Silver Bay Council Endorses Moratorium On Cannabis Operations

Around 25 residents were present at this week’s Sil­ver Bay Council meeting to hear about and comment on the plan to institute a mor­atorium on cannabis opera­tions in the city. After com­ments from residents and a detailed discussion, the Council passed the morato­rium resolution which will be in effect until the end of this year. Two Harbors and Lake County have both ad­opted temporary cannabis moratoriums in their juris­dictions. The Council’s ac­tion on Monday night will give city officials time to study the rules that are be­ing developed at the State level by the Office of Can­nabis Management and make appropriate regula­tion and zoning decisions for Silver Bay.

Local resident Gregory Lien presented a well re­searched document to the Council and spoke to the is­sue. Lien has plans to start a cannabis growing operation and has applied for a can­nabis business license pre approval, as allowed for by State law. He is awaiting re­sults of a lottery to see if he will be granted a license pre approval.

In his document, Lien pointed out a number of important zoning restric­tions that are part of the State statutes that will reg­ulate cannabis businesses when they can legally open in 2025. Restrictions will limit the hours that a canna­bis dispensary can conduct business. They will allow local governments to pro­hibit a cannabis business to be located within 1000 feet of a school, 500 feet of a daycare or residential treatment facility and will prohibit such businesses from being located within a public park, play ground or athletic field. Cannabis con­sumption will be prohibited in public spaces, including public parks and in other ar­eas intended for public use.

There are numerous sci­entifically proven medicinal benefits associated with the use of cannabis and other cannabinoid products. Can­nabis provides pain relief for conditions like chronic pain, neuropathic pain and pain associated with can­cer. It is superior to opioid type drugs. It has anti-in­flammatory and anti-nausea properties and can be useful in treating arthritis and in­flammatory bowel disease. It is often used by cancer patients to help stimulate appetite, which is often sup­pressed by chemotherapy treatments. Cannabis is an effective treatment for anx­iety and sleep disorders and can reduce the frequency and severity of certain types of seizures associated with some types of epilepsy.

Some residents expressed concern over the sale of le­gal cannabis in Silver Bay. While such concerns are understandable, cannabis use carries no risk of fatal overdose. In addition to its many medicinal uses, it has a calming effect on users and is not associated with violent behavior. Compare this to the frequency of al­cohol use associated with gun violence, assault and domestic violence. All of these crimes are often com­mitted by someone who is under the influence of alco­hol. One third of all traffic deaths in the United States involve an alcohol-impaired driver. While it will be il­legal to operate a vehicle while under the influence of cannabis, there is some data that suggests that legal cannabis can have neutral or even a positive effect re­garding a reduction in alco­hol related traffic deaths as people substitute cannabis for alcohol.

As always, it is important for people to make the ef­fort to educate themselves on matters that impact the public. Mr. Lien’s research is available at City Hall and there are many reputa­ble online sources for folks who want to learn more.

Moving away from the moratorium issue, there were a number of residents who had questions about funding for various city projects and how funding is acquired and used. Gov­ernment grant funding is a somewhat complicated is­sue because different grants come from different agen­cies and the funding regu­lations differ depending on who is awarding what grant. There are no grants that will cover all of the costs of, say, the street or wastewater im­provement projects. In or­der to receive a grant, the city has to have money to contribute to the project and this is why, in some cases, residents whose property benefits from the improve­ments (like replacement of outdated lead lined pipes) are assessed a fee to help pay for part of work done that impacts their property.

In other business, the Council adopted a resolu­tion on the 2025 budget and an initial resolution setting the 2025 levy. Work to clar­ify levy amounts is ongoing and information pertaining to this is available on the city’s website. Proposed tax rates for 2025 currently are projected as follows.

For a house worth $150,000, the tax increase is projected to be $10.39. The tax increase at $200,000, is projected at $49.49. At $300,000, the increase is projected at $124.71 and a home valued at $400.000 will see an increase of around $293.00. A Truth In Taxation meeting has been scheduled for December 2nd at 7:00.

The next Silver Bay Coun­cil meeting is scheduled for October 7th at 7:00 PM.