The Dexter Village Council will take up the issue of how to regulate medical marijuana dispensaries in the village on Oct. 25.

The council had earlier put a moratorium on dispensaries and now must tackle its long-term policy. Monday night, council members agreed to put the issue on the agenda for Oct. 25, the council's next meeting.

Some council members have expressed interest in banning dispensaries altogether as Saline did earlier this year. Others have suggested regulation is the key.

Other area communities have also been struggling with how to regulate medical marijuana since Michigan residents voted in 2008 to allow use of medical marijuana in the state. Chelsea recently passed a moratorium on new dispensaries and is considering a zoning change to ban them all together. A regulating ordinance is making its way through the approval process in Ann Arbor. Ypsilanti also passed a moratorium on new dispensaries while it figure out how to regulate them, and Saline passed an outright ban based on federal law.

Community Development Manager Allison Bishop told the council Monday night the village needs to evaluate the level of risk it wants to assume.

"The law is so vague that there will be a lot of changes over the next six to 12 months," she said.

Council member Joe Semifero said that rather than prohibiting dispensaries and running the risk of litigation, "Let's make it restrictive and regulate it the way it impacts us the least."

Some council members voiced concerns that because Dexter is small, a dispensary will end up near a school even though dispensaries are not allowed within 500 feet of a school or library.

The Dexter Village Planning Commission has laid down its own list of regulations which include that the maximum number of dispensaries permitted in the Village of Dexter would be two, smoking and/or use of medical marijuana would be prohibited at the dispensary, growing or cultivation of medical marijuana would be prohibited, and that all activity related to the dispensary must be done indoors.