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Petition circulating to permit pot dispensaries in Grand Rapids

Voters in November may be asked to support medical marijuana dispensaries in Grand Rapids.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - There are no medical marijuana dispensaries in Grand Rapids. Patients who use the medicine say it means an hour drive to reach the closest legal outlet in Lansing.

Some Grand Rapids community leaders want to change that.

A group called Smart&SafeGR is circulating petitions. If they collect 10,000 signatures, a question on the November 2018 ballot will ask Grand Rapids voters if they want medical marijuana dispensaries in the city.

They are permitted under state law, but the Grand Rapids City Commission has not voted to approve the businesses.

“They just have not done anything,” says Smart&SafeGR committee member Michael Tuffelmire. “There are a lot of priorities in Grand Rapids and I don’t know if this has been a priority. We would like to take it to the voters to find out how the people of Grand Rapids feel about this.”

Home based “care givers” can provide medical marijuana to a specific number of patients in Grand Rapids, but dispensaries are not permitted. The petition campaign by Smart&SafeGR starts at noon Thursday, April 19, with a rally downtown at Calder Plaza.

“I believe there are a lot of people who are for this,” says Tuffelmire. “I have not seen a lot of anti-sentiment on this.”

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