Lansing, Michigan’s City Council has set new rules for medical cannabis home-growing which require patients to register with the city if they continuously or intermittently use more than 3,500 kilowatt hours of electricity, the Lansing State Journal reports. It’s unclear whether those who register would need to pay a fee, but failure to register with the city could result in a civil infraction.
Mayor Virg Bernero said the city would be conducting inspections to ensure the new rules are being followed, noting that the ordinance was supported by several neighborhood groups.
“We know that it is legal under state law for medical marijuana patients and caregivers to grow marijuana in their home, but this activity must be done in a safe manner that does not create a nuisance or put their neighbors in harm’s way,” Bernero said in the report. “Protecting the quality of life in our neighborhoods is vitally important. With the new tools this ordinance provides, we can make sure that any hazards or neighborhood nuisances caused by home growing of marijuana can be addressed and resolved.”
T.J. Doyle, a registered patient and caregiver in the capital city, called the move “misguided” and an “overreach.”
“You don’t punish every single person in the program because you have a handful of people doing things poorly,” Doyle said. “The city didn’t have to get draconian with it.”
Officials indicated that the registration records would be maintained by the city and would be protected under both the general privacy exemption of the Freedom of Information Act and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
The ordinance was approved unanimously by the City Council.