Last Tuesday, several dozen residents spoke at the Grand Rapids City Commission asking commissioners to put pause on the ongoing recreational and medical marijuana application process.
“The reason why we are making the stand is because we are standing against entities who are coming to get money from the community without investing in it.”
That’s Clifton Rhodes, Jr. – the pastor at Messiah Missionary Baptist Church, a church in the southeast side of Grand Rapids. And Rhodes assessment matches local data in that of the city’s 24 accepted medical marijuana applications, only five are locally owned.
“The City of GR, with our ordinance, did intend to see more local ownership and more ownership from people of color and it hasn’t given us those results and so because of that, we need to, I think evaluate the existing ordinance so that we can see the outcomes that we are looking for.”
That Commissioner Senita Lenear in favor of a moratorium, but Commissioner Jon O’Connor disagrees.
“I find it quite disingenuous as a matter of fact, that we’re not allowing at least a public hearing to happen to understand the consequences both for and against recreational cannabis in our community. And so the idea that we’re just going to put a moratorium in place without actually giving an opportunity for people to come here and address us with notice is reprehensible.”
In the end the moratorium wasn’t approved with only two commissioners voting for it and four voting against it.
Michelle Jokisch Polo, WGVU News.