HOWELL, Mich. (WXYZ) — With 20 days until Election Day, a big issue on the ballot in Howell is causing a bit of a buzz. Residents will decide if they want to allow marijuana dispensaries to open within city limits.
Livingston County Sheriff Mike Murphy posted his take on the sheriff's office's Facebook page.
In the video, posted October 1st he stated, "How bout this? How bout you stock up a little bit when you go elsewhere and you have the 2.5 ounces in your house, so we don’t have to have a dispensary in Howell.”
Murphy said he was against the legalization of marijuana in Michigan in 2018, and he’s against allowing dispensaries to open in Howell now.
“I would just encourage you to really think about voting ‘no’ for this," he said in the video.
7 News Detroit spoke with Howell residents about what they’d like to see happen in their community.
Voter Ralph Walter said, “(The sheriff) doesn’t make decisions for me. I can make my own decisions, and I’ve already made the decision. Of course, I voted yes.”
He explained, “I’m definitely all in favor of having a couple dispensaries locally. It keeps money in town."
Grace Laque, another voter said, “My vote is going to be ‘no’. I think it’s a bad idea for the neighborhood.”
Francesco Scavo said, “Main Street Howell is a really family-friendly Main Street, and personally, I’d like it to stay that way. That’s why I moved here.”
He explained, "There's a lot of kids in Howell. There's a lot of young people. I feel like having one right downtown you might end up with kids, ya know, trying to convince adults to buy for them."
7 News Detroit spoke to the sheriff about his specific concerns.
Murphy said, “Marijuana and alcohol are most definitely gateway drugs. You never talk to a heroin user that said, 'Well, I shot up for the first time. I didn't do anything else prior to.' Right? Whether it was legalized medication or whether it was marijuana or alcohol, that's how people get started and become addicts. So, that's part of the reason."
"Around the country, all you have to do is look at places that's legalized this and have a bunch of dispensaries, the stuff that comes with this. Right? We just don't need that here," he said.
If it passes, Murphy said that will be the will of the people and he'll just have to deal with it.
Murphy said, "I can tell you that I've talked to a number of other police agencies that have dispensaries. Ya know, the smell is an issue. Not too much on the criminal element, but it's just what does your community represent and what do you want you community to look like? Frankly."
