Residents press Mount Clemens leaders for transparency on medical‑marijuana licensing

Public commenters at the Mount Clemens City Commission meeting on Oct. 8 pressed the commission for more transparency in medical‑marijuana licensing and site selection, saying state rules and local promises require open information about who wins permits and where dispensaries will locate.

Thomas Barnes, listing his address as 291 Jones Street, told the commission he had questions “regarding our medical marijuana ordinances and the transparency of what is happening in our medical marijuana, licensing and regulations.” He said he read that the state requires open meetings about permits and asked why local processes did not appear to meet that standard.

Barnes said he had seen promises that a Gibraltar property would be developed with economic redevelopment on the city’s north end and said residents in that neighborhood were not being kept aware of plans. “Being somebody who works with kids,” Barnes said, “I have been awestruck at the fact that I just had to deal with a 12 year old child who was just expelled from our community school district for possessing a half ounce of marijuana that was not his.” He described concerns that local decisions about marijuana licensing could affect children and urged the commission to ensure open, deliberate review.

A second public commenter, who did not give a name, delivered a historical critique of the word “marijuana” and related federal policy, referencing early 20th‑century media coverage and the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act. The speaker framed some of the historical usage as racialized and called for greater attention to the language and context used in community discussions about cannabis.

Following public comment, one commissioner suggested forming a permanent committee to oversee medical‑marijuana matters and recommended the city consider “opting into the rec act” to collect additional revenue while emphasizing the need for cohesive, transparent operations.

The commission did not take a formal vote on policy changes at the meeting; commissioners said they would continue discussing Olsen Park and other items and would follow up on community concerns about licensing.