South Haven voters will decide recreational marijuana question on November ballot

By Lindsay Moore

Jars of bud on display inside the newly renovated Lake Effect medical marijuana dispensary in Portage, Michigan on March 26, 2019.

SOUTH HAVEN, MI -- South Haven will ask city voters in November whether recreational marijuana businesses should be allowed in the community.

The decision from South Haven City Council at its Monday, Aug. 5, meeting came after city leaders received a petition from Concerned Citizens of South Haven asking city leaders ban such businesses.

The city was one of 600 communities that opted out of having recreational marijuana businesses, and that status remains. South Haven directed the city’s planning commission to study the issue and make recommendations of where such businesses might be located if the city were to change its position. The group bring the petition requested a permanent decision to opt out.

About 4.7 million Michigan residents live in a community with a ban in place, according to a recent MLive analysis. Municipalities are only able to ban businesses from opening within their bounds and are not legally able to prohibit marijuana consumption or possession.

State officials will start processing recreational marijuana business license applications Nov. 1, and anticipate some licenses could be issued that same month.

During its Monday, July 5, meeting the council decided to instead put the issue to voters in the upcoming Nov. 5 election. The language of the proposal, which will seek community input on whether recreational marijuana businesses will be allowed in South Haven, must be finalized by an Aug. 13 state deadline.

The proposal involves five different types of recreational marijuana facilities: facilities for growing, processing, safety compliance, transporters and provisioning centers. The proposal would not affect any medical marijuana provisional centers or grow facilities, which are regulated separately.

One resident spoke during the meeting and said recreational marijuana businesses will draw in more transient individuals and therefore cause an increase in crime and an elevated police presence will be necessary. 

Proponents who spoke at the meeting in favor of recreational businesses operating in South Haven said it would be a boost for the local economy and destigmatize marijuana use.

City Manager Brian Dissette said that while the potential economic impact of the decision has been discussed by city leaders, they do not have any estimates to share.