Constantine amends marijuana ordinance

Members of the Constantine Village Council agreed this week to amend a medical marijuana ordinance.

The matter dates to its Jan. 4 meeting, when village manager Mark Honeysett said there are two ordinances regulating medical marijuana in Constantine. Ordinance 238, which was adopted by the council in 2011 to regulate qualified patients or caregivers, as defined by the Michigan Marijuana Act, was the one being addressed.

MMA preceded the Medical Marijuana Facilities Licensing Act, permitting residents to grow marijuana if they are qualifying patients.

Ordinance 238 restricted the locations available for grow operations to the home of either a primary caregiver or qualifying patient or to a manufacturing district within the village.

It includes a 1,000-foot buffer between the manufacturer of marijuana and drug-free zones.

Honeysett said attorney Catherine Kaufman suggested the amendment to lift restrictions for the buffer between the manufacturing location and residences.