This time it’s Benton Harbor.
Thursday was the second public meeting in Benton Harbor about medical marijuana licensing.
In Michigan, cities, townships and villages must choose to opt-in to the Marijuana Facilities Licensing Act, and Benton Harbor is now one step closer to joining in.
There is growth in Benton Harbor, but not the economic kind some are hoping for.
“We’re in trouble. We’re in trouble in providing the citizens with a lot of things that we were hoping to give them with filling potholes, doing some type of development, doing more things for the children in the community,” said Benton Harbor Commissioner Mary Alice Adams.
Adams says medical marijuana could help turn the community around.
Thursday, commissioners held their second public meeting about the option to join an idea that is spreading in Michigan, drafting ordinances that would allow for medical marijuana facilities.
People talked about the benefits licensing could bring to patients in Benton Harbor, but what it comes down to isn’t the green in the plants, it’s the green in the money. Adams says medical marijuana could bring tax dollars Benton Harbor needs.
“It’s about money. It’s about money and generating some jobs, more training. It has to come from somewhere,” Adams said.
Attorney Craig Aronoff says each facility can bring 10 or more full-time jobs, and opting-in lets cities benefit from the new tax fund.
Only local governments that change their laws will benefit from the marijuana tax dollars generated across the state.
“Once they opt in, what they’re doing is they are advancing what is already the law under Michigan law,” Aronoff said.
Adams is hoping Benton Harbor won’t be left behind.
“Hopefully we’ll be opting in and taking our time and looking at things, but we don’t want to just say no and bypass and be left out and watching other communities around us flourish while we’re still this black hole steadily sinking,” Aronoff said.
Adams says she will now begin working on a resolution to officially opt-in.
If the resolution is passed, the city will begin work on ordinances to create specifics on how they want to implement the program.
Adams says she is not discouraged by the low-turnout at the public meetings because she has been talking with the community in other ways.
credit:wsbt.com
