MENOMINEE, Mich. (WLUC) – A Menominee Circuit Court judge has ruled in favor of the city of Menominee in a lawsuit over the number of licensed dispensaries in the city.

Judge Mary Barglind issued the ruling earlier this month, in a step toward resolving the city’s marijuana lawsuit saga.

In May 2023, Rize and the fire station sued the city, citing a “civil conspiracy” after the city amended its marijuana ordinance to allow more than two licensed dispensaries.

City of Menominee Mayor Casey Hoffman says it’s time to move forward with marijuana in Menominee.

“Personally, I voted against bringing marijuana to the city of Menominee,” Hoffman said. “But now that we’re here, we need to treat all of these companies fairly to avoid more litigation and more lawsuits.”

The attorney representing Rize, Mike Cox, confirmed by email that he would appeal Menominee Circuit Court Judge Barglind’s decision.

TV6 will keep you updated on that.

The decision follows the city’s years-long effort to clear up a series of lawsuits against the city by local cannabis dispensaries.

Another lawsuit may have been avoided as the city council voted last week against an amendment requiring cannabis dispensaries to be within 1,000 feet of residential homes. The vote was blocked by four to four and resolved by Hoffman.

He says if the amendment were passed, all dispensaries in the city would close.

“Right now, we have a lot of marijuana businesses in Menominee, and if we passed a zoning amendment of that nature, all the businesses would be out of compliance,” Hoffman said.

Last July, cannabis company Medfarms notified city officials of its intention to sue.

Following the vote, Medfarms project manager Shawn Dabish says the company will not file a lawsuit.

“In consideration of the Menominee City Council’s recent decision to maintain a free, open and competitive cannabis market, Medfarms is dismissing all pending lawsuits against the City of Menominee,” Dabish said.

TV6 reached out to council members who supported the amendment but was unable to get a response.

Menominee will receive $295,000 in state taxes for having five cannabis dispensaries open last year.

Copyright 2024 WLUC. All rights reserved.