BUTTE – Butte officials are ordering a medical marijuana provider to stop growing marijuana in the building that used to be the Greeley School claiming it violates local zoning rules.
“I think that they should let me do what I’ve been doing because I wasn’t bothering anyone, you know. People have jobs,” said provider Lacee Monique.
The operator of Kannatonic Medical Marijuana Shop said she let the state and police know she purchased to building earlier this year to use for her grow operation.
However, some residents in the Greeley neighborhood are upset because the original owner told them the former school would be converted into an apartment complex.
“We were lied to, this was going to be turned into something entirely different from what we were promised,” said long-time Greeley resident Danny McClafferty.
However, plans changed and some don’t like the current use of the building.
“Where this operation should be I don’t know, I don’t have the answer to that, but I don’t believe it should be in the old Greeley School where the kids are still here,” McClafferty said.
If the medical marijuana provider is, in fact, denied the variance to grow cannabis out of the former Greeley school Monique said she plans to fight the city’s decision in court.
“I’m not going anywhere, I don’t feel I’m in the wrong and I will do what it takes to keep my patient’s medication going,” Monique said.
She said she plans to fight the situation because she doesn’t believe she’s done anything wrong and growing medical marijuana out of this building does no harm to the community.
“I look at it as medication for my patients, others look at it as a bad situation and it’s not a bad situation, it’s helping people. I mean there are three bars in that neighborhood. There’s more chance getting hit by a drunk driver than anything happening at Greeley,” said Monique.
For now, the growth operation is stunted. A public hearing on whether or not to grant the variance will be held Thursday, Aug. 16th at 5:30 p.m. on the third floor of the Butte Courthouse.
