(Photo: DepositPhotos)
More than three years after Michigan voters OK'd recreational pot sales, Detroit's City Council opens the city to that lush market.
(Photo: DepositPhotos)
Crain's reports on Tuesday's 8-1 vote and its background:
Detroit adopted a previous recreational ordinance in early 2021, but it got held up in litigation for nearly a year over a rigorous "Legacy Detroiter" preference program for long-term residents looking to get involved.
So Councilman James Tate redid the measure he sponsored.
He still believes the ordinance is equity-driven and gives enough opportunities for Black and Brown Detroiters to become owners of Detroit cannabis businesses. ...
"For me it's important for us to strategically go in and identify how this industry can and should go in Detroit" instead of a more "shotgun" approach where whoever wants a license gets one.
Council member Mary Waters was the sole vote against the ordinance Tuesday. ...
Existing medical cannabis businesses in Detroit have said that while recreational cannabis has been in limbo, they've been floundering, losing out on customers to nearby suburban cities including Ferndale and Hazel Park that have recreational shops where Detroiters can go buy edibles or flower without needing to renew their medical cards.
... Cities in Michigan have the right to come up with their own rules, within limits, on who they give cannabis licenses to, how many licenses they give out and why they're selecting some applicants over others.
For those who want details of the city's new application rules, which take effect April 20, Crain's gets into the -- yes -- weeds.