MENOMINEE, Mich. (WLUK) — The battle over marijuana dispensary licenses in Menominee, Michigan, is getting more complicated.

It’s been two months since 78% of residents voted to cap the number of marijuana dispensaries in the city at nine. With eight currently open, a court battle to get a ninth license is becoming more crowded.

“Adding more parties, while I have no principal objection, I do wish that since we’re all here today as a group, if we could discuss timing and obviously urgency, because my client has been ready to open since July, and we’ve been trying to mediate, quite frankly, since your order came out in October,” Puff Cannabis Attorney Jennifer Green said Thursday.

The order Green is talking about is when Judge Mary Barglind ruled Menominee must maintain status quo and not issue any additional dispensary licenses. Puff is suing the city for at least $20 million, claiming it has been ready to open for months and should have been issued a license by now.

On Thursday afternoon, Barglind allowed Highwire Farms and JGB Holdings to join the lawsuit. They are also vying for a license.

“Obviously, the more parties, the more complicated the cases get, but I can’t change the situation,” said Barglind.

Last week, a fourth entity filed its own lawsuit. Per 1 states it should have a license and alleges it’s invested $3.5 million to be open and has suffered at least $31.5 million in lost revenue.

“What we’re going to see happen is a legal bloodbath in the Menominee 41st Circuit Court,” said Menominee Mayor Casey Hoffman.

Hoffman believes there’s no end in sight to the legal fight. He wants to reintroduce a competitive process, requiring the dispensaries to campaign to the city council as to why they deserve the city’s ninth license.

“The results of that competitive process would then be submitted to the 41st Circuit Court in order to formally represent the people’s voice at the mediation,” said Hoffman, who notes he’d like to amend the competitive process to penalize any dispensary opening near a childcare facility, church or school.

Barglind ordered the parties in Puff’s lawsuit to complete facilitated mediation within the next 45 days. If that doesn’t resolve the situation, the issue would continue toward a trial.

Hoffman has said five dispensaries were trying to open before residents voted for the cap. He would like to issue a license to each and get down to nine through attrition.

Some city council members have said they’d like to maintain the will of the people and stay at nine.