Drive-Through Pot Shops In Detroit Worry Duggan, Others

[bobandtorey]

With some medical-marijuana stores in Detroit now offering drive-through purchasing, the city's marketplace for medical pot has spiraled out of control and needs to be regulated, Mayor Mike Duggan said.

Dozens of dispensaries line 8 Mile and other major thoroughfares and a Free Press investigation found that at least three offer drive-through service.

With medical marijuana being dispensed in Detroit as casually as burgers and fries, the mayor senses urgency as the City Council prepares to debate next week how to regulate the proliferating industry. Duggan said he supports restrictive zoning that would govern where the dispensaries can be located in relation to schools, churches, adult entertainment establishments and neighborhoods.

Proponents of medical-pot sales said that regulations could bring tax revenue to the city and eliminate unscrupulous dispensaries that might sell to anyone who walks in. But they warned that wrong-headed regulations, including those that single out drive-through service as any different than drive-through lanes at ordinary drugstores, could chill a new industry that promises to bring jobs and tax dollars as part of Detroit's economic rebound.

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"We need to get an ordinance passed, because right now we have no ability to enforce anything," Duggan told reporters, after a memorial service commemorating the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. "I think we need to eliminate the drive-through aspect, which has now been added to some of these facilities."

The Free Press found three drive-through dispensaries, each in a former restaurant or bank that had drive-through lanes. The managers or owners of two of the dispensaries defended their drive-through windows, saying they are useful for people with disabilities that affect their mobility or other medical conditions.

The owner of the recently opened 420 Dank, located in a former coney island restaurant on Gratiot near the Detroit Police Department's Eastern District Offices, said she understands concerns about the mushrooming number of dispensaries in Detroit,  but she said it's unfair to single out those with drive-through windows.

"I know the mayor has concerns over drive-throughs, but there are patients who aren't mobile, who can't walk in and out of the store," said the owner of 420 Dank, Kim G., who asked that her last name not be used to protect her children's identity.

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For customers like Lisa Price, the dispensary provides convenience and safety. Price, 55, of Detroit, suffers from chronic back pain that she said has lead to two surgeries. She said she counts on 420 Dank for relief.

"As long as it's legal and you have a medical card, it shouldn't be a problem," she said. "It's better than trying to buy off the street."

Price said she supports getting rid of dispensaries that sell to those without medical marijuana cards, but it shouldn't come at the expense of people with legitimate medical needs.

Kisha Smith, a manager of Green River Meds, located in a former bank on Grand River near Telegraph on the city's west side, also said the drive-through at that facility serves a medical need. She cited several customers with skin conditions who use topical, cannabis-infused oils and lotions and often don't want to be seen inside the store.

A man at a third dispensary with a drive-through, Natural Selections on Grand River, located in a former Taco Bell in the city's Old Redford neighborhood, declined comment.

The dispute over drive-through dispensaries underscores the sensitivities of the debate over how to regulate medical marijuana shops in a city with dozens of them, two of which have attracted police attention because of shootings. Residents and city officials have complained that their neighborhoods are inundated with unregulated dispensaries, leading to worries about violence and illicit sales of the drug.

Councilman James Tate, who could introduce as early as Tuesday an ordinance he's been crafting for months with city lawyers and the police department, also said he believes drive-though dispensary windows shouldn't be allowed.

"Right now, I'm not in favor of it," he said, although the city's ordinance, if approved, could be amended later if dispensaries provide a compelling case.

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Buy Photo

The drive-through window of 420 Dank (Photo: Salwan Georges, Detroit Free Press)

 

Tate said said he wants an ordinance that allows for safe access to medical marijuana through legitimate, licensed facilities not located in clusters or near schools, churches, recreation centers or adult-entertainment facilities.

Councilman Scott Benson, who lives near the neon green and white painted 420 Dank, said he's concerned that the sheer number of dispensaries "calls into question their commitment to providing medical marijuana versus selling smoke-able marijuana for recreational use." He said he supports banning drive-through windows at dispensaries.

Despite the criticism of drive-through windows, Smith said she's been encouraged by what she's heard about the direction the ordinance is taking, and she doesn't consider it a crackdown on legitimate dispensaries. Smith said there are some dispensaries that may be selling to customers lacking state-user cards or be otherwise operating unscrupulously, or in poorly chosen locations.

"I think they should be spaced out and not around schools and things like that," Smith said. In contrast, at her business, "We try to do everything the right way. We want to work inside of all the laws and make sure everything's up to par," she said.

But Kim G. was less supportive of the city's efforts, saying strict limitations on dispensaries would hurt legitimate businesses that could be a lucrative source of tax revenue for the city.

Kim G. and Smith said both of there stores require customers to have a valid, state-issued medical marijuana card authorized by a doctor as well as a valid driver's license or state ID. Others are turned away.

"To me it's a business like anything else, and as long as it's operated legitimately, there shouldn't be any problem," Kim G said. "Why not embrace it and tax it? I think the city is missing out on a ton of revenue by stalling and stalling and stalling."

Having drive-through outlets is hardly different than allowing drive-through purchases of pharmaceutical drugs at conventional drugstores, said Richard Clement, top aide to Councilman George Cushingberry Jr. Only a motorist who can show identification and a state registry card for medical marijuana can drive up to make a purchase, said Clement, himself a card-carrying medical pot user.

Clement attended high school and college with the owner of Natural Selections, the drive-through dispensary on Detroit’s west side, he said.

If Detroit’s leaders pass an ordinance to regulate dispensaries, “we’ll see more tax money coming to the city, including from that drive-through,” Clements said. But he warned that some proposals for regulation are could kill the golden goose of Detroit’s medical-marijuana industry.

“If they put in there that they have to be 1,000 feet from a church, I think that would shut down about 90% of the dispensaries in Detroit” because the city is blanketed with houses of worship – none of which pays any property taxes, he said.

Michigan is one of only three states that allow medical marijuana but which don’t specifically allow dispensaries, said Karen O’Keefe, a native of Grosse Pointe Farms, now a spokeswoman for the nonprofit Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C.

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Because dispensaries in Michigan operate amid conflicting opinions about whether they are legal, they are not licensed, and so no one knows how many are open in Detroit, said Robin Schneider, legislative liaison for the National Patients Rights Association, a Michigan-based trade group of dispensary owners.

“If I had to guess, I’d say there’s between 80 and 100,” Scheider said. Dispensaries safeguard society as well as medical-pot users, she said, because instead of relying on street-corner dealers or trying haphazardly to grow their own cannabis, medical-marijuana users can visit a normal-looking retail shop.

“This ensures that patients are getting a clean, safe, tested product. It also ensures that the various types of medical marijuana are available, including the non-smokeable forms,” such as capsules, liquids and lotions, she said.

Adam MacDonald of Grosse Pointe Farms, owner of the Nature’s Alternatives dispensary on Detroit’s east side, said he favors regulations to shutter unscrupulous operators while freeing responsible owners from the fear of police raids.

His business and responsible operators “have consistently contributed to the community” by donations to civic groups and by paying for “neighborhood clean-ups, food drives and more,” MacDonald said.

 

http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2015/09/11/drive-through-pot-shops-detroit-worry-duggan-others/72081226/

[Willy]

maybe selling to customers lacking state-user cards or be otherwise operating unscrupulously, and a giant meteor "may"  hit the earth next week too!!!! 

Edited September 12, 2015 by Willy

[imiubu]

They should concentrate on solving real crime.

 

Oh, that would mean actually doing police work.

 

I am not going to debate the disp issue I only want

to say I think it is a good thing that the city gets these

buildings rented out

 

but,

 

I wish these idiots would not use such gawd awful colors and garish signage.

People looking for mmj do not need neon and brightly painted buildings to find your store... geesh.

[semicaregiver]

.....

I wish these idiots would not use such gawd awful colors and garish signage.

People looking for mmj do not need neon and brightly painted buildings to find your store... geesh.

 

Exactly!!!   There are several in our neighborhood that have simple signs that say nothing to suggest they are mmj shops yet people sure find them.   Seems like it is the strip club owner mentality that has shops opening with all sorts of wild signage.   

 

Forever there was always the guy who knows the guy and everyone would find him.   Yet now he needs a flashing neon sign and 15 ft high pot leaves.  

[trichcycler]

and just what types of people open up dispensaries today in our illegal climate, risking everything from patient disclosure, raided homes, stolen cash for profit ? maybe some are the titzy bar mentalities after all ?

 

 

 

"There's yer sign"

[trichcycler]

don't these dispensaries only check for a cards in the attempt to avoid selling to an officer? Otherwise why would they give two chits if you had a card or not....they're already breaking the law big time.

No self respecting caregiver would sell indiscriminately to the public or children or people without cards... but considering these places as prime suspects make sense to me.

I never heard of a drug house checking identification before, might be a new trend to avoid cops......

[t-pain]

lol, is all I can say...

[Willy]

don't these dispensaries only check for a cards in the attempt to avoid selling to an officer? Otherwise why would they give two chits if you had a card or not....they're already breaking the law big time.

 

No self respecting caregiver would sell indiscriminately to the public or children or people without cards... but considering these places as prime suspects make sense to me.

 

I never heard of a drug house checking identification before, might be a new trend to avoid cops......

Didn't work before what makes them think it will work now...?

[Kingdiamond]

They should concentrate on solving real crime.

 

Oh, that would mean actually doing police work.

 

I am not going to debate the disp issue I only want

to say I think it is a good thing that the city gets these

buildings rented out

 

but,

 

I wish these idiots would not use such gawd awful colors and garish signage.

People looking for mmj do not need neon and brightly painted buildings to find your store... geesh.

Yeah agreed that building looks straight out of Up in smoke .

[bobandtorey]

don't these dispensaries only check for a cards in the attempt to avoid selling to an officer? Otherwise why would they give two chits if you had a card or not....they're already breaking the law big time.

 

No self respecting caregiver would sell indiscriminately to the public or children or people without cards... but considering these places as prime suspects make sense to me.

 

I never heard of a drug house checking identification before, might be a new trend to avoid cops......

 

 

 

They're already breaking the law big time ? Sorry but why do you still think that ? I understand that many Caregivers our afraid of lousing pt to these shops but as  far as being illegal i would

 

have to disagree with Imo because if they where they would have not opened up and Leo would shut them down and some have been open from the start of 2009 and have the city's OK to do so and have never been raided now don't get me wrong i wouldn't open one up today but maybe tomorrow i'll see because i don't have one in my city yet 

[bobandtorey]

DETROIT — With some medical-marijuana stores in Detroit now offering drive-through purchasing, the city's marketplace for medical pot has spiraled out of control and needs to be regulated, Mayor Mike Duggan said.

Dozens of dispensaries line 8 Mile and other major thoroughfares in the city, and a Free Press investigation found that at least three offer drive-through service.

With medical marijuana being dispensed in Detroit as casually as burgers and fries, the mayor senses urgency as the City Council prepares to debate next week how to regulate the proliferating industry. Duggan said he supports restrictive zoning that would govern where the dispensaries can be located in relation to schools, churches, adult entertainment establishments and neighborhoods.

Proponents of medical-pot sales said that regulations could bring tax revenue to the city and eliminate unscrupulous dispensaries that might sell to anyone who walks in. But they warned that wrong-headed regulations, including those that single out drive-through service as any different than drive-through lanes at ordinary drugstores, could chill a new industry that promises to bring jobs and tax dollars as part of Detroit's economic rebound.

USA TODAY

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"We need to get an ordinance passed, because right now we have no ability to enforce anything," Duggan told reporters Friday. "I think we need to eliminate the drive-through aspect, which has now been added to some of these facilities."

The Free Press found three drive-through dispensaries, each in a former restaurant or bank that had drive-through lanes. The managers or owners of two of the dispensaries defended their drive-through windows, saying they are useful for people with disabilities that affect their mobility or other medical conditions.

The owner of the recently opened 420 Dank, located in a former restaurant near the Detroit Police Department's Eastern District Offices, said she understands concerns about the mushrooming number of dispensaries in Detroit, but she said it's unfair to single out those with drive-through windows.

 

"there are patients who aren't mobile, who can't walk in and out of the store," said the owner, Kim G., who asked that her last name not be used to protect her children's identity.

Read more here 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/09/12/drive-pot-shops-worry-officials-detroit/72156168/

[trichcycler]

They're already breaking the law big time ? Sorry but why do you still think that ? I understand that many Caregivers our afraid of lousing pt to these shops but as  far as being illegal i would

 

have to disagree with Imo because if they where they would have not opened up and Leo would shut them down and some have been open from the start of 2009 and have the city's OK to do so and have never been raided now don't get me wrong i wouldn't open one up today but maybe tomorrow i'll see because i don't have one in my city yet

I've learned that I can only sell to my five patients bob, the ones who carry a card with my name on it. I've heard of nobody that ahs gotten away with it except for thee big dollar fronts. This does in no way make them legal, after all, eve we are breaking a federal law right. There is much illegal activity in the goings on that police turn a blind eye too wouldn't you say? does that make the activity legal? ignored? specifically targeted maybe? prejudice against cg' selling to more than 5? why? sounds organized to me? how bout you ? does that make it legal? when money, pot, and cash is stolen without charges routinely bob? look through the trees man....the forest is getting clearer by the day.

[trichcycler]

Didn't work before what makes them think it will work now...?

seems it works for selected ones ? maybe everyone is trying to be selected?

[bobandtorey]

I've learned that I can only sell to my five patients bob, the ones who carry a card with my name on it. I've heard of nobody that ahs gotten away with it except for thee big dollar fronts. This does in no way make them legal, after all, eve we are breaking a federal law right. There is much illegal activity in the goings on that police turn a blind eye too wouldn't you say? does that make the activity legal? ignored? specifically targeted maybe? sounds organized to me?sounds organized to me? how bout you ? does that make it legal? when money, pot, and cash is stolen without charges routinely bob? look through the trees man....the forest is getting clearer by the day.

 

 

There is much illegal activity in the goings on that police turn a blind eye too wouldn't you say? Yes i agree 

 

 Does that make the activity legal? No

 

Sounds organized to me? I agree it does and confusing to many as Why Imo something is coming down the pipe that we/i do not know

 

 Prejudice against cg' selling to more than 5? Why? i don't understand why any Leo could arrest a pt or a cg when the store's can sell to as many pt's as they want 

[trichcycler]

have you heard every officer of the law since the beginning state that you can only sell to your five patients bob ?

farmers markets come to mind, remember the fiasco's?   5 patients, like it says in our law. maybe it means we can only grow for five but can sell to a hundred...?  yeah, right.....everyone would be burying money and there would be no need for a dispensary in the first place if that was the case right?  You don't understand?  tough chits the judge says, plea this. because some get away with crime is not a valid excuse for others to use to commit more crime me thinks.

 

does anyone know of anyone arrested for selling to patients not listed on their cards ?

court results?

Edited September 14, 2015 by grassmatch

[t-pain]

thought Duggan was going to fix the city, not waste his time with this b.s.

 

especially after Detroit voted to decriminalize

[Wild Bill]

"We need to get an ordinance passed, because right now we have no ability to enforce anything," Duggan told reporters Friday.

 

They're worried that they won't get their cut of the profits if they don't act soon.

[bobandtorey]

A new ordinance setting guidelines and fees for Detroit’s growing, unregulated medical marijuana marketplace is expected to be unveiled Tuesday.

The proposed rules come amid growing concerns about the proliferation of medical marijuana dispensaries throughout the city, including some with drive-through service.

The ordinance as drafted would prohibit drive-through access. It also would require existing shops to apply for a business license or be shut down.

Councilman James Tate’s office said he will introduce the ordinance at Tuesday’s council meeting at 10 a.m. at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center.

The roll-out of the proposed rules promises to set off a passionate debate over the future of dozens -- the exact number is unknown -- of medical marijuana shops in Detroit. After its introduction, the ordinance likely will be debated in future committee hearings.

Critics view the dispensaries as potential magnets for violence and other problems associated with drug dealing. Some advocates of medical-pot sales welcome regulations that could bring tax revenue to the city and eliminate unscrupulous dispensaries.  But they have warned that misguided regulations could stifle a new industry that could support Detroit’s economic rebound.

Tate’s ordinance would require operators to apply to Detroit’s Buildings, Safety Engineering and Environmental Department and pay an annual fee. The exact cost would be set later by city council.

Applicants would be subject to a police department background check and must not have a felony on their record in the last decade, nor any felony on their record related to drugs or assault.

Detroit police officers, under the ordinance, would be allowed to inspect the marijuana stores during regular business hours, “subject to constitutional restrictions on unreasonable searches and seizures,” reads a draft of the ordinance.

Dispensaries could only operate between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. under the ordinance.

Tate has said he wants an ordinance that allows for safe access to medical marijuana through legitimate, licensed facilities.

Michigan is one of only three states that allow medical marijuana but which don’t specifically allow dispensaries, according to Karen O’Keefe, a native of Grosse Pointe Farms, now a spokeswoman for the nonprofit Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C.

 

http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2015/09/14/proposed-law-detroit-pot-stores-bans-drive-throughs/72291198/

Edited September 15, 2015 by bobandtorey

[bobandtorey]

have you heard every officer of the law since the beginning state that you can only sell to your five patients bob ?

farmers markets come to mind, remember the fiasco's?   5 patients, like it says in our law. maybe it means we can only grow for five but can sell to a hundred...?  yeah, right.....everyone would be burying money and there would be no need for a dispensary in the first place if that was the case right?  You don't understand?  tough chits the judge says, plea this. because some get away with crime is not a valid excuse for others to use to commit more crime me thinks.

 

does anyone know of anyone arrested for selling to patients not listed on their cards ?

court results?

 

 

I do know of a few cases Clinical Relief , Blue Water, both got their case dismissed  but the C.O.A put them back in Court so we will wait and see if it happens again real soon me think

[trichcycler]

I recall The BW place was a large greenhouse growing lots of plants all together with access granted to employees to tend. Workers carrying automatic pistols on their hips, selling to passerby's with a card.

This may be a little different scenario than a cg growing for five patients with his card, and selling to 10 others me thinks

Edited September 15, 2015 by grassmatch

[bobandtorey]

I recall The BW place was a large greenhouse growing lots of plants all together with access granted to employees to tend. Workers carrying automatic pistols on their hips, selling to passerby's with a card.

This may be a little different scenario than a cg growing for five patients with his card, and selling to 10 others me thinks

 

 

Our you asking about the Lansing 7 case?

[bobandtorey]

DETROIT, MI -- City Council is considering an ordinance to regulate medical marijuana dispensaries, and a trade group for legal cannabis sales is supporting the push for more stringent oversight.

Councilman James Tate has been working on an ordinance that would require business licensing, prohibit drive-through service and force dispensaries to close between 8 p.m. and 10 a.m.

Several unregulated drive-through marijuana dispensaries in the city have drawn the ire of the mayor's office.

The proposed ordinance is likely to be debated in city council committee hearings in the coming weeks.

"Michigan businesses support strong regulations and a consistent framework for medical marijuana that will make sure all businesses play by the same set of rules and can compete on a level playing field," said Willie Rochon, secretary of the Michigan Cannabis Development Association, in a statement. 

"Detroit's effort to regulate medical marijuana shines a light on the fact that we need consistent, statewide regulations across Michigan that can provide certainty for patients and their caregivers, local businesses, law enforcement and local communities. Michigan needs strong regulations that put a priority on patient safety, product safety and public safety."

Michigan voters in 2008 approved marijuana use for chronic medical conditions including cancer, glaucoma, AIDS, hepatitis C, Crohn's disease, Alzheimer's disease and other debilitating ailments.

 

http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2015/09/marijuana_business_groups_supp_1.html