Medical marijuana was on the agenda at Monday’s Edwardsburg Village Council meeting.
The council discussed its options regarding creating a medical marijuana ordinance in the village. Ultimately, the council elected to do nothing at this time, as they feel state laws are sufficiently covering Edwardsburg.
The discussion was prompted by repeated requests by Ohio resident Todd Levitt for the council to create an ordinance that would allow him to open a medical marijuana dispensary in the area.
“Medical marijuana is a big issue right now in the media and in neighboring municipalities,” said Village President Jacque Tighe.
Ontwa-Edwardsburg Chief of Police Doug Westrick and Cass County Commissioner Roseanne Marchetti attended a medical marijuana forum on Thursday, June 15, to help them better understand the issues that municipalities are facing when creating their own ordinances regarding medical marijuana.
Westrick is currently against the idea of creating an ordinance that would allow medical marijuana dispensaries in the area. Two things in particular that he learned at the forum informed his stance of the issue. The first point  was that property values tend to fall when a home is in close proximity to a dispensary, according to the forum.
The second was evidence he was presented with, which showed marijuana use can stunt brain growth in children.
“When it comes to this community, what we value most is our schools,” Westrick said. “Bringing marijuana into our area is not showing that we value our schools.
Westrick was not alone in his preference to keep dispensaries out of Edwardsburg. Much of the council was also against the idea.
Recycling and Refuse Program Administrator Terry Bidwell felt strongly about not bringing medical marijuana to the area.
“I’m a Vietnam veteran. I’ve seen what marijuana can do to somebody,” Bidwell said. “You will never convince me that [marijuana] does not lead to other problems. I don’t care what anyone will ever tell me.”
Currently, the Village of Edwardsburg has no ordinance relating to marijuana, though the council in the past has discussed creating an ordinance that would block any dispensaries in the area.
Tighe said she spoke with a lawyer for the village who advised her to take no action regarding a medical marijuana ordinance, as Michigan state law is currently sufficient to protect municipalities like Edwardsburg Village that want to keep dispensaries and operations out of their borders.
Though the council and other leaders in Edwardsburg would prefer to see medical marijuana stay out of the village, they realize that eventually, they may not be able to keep it out.
“It’s coming, and we might not be able to stop it in the future,” Westrick said. “But right now, it’s best to do nothing.”
In other business:
• The council approved new “summer hours,” which would change their hours of operations to 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The council will treat the summer hours as a trial run to see if the new hours will work for the community.
“We would better serve the public if we were here from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.,” said Street Administrator Dennis Peak.
• Village President Jacque Tighe is looking to step down from her position as president in the coming weeks. When Tighe turns in her resignation, the council will look to vote in current water commissioner Scott Mackling as village president. Tighe said she plans to remain on the council even after she steps down as president.