$113 billion is spent on marijuana every year in the U.S., and because of the federal prohibition *every* dollar of it goes straight into the hands of criminals. Far from preventing people from using marijuana, the prohibition instead creates zero legal supply amid massive and unrelenting demand. According to the ONDCP, at least sixty percent of Mexican drug cartel money comes from selling marijuana in the U.S., they protect this revenue by brutally torturing, murdering and dismembering countless innocent people. If we can STOP people using marijuana then we need to do so NOW, but if we can't then we need to legalize the production and sale of marijuana to adults with after-tax prices set too low for the cartels to match. One way or the other, we have to force the cartels out of the marijuana market and eliminate their highly lucrative marijuana incomes - no business can withstand the loss of sixty percent of its revenue! To date, the cartels have amassed more than 100,000 "foot soldiers" and operate in 230 U.S. cities, and Arizona police are now conceding that parts of their state are under cartel control. The longer the cartels are allowed to exploit the prohibition the more powerful they're going to get and the more our own personal security will be put in jeopardy.

Yeah, this looks like a huge problem in Manistee. You have double digit unemployment and weed dispensaries opening on every street corner. Never mind that the VOTERS passed it in EVERY county in the state. Boy GOP, you better change that law...........

Snide, Are you saying that it should stay illegal?

The war on drugs has always been a joke and always will be a joke. The gov. will never win. Snide, you talk about unemployment, don't most businesses need employees? So if 20 dispenseries open in Manistee, isn't it possible that it could produce a few jobs in the area? Maybe you should do a little research on how amazing it would be for our economy if marijuana was legalized and regulated. It would provide BILLIONS and BILLIONS of dollars in revenue every year instead of spending BILLIONS and BILLIONS to fight a war that OBVIOUSLY can't be won. Does anyone realize how fast our country would be out of debt from marijuana revenue? Does anyone realize that hemp is a diverse plant and the fibers can be used to make just about anything? How about the fact that we are killing off our forests to make paper. Hemp yeilds 10x more usable fibers per acre than trees. So why are we still killing our forests to make paper? I am going to stop ranting now. Please people, do some research on this subject before you go spouting off about how bad this is. I will take a stoner over drunk everyday. Drunks kill people, stoners kill Doritos and twinkies.

It's kind of funny they are worried about marijuana, when they don't do anything to stop the crack, coke, meth, etc, etc, etc.. What a joke.

Geez, maybe if some medical marijuana shops were to open half the storefronts on River Street wouldn't sit vacant as they do now.

I reviewed the state laws regarding this act, that was passed a couple of years ago by the people resoundingly. I then considered why a city government would need six months to draft laws consistent with these, and concluded that the Manistee City Council is probably more interested in getting their 'cut' of the money generated by this law, rather than plugging any gaps the state may have left open. Sounds like a big waste of time and the people's money, thought up after a bong hit or two.

I agree with some of you that in the future Manistee would have waterfront dispensary for the access of medical marijuana. Let get realistic marijuana isn't the problem its the other drugs that needs to be STOP like coke, meth, and anything that could do physical damage to the user I know that for a fact. This is going to be the future if we act now and we can be making a better and brighter future for our families and most of all the world.