No recreational marijuana businesses will be allowed in the city of South Haven for at least six months following the adoption of a placeholder ordinance. The ordinance gives the Planning Commission six months to work out local regulations, and Mayor Scott Smith says they want a full study on the who, what, and where of weed businesses. He talked to our newsroom about what would have happened had the city council not hit the brakes on the issue Monday.
“We would have been, as a city, exposed because the state created this in such a way in that you’re in until you’re out, and we basically said we’re out at this point in time,” said Smith.
He added public input going forward will be an important part of the process in deciding if the city will allow recreational marijuana businesses. Voters in the city approved Proposal 1 to legalize marijuana for adults over the age of 21, but only by 97 votes. County-wide, the legalization of recreational weed passed by over 27-hundred votes in November.
