DOUGLAS, Mich. — Recreational marijuana users will soon be able to buy at provisioning centers in Douglas after a unanimous city council vote to allow them.
City Council Member Jerry Donovan says the decision was made due to an overwhelmingly positive response from business leaders and community members.
Douglas currently has one medical marijuana provisioning center, Green Koi, located on Blue Star Highway near 130th avenue. With the ordinances passed, the shop's owners plan to apply for a recreational license with the state.
"There is a want and a need in this area," General Manager Marc Huffman said. "So, it was definitely a natural thing to choose this area."
This move will help overcome myths about marijuana, Donovan said.
"We all know throughout decades here in America it's been a hot-button topic, and we finally we have some regulation controlling it," he said. "So, it can go from street corners and back alleys to storefronts on Main Street."
Green Koi adding recreational sales would benefit the whole local economy, said Megan Scheerhorn, vice president of marketing at Saugatuck Brewing Company, which is just down the road.
"We are a town that survives on tourism, so anything that could bring in someone that maybe wouldn't have considered coming here before is really good for this entire area," Scheerhorn said.
Under the new rules, provisioning centers can't be within 2,250 square feet of one another, Donovan said. This will limit Douglas to two businesses due to the city's size.
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