Detroit failed once more to follow through on a promised recreational cannabis ordinance that would allow entrepreneurs to launch adult-use businesses, this time delaying a City Council vote on the proposal.
The delayed vote – now scheduled for April 5 – is the latest in a nearly two-yearlong wait for hopeful Detroit marijuana businesses, and it’s still unclear when the new market might launch, the Detroit Free Press reported.
A legal adult-use market in Detroit was initially approved by the City Council in November 2020. But it was then thrown into uncertainty in early 2021, when residency requirements for business licensing were challenged in court.
The lawsuit eventually led to a judge tossing the residency mandate as “likely unconstitutional,” which meant the City Council had to start over on a creating an adult-use business ordinance. That process began last month.
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Now, the City Council is poised to sign off on 100 retail permits – an increase from the suggested total of 76 – and a lottery process to award the licenses.
Under the current plan, half the retail and cultivation permits available will be reserved for social equity applicants, the Free Press reported.
