| Photo: NewsChannel 3 |
| Jeffrey Hagerman, Karl’s Korners: “We had opened up a dispensary in the back” |
A corner store in West Michigan, specializing in party items like beer and chips, was recently raided for also dispensing marijuana.
The son of the owner of Karl’s Korners in Oswego said he has a medical marijuana license, and so does his partner. But selling marijuana out of a party store is against both liquor laws and a local ordinance, reports WWMT NewsChannel 3.
“We had opened up a dispensary in the back,” said Jeffrey Hagerman.
Hagerman said they started up a compassion center in the back of the business, beyond he beer cooler and the snack counter.
“My partner and I both hard medical marijuana cards, performed patient-to-patient transactions,” Hagerman said.
| Photo: NewsChannel 3 |
| Gimme a six-pack, a quarter-ounce, and a bag of chips. |
Authorities put the kibosh on the budding business last week when they raided Karl’s Korners in the small Oswego neighborhood of Otsego and took the marijuana, along with rolling papers, storage jars, and just about anything else they thought might be “marijuana-related.”
It’s against liquor laws to sell marijuana and alcohol from the same location, and Otsego has an ordinance prohibiting such sales as well.
Of course, the news station was able to locate a few neighbors who were just horrified by this evil marijuana stuff, and they didn’t mind having some drama for the benefit of reporters. Some of the pot-fearing folks of Otsego told NewsChannel 3 that Karl’s is no longer a place where their kids stop in to buy candy. Hell, even some of the parents will no longer go there even to buy milk or bread.
“It’s nowhere I let my kids go near,” said Angie Gardner.
Gardner said that a few years ago Karl’s was a mom and pop shop where quick stops were frequent, but that was before the longtime owners sold the place. Now, some neighbors of the store want it shut down.
“It’s not a staple, not a place we want in the neighborhood,” Gardner claimed.
Hagerman reasonably said that if people don’t like his store, they shouldn’t go there. He said the rules stopping him from selling marijuana violate the spirit of what the voters of Michigan approved, and he said the marijuana dispensary was helping keep Karl’s a viable business.
“One of the things,” Hagerman said, “trying to bring business in, revitalize the neighborhood, help the store.”
Hagerman said he’s still trying to find out what consequences might be coming from the liquor commission or local authorities. My guess is that is alcohol license has a lifespan measured in hours at this point.