Marijuana dispensaries could finally open in Pontiac after voters passed a ballot proposal Tuesday night to allow 17 recreational marijuana retailers and set up the guidelines city officials have to follow when granting licenses to businesses.
Two recreational marijuana retail ordinances were on the ballot, one that was passed by the Pontiac City Council in April 2023 and one that was passed in October 2023, amending the April law. Both ordinances were challenged by competing ballot question committees, temporarily barring them from going into effect.
Since Proposal One passed 62% to 38%, the October ordinance will go into effect once the election is certified. After that, Pontiac City Clerk Garland Doyle has 30 days to set a 21-day window during which the city will accept license applications. The City Council must also approve a point-based scoring guide for applicants before that window opens.
“What the council will do is approve the adult-use cannabis scoring guide that the city clerk will use to evaluate applications,” said City Council President Pro-tem William Carrington.
City Council President Mike McGuinness said the clerk intends to act quickly and deliberately and he expects the 21-day application window to be before the end of 2024.
“This never-ending cycle of lawsuits or ballot proposals — it’s exhausting,” McGuinness said. “Pontiac residents are exhausted and just want the thing resolved and behind them, and that’s absolutely where City Council is at too.”
Pontiac residents first approved medical marijuana dispensaries six years ago but the city’s previous administration never granted any licenses.
Under the new ordinance’s guidelines, applicants with current and final conditional approval for medical marijuana provisioning center permits are favored. Additional points can be awarded for things like rehabilitating blighted buildings and philanthropic initiatives, including donations to a fund administered by the city and used to promote social equity.
The ordinance also covers several regulation issues ranging from application language to social equity ownership, criminal background checks, neighborhood education and communication and community improvement.
This article appeared in the Detroit News