Are recreational marijuana dispensaries coming to Plymouth?
Aug. 7, 2023 PLYMOUTH VOICE.
Plymouth Michigan News
OPINION
Guest Editorial
By: Ron Picard and Catherine Coburn
Plymouthites who think marijuana dispensaries won’t be coming to town anytime soon might want to take note of what happened at the July 4th Parade this year according to two hopeful city commission candidates who are worried that in a town gushing with excess multiple liquor licenses and streets lined with restaurants weed will not be outlawed for long.
During the Plymouth July 4th parade, we were dismayed to be approached by a woman gathering signatures to mandate the approval of marijuana dispensaries within the City of Plymouth. Plymouth residents have shown they do not want dispensaries in our city. The city regularly polls residents and there has never been support.
An out-of-area real estate agent has decided it’s worth the money to pay people to collect signatures, probably because, as we’ve discovered, the person behind the effort is reportedly a real estate broker affiliated with Cannabis Real Estate Consultants.
As the old saying goes, if you want to know what’s going on, follow the money.
This person has organized efforts in many other communities, being listed on political committees for marijuana efforts in Troy, Brighton, Keego Harbor and Rochester. There must be a lot of marijuana money to be made, because in 2022 the group spent over $46,000 (unsuccessfully) to force dispensaries on Brighton alone.
That group is using the same playbook in Plymouth. They begin by bringing in paid employees to collect signatures and get the question on the ballot. Next, they spend money—lots of money—to confuse people as to the request, its permanence and how it will affect our great city. Political consultants will tell you: if you spend enough money, you can get almost anything passed.
They don’t care if marijuana is a good fit for Plymouth. It’s not clear they’ve ever visited Plymouth. They only care about opening more and more dispensaries and making more and more money. They have an agenda and enough money to try and make it happen.
But their efforts go beyond simply allowing dispensaries. They also have second petition that would determine all rules, including where dispensaries can be located. We don’t want dispensaries at all, and certainly not downtown or by schools. Their proposal will say the city must treat dispensaries like every other retail store, including allowing drive-thru windows. They’ve really thought of everything.
We need to make sure out-of-town money is not going to rule Plymouth. We need to make sure we get out the vote and reject these proposals. We need to make sure the Cannabis Real Estate Consultants learn that we do not want or need their money to influence Plymouth.
The views and opinions expressed in this essay are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the PLYMOUTH VOICE.
Plymouth Voice.
