Monday evening, the Dowagiac Council hosted the first reading of a proposed ordinance that would ban recreational marijuana operations within city limits. During the reading, city leaders said the decision to opt out of recreational marijuana at this time came from a lack of clarity about the regulations from the state surrounding recreational marijuana.

We understand and respect the council’s support of the ordinance, and it was the same path that several nearby communities, such as Niles Township, have taken. However, we do hope that this is not the end of the recreational marijuana discussion in Dowagiac.

We hope that, like City Manager Kevin Anderson said Monday, the issue could be revisited once clear rules and regulations come from the state. We are not advocating that Dowagiac opt in for recreational marijuana when that time comes. Instead, we hope that the city council will leave itself open for a discussion to hear from citizens about what they want concerning recreational marijuana within the city. After all, Cass County voters passed the proposal to legalize recreational marijuana, and they should have a chance to voice their opinions about marijuana facilities in their home towns.

Outside of hearing from citizens, recreational marijuana has the potential to be a multi-million-dollar business in the state of Michigan. According to the Colorado Department of Revenue, the state of Colorado has received $993,170,982 in marijuana tax, license and fee revenue since 2014. According to the Michigan proposal, 30 percent of marijuana revenues would go to cities with marijuana businesses. If Michigan revenues grow at the same as Colorado’s, municipalities with marijuana businesses could receive $297,951,294 in five years. We would hate to see so much potential revenue go without so much as a discussion.

As Dowagiac’s proposed ordinance goes forward, we hope city leaders will keep an ear to the ground about what the state is doing and be open to revisiting the subject once state rules and regulations are finalized.

Opinions expressed are those of general manager Ambrosia Neldon, managing editor Sarah Culton and sports editor Scott Novak.