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Posted on Tue, Mar 29, 2011 : 4:42 p.m.

Medical marijuana dispensary license applicants begin camping in front of Ypsilanti City Hall

By Tom Perkins

Med_Marijuana_Camp_Out_2.jpgTravis Krakowski,left, along with one of his employees waits outside Ypsilanti City Hall on Tuesday. Krakowski is hoping to open a dispensary on West Cross Street. A representative from a group hoping to open a dispensary on Ecorse Road waited next to him.

Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com

Travis Krakowski wants the first shot at the sole medical marijuana dispensary license available on West Cross Street in Ypsilanti, and he and his family are willing to camp out five nights to be first in line.

The city clerk's office will begin receiving applications for new medical marijuana dispensary licenses on Friday, and is accepting them on a “first come, first served” basis. Whoever is first at City Hall with his or her application at 8 a.m. on April 1 will receive first consideration for the licenses.

Krakowski and his family members have been taking shifts waiting in line since Sunday night, and representatives from a group hoping to open a dispensary at 50 Ecorse Road put up a tent and joined the queue Monday.

Cross_Street_Dispensary_1_1.jpg

The site where Travis Krakowski hopes to open the Cross Street Services dispensary on West Cross Street.

Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com

By Tuesday evening, representatives from two other applicants had joined the line, including Adam Tasselmyer, who is hoping to open the Herbal Solutions dispensary at 124 W. Michigan Ave.

Submitting an application first is important because the city’s zoning ordinances prohibit dispensaries from operating within 500 feet of one another. That means only two dispensaries will be permitted downtown, one in Depot Town and one in the West Cross Street business district.

During council’s discussion on medical marijuana dispensary licensing procedures in February, several council members expressed concern over a “rock concert line” forming in front of City Hall. Krakowski, who was at that meeting, said he thought the idea was a joke. But he said he is locked into a $70,000 lease and has another $40,000 invested in his space. Braving the cold for five nights is worth the reward, he said.

“I’ve got a lot of money invested and this is what council said I had to do, so this is what I had to do,” Krakowski said.

City Planner Teresa Gillotti said no one at City Hall has instructed people to wait in line outside the building, but no one from the city or the police department has plans to remove those camping out.

Gillotti said Krakowski’s group arrived Sunday night when City Hall was closed, so staff made sure there was room for pedestrians to pass and there were no loitering issues on Monday morning.

A makeshift barricade was built around the group, and Krakowski said the police have been regularly checking on them to make sure there aren’t any issues.

Krakowski and his two sisters are hoping to open the Cross Street Services dispensary at 513 W. Cross. He said they have been working there since September and invested significantly in gutting and remodeling the space, but are aware of someone else who now wants to open a dispensary at 516 W. Cross.

Med_Marijuana_Camp_Out_3.jpg

Medical marijuana license applicants wait outside Ypsilanti City Hall on Tuesday afternoon.

Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com

Krakowski said he was concerned someone could slip in line ahead of him despite the time and money he’s poured into his operation. He feared losing his investment, which is partly his father’s retirement, if he didn’t wait outside.

“If we had to do it again, we probably wouldn’t have put so much money in until we got our license,” he said.

But, he added, “I wish they would have made an exception for people who have invested money.”

Krakowski said he already has a patient list and is ready to open as soon as he can get his license. There are also more improvements planned for the building’s exterior, but he said his family is holding off on any further investment until the business is operating.

Tasselmyer is trying open a dispensary in the one remaining spot downtown. Several other people had expressed interest in the location previously, and he said he heard Tuesday afternoon that another applicant was considering getting in line. He sat outside City Hall on a chair with only a jacket on Tuesday evening, and said he was preparing his employees to sit for shifts until Friday.

A person waiting inside a tent behind Krakowski said he was representing and holding a spot for a man hoping to open the Releaf dispensary at 50 Ecorse Road. He declined to comment any further on the operation.

The city’s licensing ordinance allowed the one current dispensary, 3rd Coast Compassion Center, located downtown at Hamilton and Pearl Streets, to submit an application uncontested within 30 days of the ordinance’s Feb. 15 approval. A 15-day appeal period in case the application was denied was built into the ordinance. On April 1, that 15-day appeal period expires, and new applicants can apply.

The applicant must meet all the criteria established by the city to receive approval for a license.

City Council approved the zoning ordinances in December.

Comments

treetowncartel

Thu, Mar 31, 2011 : 1:51 a.m.

Staying on topic, and in furtherance of the discussion, I offer up a link to the regulations regarding medical marijuana. <a href="http://www.state.mi.us/orr/emi/admincode.asp?AdminCode=Single&Admin_Num=33300101&Dpt=CH&RngHigh=" rel='nofollow'>http://www.state.mi.us/orr/emi/admincode.asp?AdminCode=Single&amp;Admin_Num=33300101&amp;Dpt=CH&amp;RngHigh=</a>

Are you serious?

Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 8:44 p.m.

This link was in the story when I read it. [ Hey Ann Arbor: Where's the best place to buy a sandwich?Vote now in BestOf ] How about a new poll? [ Hey man: Where's the best place to buy medical weed? Vote now in BestOf ]

treetowncartel

Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 4:41 p.m.

@ffej440, can you please assist me with a citation to the regulations from the Department of Community Health that cover a secondary caregiver? My pull from the free press was just adding to the discussion, not any sign of my position on the issue. Also, I am not opposed to MM, I actually think it should be decriminalized in general, or regulated like tobacco and alcohol.

treetowncartel

Thu, Mar 31, 2011 : 1:48 a.m.

@ ffej40, don't realy see it that way, but I agree to disagree. The balott proposal was written by people who diddn't think through the operational aspects. The MDCH wrote regulations that are inadequate to to deal with the situations arising. First example is the law and the regulations allow you to have pot if you are an MMJ patient, but they don;t reallysay anything about acquiring it. Anybody distributing Marijuana to more than 5 people who either hold a card or do not hold a card better pull the straight democratic party at the voting booth. John Ashcroft types would have a field day with what is going on right now.

ffej440

Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 9:15 p.m.

Since the law states &quot;Primary&quot; rather than &quot;Caregiver&quot; a secondary caregiver would be an assumed part of the law. Since not stated otherwise it's assumed that a secondary has the same rules as a primary as far as sales,possesion etc.. I think the law was written this way because any MM patient knows you can't depend on you or a caregiver to supply meds 100% of the time. Things happen but we are still ill and need meds. If CVS is closed go to Rite Aid

ffej440

Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 9:01 p.m.

Yes what Jo83 said. Just like a Primary doctor is not your only doctor. As written that is what the law states. As a MM patient I find Oakland County very heavy handed, Swat teams to arrest ill people etc.. Sorry if I came off too heavy myself

treetowncartel

Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 8:54 p.m.

@ joe, primary caregiver is defined in the rules authored by the MDCH, secondary care giver is no where in it. I agree ther law was poorly written, but the law does not contemplate dispenaries.

Jo83

Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 8:08 p.m.

@treetowncartel- when someone talks about &quot;primary caregiver&quot; on the states paperwork you list a primary caregiver for yourself if you chose not to grow for yourself. Well with that wording &quot;primary&quot; it is a grey area to some.. they see it as well it says primary so I am allowed more than 1 place to obtain my medication. If they state would say caregiver info instead of primary it would take out the right to use other sources to obtain meds, such as dispensaries or other patients. patient to patient transfers are legal. Hope that makes sense.. it is just another grey area of the michigan law.

ffej440

Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 3:28 p.m.

treetowncartel- Like yourself Oakland County doesn't understand the law. When you refer to the 12 plants and 5 cardholders, that applies to the PRIMARY Caregiver. A term clearly stated in the law. A dispensary functions as a Secondary Caregiver ie: My Primary is out of town, My plants died,My Primary is between crops etc... In addition to serving the patients needs they also purchase overage from other Primary Caregivers (Which keeps it off the streets) and supplies their inventory keeping costs down for the patient in need. Also note the police in the Oakland story, once again used fake ID to enter and purchase. Like other cases in Oakland these will be thrown out- Its called ENTRAPMENT.

treetowncartel

Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 3:49 a.m.

12 plants per patient, 5 cardholders per caregiver, not sure there is decent a rate of return including overhead on the Krakowski's investment, you are looking at about $22,000 per cardholder just to break even. Perhaps, I am missing something though. Here is an interesting set of events too. <a href="http://detnews.com/article/20110329/METRO/103290428/Judge-orders-trial-for-8-over-medical-pot-bust" rel='nofollow'>http://detnews.com/article/20110329/METRO/103290428/Judge-orders-trial-for-8-over-medical-pot-bust</a>

Emma

Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 1:33 a.m.

Ypsilanti should allow more dispensaries. This is the first time I've ever seen people lining up to open businesses here, people with money, fixing up buildings... wish someone would've had the forethought to re-gift the Thompson block as a dispensary zone. It's be torn down and re-built by now...

EyeHeartA2

Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 1:05 a.m.

"I've got a lot of money invested and this is what council said I had to do, so this is what I had to do," Krakowski said. &quot;If we had to do it again, we probably wouldn't have put so much money in until we got our license," he said. &quot; &quot;Krakowski said he was concerned someone could slip in line ahead of him despite the time and money he's poured into his operation.&quot; &quot;his family is holding off on any further investment until the business is operating. &quot; .....because it is all about providing care for the patents. (ahmmm)

Peter Jameson

Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 4:50 p.m.

What isn't about money in this world? Even love has the tendency to get mixed up with money from time to time.

glacialerratic

Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 12:56 a.m.

Maybe it's time to recognize the possible consequences of licensing medicinal marijuana clinics: <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2010/sep/02/local/la-me-0902-baca-pot-20100902" rel='nofollow'>http://articles.latimes.com/2010/sep/02/local/la-me-0902-baca-pot-20100902</a>

Jafo04

Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 6:31 p.m.

I completely agree with you, we should not have any medical marijuana clinics at all, they are wrong and will lead to no good. Instead… Make it completely legal to grown, own and use. This way our over worked police officers nationwide would not have to be bothered with dealing with busting adults who want to use this to ease their pain, or even adults who want to use it recreationally their time would be freed up to go after the real criminals and politicians who are fleecing America. No need to smuggle the drugs across the border, no need to put people in prison for owning or selling pot (Prison overcrowding problem eased). Of course there would need to have some restrictions put into place similar to drinking and driving. Also the money saved nationally for not having to enforce these laws could be used towards drug/alcohol abuse and awareness programs. -Jafo

Graz

Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 2:38 a.m.

We have had people killed and hurt by people robbing banks. Should we also recognize the possible consequences of having banks? Or gas stations? This is not really a good argument against MM dispensaries. If you want to take the criminal element out of marijuana, further legalization would do that. The repeal of prohibition of alcohol took the extreme profits out of bootlegging, thereby removing the violent criminal activity surrounding booze.

David Briegel

Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 12:29 a.m.

This is an obscenely ridiculous way of doing business. how about an RFP? Is Springsteen coming or something really important?