENTS AND SEE NEGATIVE EFFECTS, IF ANY.
AND WE HAVEN'T HEARD FROM OUR NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION, AS WAS POINTED OUT.
YOU KNOW WHAT THEIR CONCERNS WOULD BE IN TERMS OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD VALUES AND WHAT KIND OF PLACE MERIDIAN WOULD BE TO LIVE, WHETHER OR NOT WE'D STILL BE THE BEST PLACE IN THE STATE.
SO I GUESS RIGHT NOW ONE OF MY THOUGHTS IS BEFORE WE DIVE IN AND WE NEED A COUPLE OF THINGS, WE NEED A CONCERTED EFFORT BY OUR ATTORNEYS TO LAY OUT EXACTLY WHAT STEPS WE TAKE AND HOW WE TAKE THEM.
AND, YOU KNOW, WITH AN ORDINANCE, WHAT IT HAS TO SAY AND START THAT PROCESS.
BUT WE ALSO NEED TO HAVE SOME WAY OF GOING TO THE COMMUNITY AND FINDING OUT WHAT THEY REALLY THINK.
YOU KNOW, AT THESE MEETINGS, SURPRISINGLY, THERE ARE VERY FEW SPEAKERS.
AND TO THE EXTENT WE GET THEM, MOST OF THE PROSPEAKERS, IF NOT ALL OF THEM, ARE SOMEHOW RELATED TO THE INDUSTRY.
AND THOSE WHO ARE OPPOSED ARE PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN TH NEIGHBORHOOD AND HAVE KIDS.
SO IT'D BE INTERESTED TO FIND OUT EXACTLY WHAT OUR COMMUNITY THINKS.
SO IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THE OTHER THING WE OUGHT TO BE DOING IS LOOKING AT HOW WE GET TO OUR CITIZENS, HOW DO WE ASK THEM WHAT IT IS THEY WANT US TO DO.
SO WE TOOK TWO ROADS, TWO PATHSS.
ONE, IS THE LEGAL DOING IT RIGHT SO THAT IT DOESN'T BECOME A PROBLEM FOR US.
AND SECONDLY, TO WHAT EXTENT WHAT WE DO IN TERMS OF WHAT THE COMMUNITY WANTS SO WE CAN PRESERVE AND STRENGTHEN THE RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP.
SO THOSE ARE MY THOUGHTS THEY'RE NOT, AS ORGANIZED AS PHIL'S OR DAN'S.
BUT THAT'S WHERE I'M AT RIGHT NOW.
I HAD ALL MINE WRITTEN DOWN, AND I THINK YOURS ARE MORE ORGANIZED THAN MINE, BUT I DO WANT TO SAY THAT FIRST OFF, I AM IN SUPPORT OF MOVING FORWARD WITH ADULT USE.
[02:30:01]
HOWEVER, I ALSO AGREE WE WANT TO DO IT AND DO IT RIGHT.SO MAKING SURE WE'RE IN TOUCH WITH OUR LEGAL TEAM AND MAKING SURE ALL OF THAT IS, YOU KNOW, VERY THOUGHTFUL.
I DID HAVE A QUESTION, MR. SUPERVISOR.
I'M NOT SURE IF IT'S FOR YOU OR NOT, BUT I AGAIN, FORGIVE MY IGNORANCE.
BUT I THOUGHT MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP SPECIFICALLY VOTED 61 PERCENT IN FAVOR OF RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA.
I SAID 60 SOME PERCENT, I THOUGHT.
YEAH, SO MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP FORMER CLERK ALWAYS HAD THAT NUMBER ON THE TIP OF HIS TONGUE.
MAYBE THAT'S WHAT I'M HEARING THAT'S IN MY HEAD.
[LAUGHTER] SO IT'S NOT JUST STATE OF MICHIGAN, BUT ALSO MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP.
I WAS RAISING THAT POINT THAT EVEN IN OTHER COMMUNITIES WHERE THAT'S HAPPENED, WHEN THEY'VE HAD A LOCAL INITIATIVE, THEY'VE ENDED UP VOTING THE OTHER WAY.
BUT, YEAH, I WORRY YOU KNOW, I MENTIONED THIS PREVIOUSLY THAT, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT OPPOSED TO SURVEYS, YOU KNOW, ME.
HOWEVER, I FEEL LIKE BECAUSE THIS IS SOMEWHAT OF A TUMULTUOUS SUBJECT THAT WE MAY NOT GET AN ACCURATE RESPONSE, PER SAY, UNLESS IT'S SOMEWHAT ANONYMOUS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
BUT I FEEL LIKE THAT WAS THE VOTE.
MY PERSPECTIVE OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE COMMUNITY DOES WANT, MAYBE HOW THEY WANT IT IS A BETTER QUESTION.
WELL SURVEY BY DEFINITION WOULD BE ANONYMOUS.
YEAH SO I WOULD FIRST CONCUR WITH SUPERVISOR STYKA'S REMARKS ON THE PROCESS AND DOING IT IN A LEGALLY SOUND WAY THAT PROTECTS THE TOWNSHIP FROM LITIGATION.
I ALSO WANT TO NOTE, YOU KNOW.
OUR OVERLAY MAP IS REALLY ONE OF THE KEY COMPONENTS OF AN ORDINANCE.
I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU WOULD PUT THAT IN FRONT OF SOMEONE AND SURVEY THEM.
SO I DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND HOW WE WOULD LOGISTICALLY DO A SURVEY ON THIS ISSUE WHERE PEOPLE WOULD REALLY GET TO SEE WHERE THESE ARE AUTHORIZED AND HOW MANY ARE ALLOWED WITHIN THE VARIOUS OVERLAYS, ETC.. I THINK THERE ARE SOME COMPLEXITIES TO HOW YOU GET PUBLIC INPUT ON THIS ISSUE AND JUST WANTED TO NOTE THAT.
AND IT WAS SIXTY ONE PERCENT AND SOME ODD CHANGE THAT MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP VOTERS VOTED IN SUPPORT OF PROPOSAL ONE IN NOVEMBER OF TWENTY EIGHTEEN FOR RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA, JUST FOR EVERYONE'S EDIFICATION.
AND THEN LASTLY, I WOULD JUST NOTE THAT THIS WAS ON THE SIX O'CLOCK NEWS TONIGHT THAT MAY HAVE HAD SOME IMPACT ON THE PUBLIC INPUT THAT WE RECEIVED TONIGHT.
AND WHEN WE DID THE MEDICAL ORDINANCE, I DON'T SEE WHY WE WOULD NEED TO DEVIATE FROM THE PROCESS THAT WE ESTABLISHED IN CONSTRUCTING THE MEDICAL ORDINANCE OR THE PROCESS THAT WE'VE USED FOR UPDATING THE MASTER PLAN.
WHERE WE DO OBVIOUSLY, WE DO MONTHS OF WORK ON THE ORDINANCE.
WE REFER IT TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
THEY ARE REQUIRED BY STATE LAW TO HOLD A HEARING ON THAT AND THEN CONDUCT FURTHER WORK ON THE ORDINANCE BEFORE REFERRING IT BACK TO US WITH A RECOMMENDATION BEFORE WE EVEN BEGIN TO THINK ABOUT THE PROCESS OF ADOPTING.
IT'S QUITE A LENGTHY PROCESS AND IT WORKED QUITE WELL ON THE DEVELOPMENT AND THE ADOPTION OF OUR MEDICAL ORDINANCE.
SO I DON'T SEE WHY WE WOULD NEED TO DEVIATE FROM THAT.
GETTING THE LEGAL COMPONENTS AND HOW WE DO IT IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT.
AND AGAIN, I DID SAY 60 SOMETHING PERCENT, I NEVER SAID LESS.
I APPRECIATE ALL THE COMMENTS THATWERE MADE.
I THINK THE SURVEY QUESTION IS VERY SIMPLE.
YOU ASK THEM, DO YOU WANT TO HAVE UP TO SIX RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA STORES IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP? THAT'S A PRETTY SIMPLE QUESTION.
THE REASON NOT TO ASK THAT QUESTION WOULD BE BECAUSE YOU DON'T WANT TO HEAR THE ANSWER.
AND WHAT WE FOUND FROM THE MAY, JUNE 2020 MLAARTICLE WAS THAT 8 COMMUNITIES PUT THAT QUESTION FOR THEIR VOTERS.
ALL EIGHT OF THOSE COMMUNITIES HAD SAID YES BY BIG PERCENTAGES TO RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA ON THE STATEWIDE BALLOT, BUT DIDN'T WANT IT IN THEIR COMMUNITY.
SO THEY ARE AS SUPERVISOR STYKA POINTED OUT THOSE ARE SEPARATE QUESTIONS.
DO YOU SUPPORT RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA IN MICHIGAN? THAT'S [INAUDIBLE] QUESTION.
SECOND QUESTION IS, DO YOU WANT TO HAVE SIX RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA STORES IN OUR COMMUNITY? THAT'S A SEPARATE SECOND QUESTION.
[02:35:01]
I FORGOT THAT WAS THE POINT THAT I WANTED TO MAKE.THOSE BALLOT PROPOSALS WERE INDUSTRY DRIVEN.
THOSE WERE NOT CITIZEN OR PUBLIC BODY DRIVEN INITIATIVES THAT WERE PUT ON THE BALLOT.
IF YOU READ THE MRTMA, IT ALLOWS THE INDUSTRY TO COME IN AND PUT BALLOT PROPOSALS ON A CITY, TOWNSHIP, VILLAGE BALLOT FOR VOTER APPROVAL OR DENIAL.
SO I THINK THOSE ARE HIGHLY SLANTED BECAUSE THEY TYPICALLY COME FROM AN INDUSTRY ORIENTED PERSPECTIVE, THEY ARE NOT DEVELOPED BY THE PUBLIC BODY OF THE COMMUNITY PUTTING THEM TO VOTE.
THAT IS A CRITICAL DISTINCTION TO DRAW BETWEEN THOSE VOTES AND THE STATEWIDE REC VOTE.
I DO CONCUR THAT THERE IS A DISTINCTION, BUT I WANT TO MAKE THE POINT WHEN WE LOOK AT HOW WE CONSTRUCTED THE OVERLAYS, LIKE WE OMITTED PLACES THAT WOULD HAVE FIT WITHIN THE BUFFERING FROM SCHOOLS LIKE, SAY, THE OLD ICE CREAM PARLOR AT THE CORNER OF LAKE LANSING AN MARSH.
AND WHEN SUPERVISOR STYKA MYSELF AND ACTUALLY THEN TREASURER BRIXIE WERE KIND OF THE AD HOC SUBCOMMITTEE THAT WORKED ON CONSTRUCTING THESE, WE LOOKED AT THAT.
WE SAID, NO, NO, WE CANNOT HAVE AN ICE CREAM PARLOR KITTY CORNER TO THE LAKE LANSING SOUTH PARK, TURN OVER BECAUSE THE PROPERTY OWNER IS GETTING OFFERED TWO OR THREE MILLION DOLLARS FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA.
SO WE DIDN'T JUST LOOK AT WHERE DO WE WANT IT TO GO.
WE LOOKED AT WHERE DO WE NOT WANT IT TO GO.
WE HAD PROPERTY OWNERS ON SAGINAW HIGHWAY, ASKING US TO EXPAND THE NORTHERN OVERLAY DISTRICT TO THE WEST LIKE OVERHEAD DOOR COMPANY AND MERIDIAN PLUMBING, ET CETERA, BUT WE DIDN'T WANT TO DISPLACE GOOD BUSINESSES THAT WERE HERE IN THE COMMUNITY.
WE WANTED TO FOCUS ON UNDERUTILIZED AREAS.
THE HAGADORN OVERLAY IS COMPLETELY UNDEVELOPED.
THE GRAND RIVER OVERLAY TO THE WEST.
WE ENDED UP WITH A PARCEL NUMBER, A PARCEL THAT'S BEING DEVELOPED OR WON THE LOTTERY THAT HAS NEVER BEEN DEVELOPED.
IT STILL DOESN'T HAVE AN ADDRESS.
SO IT IS IMPORTANT FOR CONTEXT TO JUST SAY, OH, THERE'S GOING TO BE SIX, NOT GIVE ANY CONTEXT AS TO WHERE THEY GO WHEN WE'VE ONLY PUT AN LOOK AT THE MAP, THERE'S LIKE THREE PERCENT OF THE PARCELS IN THE WHOLE TOWNSHIP COMPRISING THE OVERLAYS.
WE SAID YOU CAN'T GO NINETY SEVEN PERCENT OF PLACES AND YOU CAN GO IN THIS THREE PERCENT.
AND WE'VE NEVER DONE THAT BEFORE, I DON'T KNOW WHY WE'RE TREATING THIS DIFFERENTLY.
IT APPEARS TO BE THE STIGMA BEHIND THIS AND THAT GETS BACK TO THE EQUITY ISSUE.
OK, I DON'T WANT TO HAVE A BIG BACK AND FORTH, AND SO I'M GOING TO GO TO CLERK GUTHRIE AT THIS POINT.
ALL RIGHT, MAYBE A LITTLE BIT OF BACK AND FORTH SUPERVISOR STYKA.
[INAUDIBLE] TWO INDIVIDUALS, OK, OK, YEAH, I AGREE.
TRUSTEE OPSOMMER YOU CAN'T JUST ASK A BLANKET YES OR NO QUESTION ABOUT RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA.
YOU KNOW, PEOPLE PROBABLY WILL SAY NO, NOT IN MY BACKYARD KIND OF THING, YOU KNOW, BUT THERE IS A WAY THAT YOU ASK QUESTIONS AND YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE ASKED IF THE BOARD WANTS TO KNOW IF THE PUBLIC WOULD LIKE THE BOARD TO INCLUDE RECREATIONAL AS A COLOCATING OPTION OR HOWEVER IT'S WORDED OR HOWEVER YOU SHOULD WORD IT RECREATIONAL AND MEDICAL SALES IN THE SAME BUILDING THAT'S DIFFERENT THAN DO YOU WANT RECREATIONAL IN OUR COMMUNITY OR NOT? I THINK THAT'S A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT QUESTION BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE WILL PROBABLY SAY, NO, I DON'T WANT IT IN MY COMMUNITY.
BUT IF YOU SAY, HEY, WE ALLOW MEDICAL IN THESE INDUSTRIAL ZONED AREAS, WOULD YOU ALSO YOU KNOW WHAT IS YOUR OPINION OF ALLOWING RECREATIONAL IN THOSE SAME FACILITIES? BASICALLY, I THINK.
THANK YOU AND I APPRECIATE THE CLARIFICATION, TRUSTEE OPSOMMER ABOUT THE VOTES THAT WERE TAKEN AND I AGREE WITH CLARK GUTHRIE, WE NEED TO ASK A SMART QUESTION.
DO YOU SUPPORT THESE RISK SUFFICIENT BARRIERS OR CO-LOCATED WITH MEDICAL FACILITIES? WE DON'T ASK A DUMB QUESTION, BUT A SMART QUESTION, BUT A QUESTION NONETHELESS.
I THINK WE OWE IT TO OUR CITIZENS WE OWE IT TO THE BOARD TO TAKE A POLL.
AND WE'RE LUCKY TO BE ABLE TO SURVEY OUR RESIDENTS RIGHT NOW TO FIND OUT HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT IT, AS WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO AGREE ON CERTAIN FACTS.
AND ONE OF THOSE FACTS SHOULD BE WHAT IS THE SUPPORT FOR RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP? WE CAN ASK THEM THE RIGHT WAY AND FIND OUT.
AND JUST TO CLARIFY, I WAS TALKING ABOUT MOVING ON BOTH THINGS, IN OTHER WORDS,
[02:40:03]
WE'D BE HAVING THE ORDINANCE REWORKED BY OUR ATTORNEYS AND US AT THE SAME TIME THAT WE WOULD BE OUT THERE ASKING THE PUBLIC WHA THEY THOUGHT.[INAUDIBLE], OK? ANYONE ELSE WHO HASN'T SPOKEN? MR. OPSOMMER.
I JUST HAD ONE QUICK NOTE FOR OUR ATTORNEYS ITWOULD BE HELPFUL TO HAVE THE MEDICAL ORDINANCES THERE ARE TWO IN OUR NEXT PACKET SINCE THOSE ALSO COME INTO PLAY HERE.
AND THERE MAY NEED TO BE AMENDMENTS BASED ON TAKING THE MOST PRUDENT LEGAL PROCESS.
GOOD POINT I WOULD ASK THAT OUR ATTORNEYS DO THAT AND CLARIFY AS SUCCINCTLY AND AS EASILY UNDERSTOOD AS POSSIBLE WHAT WE CAN AND CANNOT DO IN TERMS OF YOU KNOW, CAN WE TAKE THE YOU KNOW, THE THE FOUR OR SIX, WHICHEVER IT IS, BECAUSE ONLY FOUR BE A SEPARATE PROCESS.
YOU KNOW, HE TALKED ABOUT IT, I THOUGHT, BUT I WAS NEVER CLEAR, HUNDRED PERCENT CLEAR FROM ANYTHING THAT WAS SAID AS TO WHERE WE COULD GO BECAUSE THINGS HAVE CHANGED SINCE EAST LANSING DID IT AT FIRST.
AND SECONDLY, EAST LANSING WAS IN A DIFFERENT PLACE BECAUSE THEY TECHNICALLY DID NOT USE A LOTTERY WHEN THEY CHOSE THEIR MEDICAL, TECHNICALLY THEY WERE USING A COMPARATIVE REVIEW, EVEN THOUGH IT DIDN'T WORK OUT THAT WAY BECAUSE THEY WERE SLY ABOUT IT.
TECHNICALLY, SO THEY WERE NOT RELYING ON A LOTTERY BASED MEDICAL WHE N THEY ASKED WHEN THEY SET IT UP TO CHANGE THOSE OVER TO RECREATIONAL, WHICH I UNDERSTOOD AND MAYBE I'M WRONG.
BECAUSE OUR BASE IS DIFFERENT, OUR BASE IS ACTUALLY A LOTTERY, WE CAN'T QUITE DO THAT.
WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT.
WE CAN GET THERE, BUT WE'VE GOT TO DO IT DIFFERENTLY.
AND I'D LIKE TO HAVE THAT BLACK AND WHITE, SO IT'S EASILY UNDERSTOOD BY EVERYBODY.
OH, I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY WE CAN DEFINITELY PUT THAT TOGETHER FOR YOU.
BOARD MEMBERS ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT ON THIS? I HAVE SOME I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE CLARIFYING QUESTIONS MAYBE FOR THE ATTORNEY DURING THIS PROCESS, ABOUT THE PROCESS AND SOME POSSIBLE AMENDMENTS.
CAN I JUST SEND THOSE TO FRANK OR THE ATTORNEY SEND THOSE TO YOU, FRANK? YOU WOULD GO THROUGH THE MANAGER.
HE AND I ARE THE CONDUITS TO THE ATTORNEYS.
AND EVEN IF I GO TO ATTORNEYS, I NEVER DO IT WITHOUT MR. WALSH.
MR. OPSOMMER, SO TO CLARIFY, WE'RE GOING TO HAV THIS ON OUR NEXT BOARD DISCUSSION TO CONTINUE WORKING ON CRAFTING.
YEAH, I SUPPOSED WE WILL, OF COURSE WE GOT TO HAVE SOMETHING DIFFERENT IN FRONT OF US IN ORDER TO GO FURTHER.
MR. KUSCHEL WHERE ARE WE IN TERMS OF BEING ABLE TO HAVE SOMETHING IN FRONT OF US IN A WEEK.
WE HAVE A MEETING OR WE CAN HAVE A MEETING IN TWO WEEKS, JUST SO YOU KNOW.
YEAH, I'M WEEK WOULD BE GETTING IT TOGETHER IN TIME TO GET IT IN THE PACKET FOR THAT, BECAUSE THAT'S ACTUALLY GOING TO GIVE US LIKE ONE OR TWO DAYS TO TURN AROUND SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS, SO I WOULD YOU KNOW TO MAKE SURE WE CAN ADDRESS IT FULLY AND GIVE IT SOME CONSIDERATION IF YOU'RE HAVING A MEETING IN TWO WEEKS, MARCH 2ND, THAT WOULD PROBABLY BE THE TARGET DATE FOR US.
IS THAT STILL ANY PROBLEM WITH THAT MR. OPSOMMER? NO, THAT'S FINE.
CAN WE ALSO POSSIBLY HAVE SOME IF WE WANT TO ASK THE CITIZENS QUESTIONS, WHAT
[02:45:03]
THOSE WOULD BE, COULD WE POSSIBLY HAVE SOMETHING FROM DIRECTOR PERRY, WHAT THAT COULD LOOK LIKE IN A CITIZENS SURVEY IF WE WERE TO INCLUDE IT? AND I THINK THAT'S ONE OF OUR DISCUSSION ITEMS COMING UP MAYBE NEXT WEEK.MAYBE MANAGER WALSH CAN [MULTIPLESPEAKERS].
ACTUALLY, WE DO HAVE ON NEXT WEEK'S AGENDA.
WE DO HAVE THE CITIZEN SURVEY.
SO THAT MIGHT BE A GOOD POINT.
IF WE'RE GOING TO INCLUDE ANYTHING, WE CAN DECIDE THAT NEXT WEEK OR AT LEAST GIVE THAT DIRECTION TO MR. PERRY.
IF WE'RE GOING TO INCLUDE ANYTHING, AND I'M NOT SURE WE CAME TO A CONSENSUS ON THAT YET.
YEAH, I WAS JUST GOING TO NOTE, WE DIDN'T NECESSARILY HAVE A FIRM CONSENSUS, RIGHT.
ARE WE TO GO WITH OUR OWN SURVEY OR TO STICK WITH THE CURRENT VENDOR.
RIGHT, AND BEYOND THAT, WE ALSO DIDN'T HAVE A CONSENSUS OR NOT OF WHETHER WE'RE GOING TO ASK QUESTIONS OR NOT ABOUT THIS ISSUE, WE STILL NEED TO FLESH THAT OUT AT THE NEXT MEETING.
WHICH WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO DO THAT BECAUSE WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT THE SURVEY.
OK, THEN I GUESS WE'RE READY TO HAVE PUBLIC COMMENT AGAIN.
[7. COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC]
WE CAN, OF COURSE, ACCEPT PUBLIC COMMENTS THE SAME WAY THAT WE DID.MR. GEBES DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS? WE CERTAINLY ARE GOING TO HAVE SOME IN THE ATTENDEEAREA WE WILL GIVE OUT THE TELEPHONE NUMBER ONE MORE TIME, FIVE ONE SEVEN THREE FOUR NINE ONE, TWO, THREE, TWO.
IF YOU'RE NOT PARTICIPATING, VIA ZOOM.
FIRST TO RAISE HANDS IS LYNNE PAGE.
AND I REMIND EVERYBODY BEFORE CALLING ON MS. PAGE THAT AGAIN, THESE ARE LIMITED TO TWO MINUTES AND.
WELL, YEAH, TWO MINUTES AND IF YOU'RE EVEN THOUGH YOU DID IT BEFORE GIVE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS.
I'VE LISTENED TO THE ENTIRE MEETING AND AS A LONGTIME RESIDENT OF MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP, I FEEL THAT THE COMMERCIAL MEDICAL MARIJUAN PROCESS HAS BEEN SORT OF A BAIT AND SWITCH.
ORDINANCES PRESENTED TO OUR COMMUNITY, I DON'T THINK YOU KEPT YOUR PROMISES ABOUT THOSE, AND I FEEL THAT THERE WAS ALWAYS A CALCULATED PLACEHOLDER FOR THE RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA VENDORS.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM MR. KIESELBACH, YOU KNOW, TYPICALLY IN THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT PROCESS, IF THE APPLICANTS DON'T FOLLOW THROUGH ON BEGINNING CONSTRUCTION OR ESTABLISHING THEIR BUSINESS IN A CERTAIN TIME PERIOD UPON RECEIVING APPROVAL THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT LAPSES.
AND I FEEL THAT, YOU KNOW, THE WAY THAT THE MEDICAL MARIJUANA PROCESS IS WORKING, IT'S NOT BENEFICIAL TO PATIENTS WHO NEED ACCESS TO MEDICAL MARIJUANA OR TO THE RESIDENTS OF THE COMMUNITY THE WAY THE ORDINANCES WERE FRAMED.
SO I'D APPRECIATE AT A FUTURE MEETING HEARING FROM HIM ABOUT THAT.
WE HAVE NO OTHER HANDS AND NO PHONE CALLS AT THIS TIME, SIR.
ALL RIGHT, GIVE IT ANOTHER MINUTE OR SO IN CASE SOMEBODY IS A LITTLE LATE, WITH THEIR DIALING.
I GUESS THAT'S IT THEN, NO OTHER PUBLIC COMMENTS.
OTHER MATTERS FROM BOARD MEMBERS.
I WILL START THE OTHER MATTERS BY MENTIONING THAT, IN FACT, I RECEIVED A MEMORANDUM.
AND I'M SORRY TO INTERRUPT, MR. SUPERVISOR, BUT SOMEBODY HAS RAISED THEIR HAND IN THE ZOOM ATTENDEE AREA.
MAY I AT YOUR GO AHEAD I DON'T WANT TO CUT ANYBODY OFF GO AHEAD.
MS. EBERT AGAIN YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS FOR THE PUBLIC RECORD.
CURRENT ADDRESS, 1305 GLENMEADOW LANE, EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN.
I JUST WANT TO REITERATE SOME THINGS THAT WERE SAID TONIGHT ABOUT THIS.
[02:50:04]
THIS REALLY ALL THE OPPOSITION OF HAVING RECREATIONAL CANNABIS IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP REALLY IS ALL COMING FROM A PLACE OF STIGMA AND THE CONDITIONING OF THE DRUG WAR THAT HAS HAPPENED SINCE THE 1970S.SO I JUST WANTED TO POINT THAT OUT AGAIN.
AND I DON'T WANT PEOPLE TALKED ABOUT COMMUNITY REPUTATION.
AND I DON'T THINK IT WOULD BE BENEFICIAL TO HAVE THE COMMUNITY REPUTATION BE ONE THAT PROMOTES DANGEROUS STIGMATIZATION OF PEOPLE WHO USE DRUGS AND RESULTS IN MORE UNHEALTHY SUBSTANCE USE DUE TO A LACK OF PROPER DRUG EDUCATION.
AND IT'S NOT REALLY A QUESTION OF IF MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP DECIDES TO ALLOW RECREATIONAL CANNABIS BECAUSE IT WILL HAPPEN.
IT'S MORE OF A QUESTION OF WHEN.
SO IT IS AN INEVITABLE THING AND DELAYING IT IS ONLY HURTING THE COMMUNITY FURTHER IN TERMS OF RESOURCES AND REVENUE.
AND WE HAVE ANOTHER NEW HAND, [INAUDIBLE] I'M SORRY, I'VE GOT THAT HORRIBLY PRONOUNCED.
PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME PROPERLY AND ADDRESS FORTHE RECORD.
YES, HELLO, CAN YOU HEAR ME, PLEASE? YES.
START WITH YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS, PLEASE.
YES, I WAS WATCHING THE ENTIRE MEETING.
[INAUDIBLE] 4560 [INAUDIBLE] BOULEVARD IN OKEMOS.
SO I WAS WATCHING THE ENTIRE MEETING AND I NOTICED I THINK WHAT [INAUDIBLE] WAS SAYING ALSO NOTICED THERE WAS AN OBVIOUS DIVIDE BETWEEN COMMUNITY.
BETWEEN THE COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE AND BETWEEN PEOPLE FROM THE INDUSTRY, IT'S ABSOLUTELY OBVIOUS HERE.
WHAT AND I THINK, AND I THINK THE INDUSTRY LEADERSOR INDUSTRY PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO CONVINCE US FOR SOME REASON, MARIJUANA IS SUCH A WONDERFUL PRODUCT THAT HEALS COMMUNITIES, BRINGS PROSPERITY.
SOLVES ALL OUR PROBLEMS. AND I WAS THINKING ABOUT THE REVENUE STREAM ALSO.
THOUGH, LET'S TAKE A LOOK 12 MILLION DOLLARS.
THEN WHAT IS IT NOT SPENT ON? THERE WILL BE BUSINESS AND THERE WILL BE THINGS THAT WILL SUFFER BECAUSE THEY WILL BUY MARIJUANA RATHER THAN OTHER PRODUCTS OR SERVICES.
NOW, THIS ANALYSIS IS ALL I THINK.
THIS GENTLEMAN FROM THE INDUSTRY.
ALSO, WE LIVE HERE ON OUR MOST BASIC LEVEL BECAUSE WE WANT HEALTHY FAMILIES.
RIGHT, AND I ABSOLUTELY I VOTED FOR MEDICAL FOR BOTH MEDICAL AND RECREATIONAL, BUT I DON'T WANT IT HERE.
SO ALSO THE POINT THAT A CONSTRUCTIVE SURVEY CANNOT BE DONE, I THINK IT IS MISTAKEN BECAUSE JUST HIRE A GOOD STATISTICIAN.
A GOOD STATISTICIAN WILL HELP YOU DEVELOP A VERY GOOD SURVEY.
SO THAT'S ANOTHER THING, WHAT EXACTLY POPULATION WILL BE TARGETED BY MARIJUANA, WHO WILL SMOKE IT? DO WE WANT OUR.
THANK YOU, MR. GUERECKI, YOUR TIME IS UP.
MR. GUERECKI IS FOLLOWED BY RLB OR IF I RECALL, WAS MR. VALDORI, YES, BOB VALDORI.
I'M IN SAINT-MARTIN RIGHT NOW, BUT I FOUND THE DISCUSSION REALLY FASCINATING.
AND I JUST LIKE TO ME AND I PROBABLY LIVED IN THIS COMMUNITY LONGER THAN ANYBODY THAT CALLED UP TONIGHT.
AND I THINK I GOT HERE IN SO THE CALLERS THAT SAY THIS IS COMING FROM THE INDUSTRY INSTEAD OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE WRONG, AT LEAST IN MY CASE.
AND THE MOST FRUSTRATING THING TO ME ABOUT THIS DISCUSSION IS THE WAY IT'S BEEN FRAMED, AND I'M JUST GOING TO TRY TO ADD ONE PERSPECTIVE HERE.
IN NINETEEN SEVENTY THREE IN THE SUPREME COURT CASE IN THE STATE OF MICHIGAN,
[02:55:01]
PEOPLE V.SINCLAIR, THE SUPREME COURT OF MICHIGAN, UNANIMOUSLY STATED THAT MARIJUANA IS LESS HARMFUL THAN TOBACCO OR ALCOHOL 1973 AND THAT THE PROHIBITION OF ITS USE HAS BEEN MORE HARMFUL TO THE COMMUNITY THAN ITS USE.
AND THAT WAS BASED ON DOZENS OF STUDIES WORLDWIDE.
AND THIS DISCUSSION TONIGHT HAS BEEN FRAMED AS IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AGENT ORANGE OR HEROIN.
THIS SUBSTANCE IS NO MORE HARMFUL THAN TOMATOES.
AND I URGE YOU TO TAKE A STEP BACK WHEN YOU'RE AND I'M AGREEING WITH A LOT OF THE APPROACHES YOU'RE TAKING HERE IN TERMS OF HOW YOU DO IT AND HOW YOU REGULATE IT, BUT TO FRAME IT AS IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SOME DANGEROUS THING.
BOTH MY KIDS WENT THROUGH OKEMOS HIGH SCHOOL.
IT WAS EASIER FOR THEM TO GET MARIJUANA THAN IT WAS FOR THEM TO GET TOBACCO AND ALCOHOL.
AND THAT'S STILL TRUE TODAY IN OKEMOS HIGH SCHOOL.
SO IF YOUR INTEREST IS IN KEEPING IT FROM YOUR KIDS AND EDUCATING YOUR KIDS, THE BEST WAY TO DO IT IS TO DECRIMINALIZE IT A REGULATEIT.
YOUR TIME IS UP AND I AM SURE YOU'VE SAID THESE THINGS BEFORE.
ANYONE ELSE? THANK YOU, AGAIN, I HAVE NO HANDS AND NO CALL CALLS SIR THE MEANING IS YOURS.
OK, SO IF THAT'S THE CASE, WE ARE BACK TO OTHER MATTERS FROM THE BOARD.
[8. OTHER MATTERS AND BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS]
YESMR. DESCHAINE.JUST A REMINDER, OUR ANNUAL RETREAT IS THIS SATURDAY AT 10 A.M.
TO THREE P.M., YOU WILL BE RECEIVING A DELIVERY WITH THE WORKBOOK FOR IT.
IT IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC POSTED ON OUR TOWNSHIPWEB PAGE AND LARRY MERRILL IS LEADING AGAIN.
IT'S GOING TO BE AN EXCELLENT DAY, APPRECIATEEVERYONE GIVING UP THEIR TIME FOR THIS.
WE HAD GREAT RESULTS LAST YEAR, I THOUGHT, AND HOPEFULLY EVEN MORE SO THIS YEAR.
SO IT'LL BE DONE VIRTUALLY 10:00 A.M.
WE WILL BREAK A HALF AN HOUR FOR LUNCH.
YOU KNOW, HE'S OUR UNOFFICIAL RETREAT MASTER MERRILL IS, THE OFFICIAL ONE HE IS THE UNOFFICIAL.
I WOULD JUST LIKE TO MENTION THAT EATING A LOT OF TOMATOES DOES NOT CAUSE PEOPLE TO GET IN AUTO ACCIDENTS.
EATING A LOT OF TOMATOES DOES NOT CAUSE PEOPLE TO HAVE THEIR YOUNG HAVE ISSUES WITH BRAIN DEVELOPMENT.
EATING A LOT OF TOMATOES DOES NOT RESULT IN A LOT OF THINGS THAT PERHAPS EVEN THOUGH YOU KNOW THAT MARIJUANA IS NOT THE DRUG THAT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE USED TO THINK IT IS, IT'S STILL NOT 100 PERCENT TOMATOES.
I GOT A LITTLE TIRED OF HEARING THE TOMATOES COMPARISON.
ALL RIGHT, THEN WE'RE DONE WE JUST NEED AN ADJOURNMENT.
THERE'S SECOND BY WISINSKI, NO OBJECTION.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.