Warren mayor seeks to restrict homegrown pot operations
Warren — Mayor Jim Fouts on Wednesday announced an ordinance proposal regulating medical marijuana operations after a home exploded last week during a grow operation.
“Right now, the growth of marijuana is out of control with plants growing unrestrained in homes,” Fouts said. “My proposal puts restrictions on the growth to protect the public health and safety of our neighborhoods.”
Fouts is asking the City Council to adopt the ordinance at its Oct. 13 meeting, according to a statement released Wednesday by the mayor.
The proposal comes after a house explosion last week was linked to a marijuana grow operation, Fouts said.
City fire officials determined the explosion on Harold Avenue was caused by a marijuana processor using flammable butane to manufacture the drug, Fouts said. The powerful blast leveled the home and caused a freezer door to fly 35 feet through the rear of the house.
No one was injured in the explosion, but marijuana remains “a clear and present danger anywhere,” Fouts said, adding he began crafting the ordinance before the home explosion.
New provisions in the ordinance include restricting growing operations and storage to manufacturing districts and property occupied by a qualified patient, requiring shields to block artificial lighting used overnight, and prohibiting patients or caregivers from distributing, transferring or selling medical marijuana to other people from the patient’s property.
Other provisions require any product transported in a vehicle to be stored in a locked case and for growers to install filtration and exhaust systems, Fouts said.
“I was contacted by residents who said marijuana-growing homes in Warren were causing offensive odors and heavy traffic in their neighborhoods,” Fouts said in the statement.
Under the ordinance, residents who want to grow marijuana would have to register and submit a plan to the city’s Building and Safety Inspections Division, Fouts said. The submissions would include plans for energy use and heat levels in the grow room.
Those who fail to register will face a possible misdemeanor of up to 90 days in jail and/or a $500 fine, Fouts said.
“We mean business with this ordinance,” Fouts said. “It’s a zero tolerance matter because it affects the quality of life of our residents.”
Fouts said he hopes state legislators use his proposal as a “guide” for future state laws.
“State officials dropped the ball on the growth of medical marijuana,” he said. “Unfortunately, the problem is growing because, instead of pot for patients, it is becoming pot for profit.”
HFournier@detroitnews.com
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