State Supreme Court Ruling Lines Up With Utica Action on Medical Marijuana Dispensaries

It appears unlikely that a medical marijuana facility will be coming to Shelby Township or Utica.

On Friday, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled against dispensaries, saying that people who use medical marijuana must grow their own or get it from a state-licensed caregiver.

This falls in line with a moratorium that Utica placed on the pot shops in October while awaiting a decision from the state's high court.

City officials voted to extend a moratorium on issuing any certificates of occupancies for medical marijuana facilities until a court ruling on their legality was made.

Shelby Township has not addressed medical marijuana via moratorium or ordinance to date.

Friday's 4-1 Supreme Court decision is the most significant court ruling since voters approved marijuana for certain illnesses in 2008, according to The Associated Press. The state appeals court ruled dispensaries illegal in 2011, but many communities took a hands-off approach while waiting for the Supreme Court to make the ultimate decision.

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