State appeals court keeps local marijuana dispensary question on the ballot in Howell

A local proposal to allow for cannabis dispensaries in the city of Howell will remain on the ballot. That’s under a new Michigan Court of Appeals decision that rejected attempts from the Howell city clerk to withdraw her consent for the question to go before voters.

The ballot measure proposes changing the city’s charter to “establish an application process, selection criteria, licenses, fees, and regulations for two adult-use retail cannabis establishments in the City.”

The Howell city clerk originally gave her approval for county election officials to place the proposal on the ballot. But questions arose over whether the charter amendment would go beyond what the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marihuana Act — the law that provided for recreational-use cannabis — allows, as far as overriding local ordinances.

After a separate Court of Appeals ruling found a similar ballot measure in Farmington didn’t belong on the ballot since it went beyond a narrow scope of ballot initiatives allowed under the state law, the Howell city clerk tried to backtrack.



https://www.michiganpublic.org/politics-government/2024-09-23/state-appeals-court-keeps-local-marijuana-dispensary-question-on-the-ballot-in-howell