GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WZZM) - Grand Rapids now has a medical marijuana ordinance to regulate the way the drug is grown and distributed in the city.
"What we want to do is manage this," says city planning director Suzanne Schulz.
Under the ordinance passed Tuesday night, caregivers who grow marijuana must work from home as licensed home businesses.
They may not open storefront dispensaries like those that are allowed in California.
"Los Angeles County has more dispensaries than McDonald's or Starbucks," says Schulz.
The home businesses must also be at least 1,000 feet from the nearest school.
But, the commission deleted a section that said police, fire and building inspectors could enter a grower's home at any time without a warrant.
That was a big issue for the American Civil Liberties Union.
"Clearly one of the major concerns.'" says ACLU representative Tom Logan. "This warrantless search thing, that's a real no-no as far as we are concerned."
State law permits qualifying patients to use marijuana and allows care givers to grow the drug, but it doesn't specify how marijuana should be distributed.
Grand Rapids and other municipalities are adopting their own rules.
"Imposing more rules and limitations on the people that are already in the program helping each other is wrong," marijuana user Richard Julien told the commissioners.
"The day may come -- and maybe should come -- when marijuana is decriminalized," said Grand Rapids mayor George Heartwell. "Until that day comes, this feels to me like an approach that is a good balance."
The ordinance takes effect as soon as the process to license home businesses is worked out, but no later than July 1.
"This is our first stab at it," said Commissioner Rosalynn Bliss. "If there are problems we can always go back and make amendments. I think all of us are committed to making this the best we can."
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