Medical Marijuana Moratorium: Wyandotte, Mich. Officials Vote For Moratorium On Medical Pot Facilities

What Michigan Cities Are Doing To Restrict Medical Marijuana
File - In this March 28, 2011, file photo shows a marijuana plant, in Portland, Ore. Medical marijuana advocates have a message for Democratic leaders and federal prosecutors with an eye on political office: Dont mess with pot. Pushing back against the Obama administrations crackdown on state medical marijuana programs, one of the nations largest pro-pot groups is claiming credit for the defeat of a former federal prosecutor in the Democratic primary for Oregon attorney general. As interim U.S. attorney, Dwight Holton called Oregons medical marijuana law a train wreck and oversaw efforts to crack down on pot shops and marijuana gardens that claim to be operating under the state law. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
File - In this March 28, 2011, file photo shows a marijuana plant, in Portland, Ore. Medical marijuana advocates have a message for Democratic leaders and federal prosecutors with an eye on political office: Dont mess with pot. Pushing back against the Obama administrations crackdown on state medical marijuana programs, one of the nations largest pro-pot groups is claiming credit for the defeat of a former federal prosecutor in the Democratic primary for Oregon attorney general. As interim U.S. attorney, Dwight Holton called Oregons medical marijuana law a train wreck and oversaw efforts to crack down on pot shops and marijuana gardens that claim to be operating under the state law. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

The city of Wyandotte, Mich. wants to prevent medical marijuana facilities from setting up shop by refusing to issue them certificates of occupancy.

Wyandotte Patch reports that city officials voted unanimously Monday evening to enact a moratorium on the licensing of medical marijuana facilities until after the Michigan Court of Appeals makes a decision on the matter.

On Aug. 1, the State Court of Appeals struck down a Wyoming, Mich. ordinance prohibiting medical marijuana, arguing that a 2008 state law authorizing medical marijuana took precedence over the city's claims that the substance violated federal law.

City Engineer Mark Kowalewski, who proposed the Wyandotte moratorium, acknowledged that ruling in a letter to the city's mayor and city council. But he still urged them to pass the measure.

"There is also another case scheduled to go before another panel of the Michigan Court of Appeals on this issue," he said in the letter.

"It is my recommendation that a moratorium be adopted concerning any application for a certificate of occupancy for a medical marijuana facility until further clarification on the law may be received 'and to allow the city to consider the necessity of licensing and making amendments to the zoning ordinance concerning locations of the facilities,”

The city of Wyandotte is not the only Michigan city to engage in this tactic. On Aug. 8, Macomb Township's Board of Trustees put in place a 120-day moratorium on possessing or using medical marijuana in order to give the township time to consider its legal options for zoning vendors, according to C&G News.

“There’s a moratorium on it so that we can’t consider (potential medical-marijuana vendors) while the thing’s being written.” Macomb Township Clerk Michael Koehs told C&G. “We don’t want anybody running in here and doing something before we get a chance to do anything.”

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