Last week, we published our latest set of stories in our Closer Look series, in which our news team examined a topic that has taken several local communities by storm this year: medical marijuana.

Sparked by the passage of legislation last fall that permits the opening of dispensaries, commercial growing operations and other businesses related to the industry, some in the area see fertile ground — both literally and figuratively — for new medical marijuana facilities in southwest Michigan.

Among the leaders discussing the topic locally are those in Niles and Buchanan. Both cities have passed resolutions supporting the development of medical marijuana businesses within their limits, and are currently developing zoning ordinances to specify which kinds of establishments may operate and where they may (and may not) be located.

Once the laws are in place, prospective business owners will be able to apply for a license from the state to open beginning in December.

With the debate ablaze between those supporting these decisions and those opposed, our news team decided to dive deep into the issue, and sort out fact from fiction related to nearly every facet of the medical marijuana issue. We examined the new Michigan regulations in detail, the effects marijuana has on the body and the benefits that legalization has had in states like Washington and Colorado. We also put a local face to the issue, speaking with a Niles woman who uses cannabis for pain relief and with local business owners to ask how they felt about medical marijuana facilities possibly opening up soon in their neighborhoods.

We have given you facts. Now, here is our take on the situation.

We support the changes state leaders have made to medical marijuana laws.

For years since the passage of the ballot proposal that opened the way for marijuana use for medicinal purposes in 2008, the status of dispensaries and other medical marijuana businesses remained murky. While the state eventually ruled them unconstitutional, these businesses already opened and operated in many communities across the state, many with the blessing of local government.

Instead of fighting an uphill battle, state leaders were wise to go with the flow and put a system in place to regulate these establishments.

By placing the responsibility of zoning on local government, communities are in the driver’s seat when it comes to the issue. If locals see a profitable future by welcoming medical marijuana facilities into their backyards, great. If citizens feel they will tarnish their community’s reputation or lead to crime, they may keep the businesses out.

It is a win for everyone.

Either way, medical marijuana is not going away any time soon — there is a strong possibility that a proposal will be on the 2018 midterm ballot that will call for legalization of recreational marijuana use.

It is time we get ahead of this issue, and figure out smart ways to regulate medical marijuana rather than futile ways to stop citizens from profiting off it.

Opinions expressed are those of the editorial board consisting of General Manager Ambrosia Neldon and editors Scott Novak and Ted Yoakum.