The four communities seeking to prohibit recreational marijuana facilities went two and two in Tuesday’s elections while only one of the six communities voting to allow the facilities approved their proposal.
Voters in Lincoln Park approved an ordinance there allowing marijuana facilities. Voters in Northfield Township in Washtenaw County and Crystal Township in Montcalm County shot down proposals seeking to prohibit facilities.
But voters in Marenisco Township and South Haven voted to prohibit marijuana proposals in their communities.
And in Allen Park, Walled Lake, Keego Harbor, Hudson and Mount Pleasant, voters rejected proposals to allow marijuana facilities in their communities.
Mount Pleasant, though, does have an ordinance passed by officials regulating recreational marijuana facilities. The ballot proposal would have superseded that ordinance.
Tuesday’s elections were another less-than-good night for advocates who want to allow marijuana facilities in their communities when local officials may be prohibiting facilities or taking their time to pass an ordinance while the market gets going.
In August, voters in Vanderbilt and Highland Park rejected proposals allowing marijuana facilities despite supporting Proposal 1 of 2018, which legalized recreational pot. Crystal Lake voted to prohibit facilities.
Proposal 1 of 2018 provided a mechanism for voters to put forward a ballot proposal if officials chose not to allow facilities.
However, some have said these proposals may do better in the presidential election year and should include some education and door-to-door efforts to be successful.
This story was published by Gongwer News Service.