There are more than 20 medical marijuana dispensaries in Lansing, all operating without licenses. The city doesn't have a licensing ordinance it can enforce.
"It's been getting very out of control, and it's time to act," Steve Japinga, of the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce said.
He sent a letter to the mayor and city council urging the city to issue a moratorium on any new dispensaries opening until it can draft a new ordinance to regulate the number and type of shops that can open.
"We want to make sure we have the right actors, the good actors performing," Japinga said. "It's important that we have the right regulations, the right standards, enforcement, safety for patients, access, and that's why we felt it was time for us to weigh in on this."
Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero could not be reached for comment by the time this piece was published.
Japinga says the proliferation of pot shops hurts Lansing's image.
"Every time that I go somewhere, folks are saying, 'This is getting out of control.' We're seeing them on our major corridors, Michigan Avenue, down Cedar, down MLK, you have north Larch, they're just popping up everywhere," he said.
Dennis Toth owns a South Lansing barber shop and rents the space next door to a dispensary.
"If they weren't there, the place would probably be empty. And I feel that way about all these dispensaries going up, they're taking up places that have been empty for years," Toth said.
He and a couple of other business owners in the area say the shops haven't affected business.
One party store owner on Cedar Street says medical marijuana dispensaries on the street have actually brought more customers to the area and into his store.
The Lansing City Council's Public Safety Committee will look at writing a new licensing ordinance for dispensaries on Friday at 3:30 p.m. The City Attorney's office will discuss options with the council.
