Alma to consider allowing the sale of Recreational Marijuana

The board approved a resolution by a 4-2 vote during last week’s meeting for City Manager Aeric Ripley, City Attorney Tony Constanzo and other staff members to begin developing an ordinance regarding the establishment of adult-use marijuana facilities in the city.

The Alma city commission is considering allowing the sale of recreational marijuana. The board approved a resolution by a 4-2 vote during last week’s meeting for City Manager Aeric Ripley, City Attorney Tony Constanzo and other staff members to begin developing an ordinance regarding the establishment of adult-use marijuana facilities in the city.

Commissioners Audra Stahl and Danny Wernick cast the dissenting votes without comment. Commission Nick Piccolo was absent.

Three years ago the city commission OK’d the sale of medical marijuana but opted out of the Michigan Regulation and Taxation Marijuana Act that would have allowed the sale of recreational marijuana.

At that time commissioners cited state laws “were vague” and wanted to wait until the regulations became more clear-cut.

However, since then recreational marijuana facilities have become more commonplace with businesses now operating in nearby Edmore, Mt. Pleasant Clare and Crystal, along with the recent opening of another just a mile east of the city limits in Arcada Township, Fire Island, Gratiot County’s first adult-use marijuana shop located in the former Crossroads Bar and Grill at the corner of Lincoln and State roads.

Alma city officials are using ordinances developed by Edmore and Clare as blueprints for creating their own rules.

In fact Costanzo told commissioners he was involved with the village of Edmore in the development of its ordinance.

“It’s not going to be a situation where you have to reinvent the wheel,” he said. “It’s not going to take long to come up with options.”

One thing that will have to be determined is “a competitive process” to decide which applicants would be awarded licenses.

When the city approved the sale of medical marijuana there were 19 applicants for the three available licenses.

The three selected were determined by a lottery.

Depending on the number of applicants and how many recreational marijuana licenses would be allowed, “a lottery would still be an option” for choosing the winners, Costanzo said.

The city will also have to come up with a list of criteria that each applicant must meet, he noted.

During the public comment period of the meeting, Alma attorney Zack Everitt, who along with other family members own the Fire Island recreational marijuana business in Arcada Township. told commissioners that under state law they have a “broad base of discretion” regarding how to set up the application process and deciding between which applicants should be awarded a license.

Everitt and his law partner, Nancy Gallagher, along with their spouses, also currently hold one of the city’s three medical marijuana licenses for ENZEE at 116 E. Superior St., but they have not yet opened that business.

At the present time the only medical marijuana facility that’s up and running in Alma is Consume Cannabis at 528 Warwick Drive.

The third license is held by Pure Lapear, which is planning on setting up shop in the former Pizza Hut restaurant on Wright Avenue.

In addition, two other firms have been granted licenses to operate medical marijuana provisioning centers in the city.

However, Ripley noted previously that none of those businesses may open unless the city approves the sale of recreational marijuana due to the “significant decline” in medical marijuana card holders, registered caregivers and sales since adult-use marijuana facilities became more prevalent.

No time table has been established regarding when a recreational marijuana ordinance may be available for commissioners to review.