Ten communities will decide Tuesday whether they want businesses to be able to sell recreational marijuana. Last November, the state passed a law legalizing recreational marijuana. Since then, the issue has slowly been debated in communities at the ballot box.
“I would expect to see for the next several years many local ballot initiatives opting into recreational cannabis businesses in their communities,” said Robin Schneider, executive director of the Michigan Cannabis Industry Association. The organization advocates for marijuana businesses.
Municipal governments can opt in or out of the sale of marijuana. But people who live in those communities can choose to put together ballot initiatives if they don’t like what their local government decided.
So far, hundreds of communities have decided to opt out of allowing businesses that sell recreational marijuana.
“I do caution local organizers to do some polling,” said Schneider. “Check in with their community, and try to get an idea of what their local voters would want before spending the time and money on doing a local initiative.”
Some of the communities with a marijuana ballot initiative include South Haven, Allen Park, Mount Pleasant, Walled Lake, Lincoln Park, and Northfield Township.
