Michigan Senate looks to move medical marijuana into pharmacies, licensed manufacturing facilities

[oscar169]

LANSING, MI -- Michigan's Republican-led Senate is considering a plan to create a new system for regulating and distributing medical marijuana.
Legislation introduced by Sen. Roger Kahn and co-sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville seeks to reclassify medical marijuana, license facilities to grow the drug and distribute it through authorized pharmacies.
The system, which would require federal approval before it could be implemented, would treat marijuana as a Schedule II drug, similar to OxyContin or Percocet.
"Marijuana, if it's to be medical marijuana, should be held to the standard of medical safety and of dosage predictability," said Kahn, R-Saginaw Township.
Senate Bill 660 would not replace or change Michigan's voter-approved medical marijuana law, according to Kahn, but it would create an independent "pharmaceutical-grade cannabis" registry.
Patients and caregivers certified to use or grow plants under current law could continue to do so, but those who want to be part of the pharmaceutical registry would have to surrender their old cards and would not be authorized to grow or distribute the drug.
The Senate Government Operations approved the measure in a 3-0 vote, sending it to the full Senate for consideration.
Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer, D-East Lansing, did not vote on the bill, indicating she was uncomfortable supporting a proposal contingent upon future approval from the federal government.
Richardville, R-Monroe, said he generally supports medical marijuana but does not think voters got what they bargained for when they approved the current law in 2008.
"There are people out there growing things irresponsibly and people getting sick because of it," he told reporters earlier Tuesday. "It's getting into school yards and school kids hands. I wouldn't call that a system. I would call that a problem."
Rick Thompson, a magazine publisher with the Michigan chapter of Americans For Safe Access, said allegations of tainted medical marijuana leading to sickness are "a smoke screen" for an attempt to undermine the patient-caregiver system that allows certified residents to grow their own.
"Cannabis never killed anyone in Michigan, and we've had the law for five years," Thompson said. "There's been no testing, but yet there have been no illnesses."
Under the newly-proposed system, the Michigan Department of Community Health would be tasked with licensing, registering and inspecting pharmaceutical-grade marijuana manufacturing facilities.
DCH could charge a "reasonable fee" for performing those functions, and would be required to create an online database listing licensed facilities.
Anyone wishing to manufacture, distribute, prescribe or dispense marijuana would have to obtain a license from the Michigan Board of Pharmacy, as already required for other controlled substances.
Former Republican state House Speaker Chuck Perricone, who now represents a company licensed to manufacture medical marijuana in Canada, testified in support of the bill and suggested the state should also tax the drug.
"The market for this is virtually untapped," Perricone said. "The potential for the product is tremendous."

 

[ttystikk]

Perricone just let the cat out of the bag; "GREED." So they're going to decriminalize it... for themselves, and the cops can go on merrily busting people just trying to grow for themselves?

Yeah, fuck you too, Michigan legislators!

 

[mgee]

I read through the proposed bill. Everything looks okay to me other than the INSANE amount of inspections, regulations, and records that must be kept by these PGC (Pharma-Grade Cannabis) facilities. That and the fact that this is an obvious precursor to the repeal of the MMMA if passed into law.

This is far from any law though - my lawyer claims that they have a LOT of work to do before this goes into action. The bill is also looking to reschedule cannabis to a schedule 2 controlled substance in the state of MI - This is where they will run into issues. The Feds are not going to like this, and it may end up being put on hold until the feds reschedule or until we get approval to go ahead with the rescheduling on a state level.

Big Pharma and the MI Gov are attempting to control the medical cannabis market. This passed the Senate Panel a few days back, and is now carrying into state Senate. Oppose, oppose, oppose!

 

[FiveAM]

I think this is the next step in the government taking this over and reaping the profits, so instead of just taxing things, they want the whole enchilada.

Better move as much as you, as fast as you can, the train is slowing down.

 

[ttystikk]

@FiveAM LOL at the list of stuff that will kill you... including Courtney Love... LOL

 

[Mr_GreenGenes]

Funny how they all thought MMJ was a joke and didn't help anybody...til they see they can make a killin off the shit. Man fuck the politicians...why the fuck are these assholes still in office anyway? The Gov. sounds like a whipped 1st grader who got his ass beat every fuckin recess...and his butthole buddy AG Schuette or Shitty or however ya spell it. I've said it before I'll say it again I will NOT smoke any meds from any Govt. sponsored pot farm. They can't run the damn govt. I damn sure don't want em in charge of peoples medication. I knew I shoulda gone to another fuckin state lol. MGG

 

[FiveAM]

They'll send the quality into the toilet, that's about the only thing I'm banking on.

@ttystikk yeah man, i saw that saying somewhere and thought about it and laughed

 

[oscar169]

@Mr_GreenGenes , I hear you on the Gov't pot farm, funny a year ago all the Law makers in MI where trying to shut down the MMMA now they want you to be able to walk into Fucking Wally World and buy the big Pharm Buddies weed,..........:finger::finger::finger::finger::finger::finger::finger::finger::finger: