Another Step Closer To Legal Pot Sales In Battle Creek

Battle Creek City Commissioners are voting to allow six different kinds of recreational marijuana businesses. The decision also includes agreement on locations and guidelines covering where the new businesses may locate within the city. The commissioner's vote overnight follows a 2018 election, when a majority of Battle Creek voters supported the legalization of recreational marijuana. Anyone who wants to start a recreational marijuana business in the Battle Creek must obtain a pre-qualification through the State of Michigan. That process includes a full background check of the applicant and anyone else involved. The state Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs website, shows the fee to apply at $6,000. WWMT reports the city expects to see initial applications being submitted within about a month. Application instruction booklets can be found on Michigan.gov. Michigan’s statewide opt-out deadline for municipalities to allow legalized pot sales is Nov. 1. Communities across the state have until then to either block legal sales, or opt-in to allow them and then develop local restrictions and regulations. The state Bureau of Marijuana Regulation reports well over 900 communities have opted out of allowing legal marijuana sales. Some communities plan to review the surrounding issues once they've had time to do more research on the impact of legal marijuana sales.