WARREN, Mich. – A long legal battle in Warren over medical marijuana appears to be over after a judge awarded 15 dispensaries licenses to operate in the city.
There was a lot of controversy surrounding how those 15 dispensaries were chosen. Three of seven Warren City Council members were on a committee that reviewed and ranked applicants, that all took place behind closed doors.
"You had members make the score and vote on it with the majority to have the final decision," Travis Copenhaver with the Cannabis Legal Group said.
The process was so contentious a Macomb County judge had to place a temporary injunction. It was lifted Tuesday, paving the way for a final vote.
The top 15 businesses got the green light Tuesday, shutting out dozens of others.
"We knew it would be a competitive merit-based process, what we didn't know was the process wouldn't be fair. Almost predetermined," Mike Bahoura, who was denied a marijuana license, said.
Watch the video above for the full report.