Lansing City Clerk Chris Swope said a drive to place a new medical marijuana business ordinance on the ballot will not go forward due to problems with the petition form and proposed ordinance language.
On Wednesday, Swope issued a statement that said the Lansing Loves Safe Job Petitions to amend the city's medical marijuana ordinance was "not to be proper."
Swope cited "legal issues with the petition form, and proposed ordinance language." His statement reads further:
"As Clerk Swope stated in the letter to Lansing Loves Safe Jobs, “I strongly support the right of citizens to initiate legislation; however I am bound by the City Charter and the laws of the State of Michigan. Based on the review of the Office of the City Attorney, the petitions are not proper because of these errors. The petition language has several issues with regard to form and content that conflict with state law and the City Charter.”
On its Facebook page, Lansing Loves Safe Jobs said the proposed ordinance called for prohibiting cannabis businesses in residentially zoned areas. It would also ban marijuana businesses and advertising within 1,000 feet of schools.
WKAR News placed calls to the group's media contact but those were not returned.
In a WKAR special series on "Marijuana in Michigan" -- our reporting showed few officials knew the exact number of medical marijuana businesses in Lansing. Most estimate 40-70. The city has also struggled with setting rules for regulation.
Click on this sentence for a map of Medical Marijuana Dispensaries in Lansing.