Another 6 months: Village medical pot ban extended

The Milford Village Council voted on Monday, June 6 to approve an extension of the village’s moratorium on medical marijuana facilities for another six months, now spanning until November, in order for the Planning Commission to do more research.

The village originally extended its moratorium for six months back in November after first passing it last June. The moratorium forbids land use for growing and distributing medical marijuana or allowing schools to provide training on the cultivation, processing, and distribution.

Medical marijuana use was legalized for qualified patients following authorization by Michigan voters in the November 2008 general election, and went into effect on April 4, 2009.

Village Manager Arthur Shufflebarger previously said that conflicts between the state statute authorizing medical marijuana use and federal law are confusing.

This move comes after Milford Township Board of Trustees voted last month to extend the township’s moratorium on medical marijuana for another six months in order to develop land use regulations for such operations under the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act.

State law permits physician-approved use of marijuana by patients with debilitating medical conditions including cancer, glaucoma, AIDS, hepatitis C, multiple sclerosis, and other conditions as approved by the state Department of Community Health.