KALAMAZOO, MI — The only medical marijuana safety compliance facility in Southwest Michigan will be allowed to stay open while it seeks a state license.
Kalamazoo’s City Commission has yet to consider an ordinance allowing five types medical marijuana facilities legalized by the state. Monday, it passed an ordinance allowing The Spott Laboratory, located at 901 Riverview Dr., to remain open while a decision on other facilities is reached.
In the meantime, owner Linda Palmatier will seek a license with the state’s Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. The application period opened Dec. 15, and Palmatier is required to to apply for a license before Feb. 15, 2018.
If an ordinance was not adopted, the business would be required to cease and desist before making application to the state for a license. City Commissioners felt the move was necessary to protect public health while the application is processed.
Though Michigan legalized medical marijuana in 2008, the product wasn’t required to be be tested for contaminants or potency until new laws signed by Gov. Rick Snyder took effect this month. Started in 2014, The Spott tests samples of medicinal cannabis to make sure dispensaries, caregivers, and home growers are providing patients with a safe and properly dosed product.
It’s one of only a handful in the state, and the only lab in Southwest Michigan, Palmatier said. She said her business performs a vital function for medical marijuana cardholders in the area.
Palmatier called the ordinance a “godsend” for her business. Her goal is to run the best lab in the state.
Testing helps users and provisioning centers know the chemical compounds in each product; hundreds of distinct cannabinoids are good for treating different ailments.
Not all forms of medicinal marijuana will get you high.
There’s a difference between THC, a psychoactive substance released when cannabis is heated up, and CBD, which has more therapeutic benefits without leaving the user stoned.
Sophisticated machines separate the chemical compounds so analysts can tell the user what kind of effect to expect, and how strong the dose will be.
The Portage City Commission adopted a similar ordinance governing dispensaries, which was used as a model for the proposed Kalamazoo ordinance. Portage’s vote ensured that Lake Effect provisioning center can remain open.
Jevin Weyenberg, manager of Lake Effect, thanked the Kalamazoo City Commission for its proactive action Monday. Without The Spott, he would likely have to send his product all the way to Lansing or Ann Arbor to be tested.
There are limited resources for people using medical cannabis, Weyenberg said, and the only way to know if the product that some rely on to live is safe and correctly dosed is for it to be tested.
The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs issued Emergency Rules on Dec. 4 which addressed the ability of what would happen to existing medical marijuana facilities while waiting to obtaining a necessary state license.
State law requires municipalities to adopt an ordinance to permit medical marijuana facilities to operate within their jurisdictions. As part of emergency rules issued Dec. 4, communities contemplating an ordinance had only 10-days to adopt an ordinance that allows existing medical marijuana facilities to continue operations past Dec. 15.
Due to restrictions in Kalamazoo’s City Charter, it was literally impossible for the city to adopt an ordinance in time.
Kalamazoo is working on an ordinance that would allow medical marijuana facilities to open, but it probably won’t be ready for a vote until the first months of 2018.
credit:mlive.com