The War on Medical Marijuana in MI Super Thread, NEWS,BUST,LAWS <<<<Updated Often>>>>

[Bill Murry]

If that was a average joe they would be going to prison for 2-5 minimum

Left out seize his property, freeze his bank accounts, shoot his dogs, ect.........

 

[john martin]

...Michigan Senate OKs bill prohibiting growing, smoking medical marijuana at rental properties...

I thought this was already the case? Landlords already had permission to decide this, does this just make it more 'official'?

 

[LittleDabbie]

I thought this was already the case? Landlords already had permission to decide this, does this just make it more 'official'?

I would guess this protects lanlords from lawsuits in the form of discrimination ? I dunno..

 

[LittleDabbie]

Police: Birmingham teen gave teacher marijuana-laced cookie

Birmingham police say it appears an 18-year-old student at Seaholm High School on Wednesday gave his teacher a cookie laced with marijuana.

"That's what we're looking into," Police Chief Don Studt said, adding a toxicology lab was given a sample of the teacher's blood to test for marijuana.

School officials are not identifying the student, nor are they commenting on the specific allegations — other than to say an isolated incident of food tampering was reported.

The teacher became ill shortly after eating the cookie and was taken to Royal Oak Beaumont Hospital by a family member. He was released from the hospital a short time later and is currently home recuperating.

"The Birmingham Police are currently investigating the issue and action has been taken on the school's part," Seaholm Principal Rachel M. Guinn wrote in an e-mail blast sent out Friday. "The school will continue our own investigation in conjunction with law enforcement individuals.

"I want to reassure you that our Seaholm students are outstanding young men and women," Guinn continued. "I see evidence of that every time I walk the halls or visit a classroom. The actions of one individual, while troubling, do not represent our wonderful school."

Nobody at the school is saying how it was determined the cookie might contain marijuana. Police are waiting for a toxicology report before filing charges.

http://www.freep.com/story/news/loc...gave-teacher-marijuana-laced-cookie/24515995/

 

[john martin]

Hmm ... made her ill?

 

[john martin]

This is huge!

Re: Johnnie Randall case:

The ruling was 'unpublished', but ruled that only dry, usable material could count against the weight:
http://cases.justia.com/michigan/court-of-appeals-unpublished/2015-318740.pdf?ts=1421319642

Well, the prosecutor(s) tried to overturn the ruling and shot themselves in the feet by the looks of it:
http://courts.mi.gov/opinions_order...pe=1&CaseNumber=318740&CourtType_CaseNumber=2

"03/06/2015
43
Order: Reconsideration - Deny - Appeal Remains Closed"
http://publicdocs.courts.mi.gov:81/coa/public/orders/2015/318740(43)_order.pdf
Summary:
"Therefore, the drying plant material was in connection with the medical use or cultivation of marijuana and should not preclude a Section 4 defense. To hold otherwise wo uld result in no caregiver from practically ever being able to claim a Section 4 defense because, given the long times needed to dry plant materials, there likely always would be materials from various plants in drying"

"03/10/2015
44
Submitted on Publication Docket
Event 34 Publication Request
District L"

God bless this judge!

 

[Delerium]

Nice

 

[Bill Murry]

http://www.metrotimes.com/Blogs/archives/2015/03/12/lawsuit-officers-in-detroit-police-departments-now-defunct-narcotics-unit-executed-illegal-search-based-on-false-affidavit?&utm_content=16526556&utm_medium=email&utm_source=hs_email

Lawsuit: Officers in Detroit police department's now-defunct narcotics unit executed illegal search based on false affidavit
Posted By Ryan Felton on Thu, Mar 12, 2015 at 11:14 am

• Wikipedia​

Detroit police officers in the city's now-defunct narcotics unit wrongly detained a Detroit resident after illegally searching his home with a warrant based on false statements, according to a lawsuit filed in Wayne County Circuit Court.

Anthony and Elaine McCallum say two officers executed a search warrant in 2013 on their home that was based on false statements given by a Detroit law enforcement official in a sworn affidavit, according to the complaint. The officers physically assaulted Anthony and threatened Elaine "for no reason," the complaint, filed in November, stated.

As a result of the April 2013 search, Anthony McCallum was charged with intent to deliver and manufacture marijuana, intent to deliver and manufacture less than 50 grams of cocaine, firearms possession by a felon, and felony firearms, court records show — but all charges were eventually dismissed. McCallum was convicted in 1997 of assault with intent to commit sexual penetration, according to the Michigan State Police sex offender registry.

The McCallums filed their seven-page complaint against two officers who conducted the search of their home, Sgt. Stephen Geelhood and "Officer Blue," who have been with the Detroit Police Department since 1994 and 1997, respectively, according to court records. In briefs filed by the McCallums attorney, Geelhood and Blue are identified as "undercover" officers in the city's "now disbanded narcotics unit." (The city later identified Blue in an email to MT as Officer Abraham Blue.)

Upon entering the couple's home, the officers assaulted Anthony McCallum, handcuffed and arrested the 47-year-old "without probable cause," and wrongfully pursued prosecution, according to the complaint. It's unclear if more officers were involved in the search.

"Defendants wrongfully pursued prosecution of Plaintiff based on their own wrongful conduct," the complaint alleges.

Thomas Kuhn, co-counsel representing the McCallums, declined comment. Detroit police said Geelhood and Blue remain employed with the department, but declined to comment on the pending litigation.

How Detroit police officers went about getting the search warrant was apparently the chief reason Anthony McCallum's charges were dropped almost instantaneously, court records show.

Here's what happened: Police obtained the warrant based on an affidavit signed by Officer Amy Matelic, according to a court transcript from an Aug. 8, 2013 hearing on the charges brought against Anthony McCallum, who initially plead not guilty on each count. In the sworn affidavit, Matelic stated she received a tip from a confidential informant that cocaine was being sold and stored within McCallum's home. The informant provided tips in the past that led to arrests and generated cases in 3rd Circuit Court and 36th District Court, according to the transcript.

The problem? According to the transcript, Matelic had no direct conversation with the informant or personal knowledge of the tip; another officer, Gil Hood, actually received it. But, for unclear reasons, Hood didn't sign the affidavit.

"So the affidavit I mean really just cannot be described as anything other than false in that respect," said Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Michael Hathaway, during the 2013 hearing.

The only thing "honestly averred in the affidavit," Hathaway said, is that Matelic and Hood conducted surveillance of McCallum's property. "That in and of itself does not provide probable cause for the warrant," Hathaway said.

In his parting words, Hathaway offered this to Anthony McCallum: "You have dodged a bullet. It is highly unlikely that this will ever happen again. And I strongly urge you to clean up your act."

The case and charges against McCallum were dismissed following the hearing in Hathaway's courtroom.

Peter Henning, a Wayne State University law professor and former federal prosecutor, said the key to affidavits is the veracity of the informant.

"You have to establish the credibility of the tipster and or corroborate what was provided," Henning told MT on Wednesday. "So I expect the affidavit wasn't just, 'Hey, I got a tip' — but it was, 'Hey, I got a tip from someone I know and here's what I know.'"

Officer Matelic's decision to sign the affidavit, when she had no personal knowledge of the tip, was "either sloppy practices or it shows the path of least resistance figuring no one would ever notice," Henning said.

"Get your affidavit blown — that would blown the warrant," he said. "It's not like they said, 'Oh, let's let a bad guy go' ... it did not meet the valid, constitutional requirements for a warrant."

The McCallums lawsuit, which also names the city of Detroit as a defendant, seeks compensatory damages in excess of $25,000 and attorney fees. A motion hearing is scheduled March 20 before Judge Annette Berry in Wayne County Circuit Court.

Detroit's narcotics unit was disbanded last summer by Detroit Police Chief James Craig. Since August, it has reportedly been been the focus of an FBI probe. (David Porter, special agent in the FBI's Detroit bureau declined comment Thursday.)

Last month, it was also at the center of a separate lawsuit filed by a Warren couple. The couple, Timothy and Hatema Davis, allege officers forcibly entered their home in December 2013with assault rifles drawn, demanded to know if they had any money, and seized nearly fifty marijuana plants, according to the complaint.

Timothy Davis — who said he was then taken to a seemingly abandoned building and questioned for five hours — was legally licensed to operate a marijuana grow facility, the complaint says.

The Davises say in the complaint the Detroit officers who conducted the raid never presented a search warrant.

The couple was handcuffed while officers "extensively tore apart Plaintiffs' property and removed ... nearly fifty marijuana plants and other related legitimate and lawful by-products of Plaintiffs' business," the complaint says.

The Davises were eventually released and never charged with any violations. The case remains pending.​

 

[oscar169]

Michigan marijuana legalization advocates confirm plans for 2016 ballot proposal

LANSING, MI -- Michigan marijuana advocates have confirmed plans to launch a petition drive later this year and hope to put a legalization proposal on the statewide ballot in 2016.

As MLive first reported last month, the Michigan Comprehensive Cannabis Law Reform Initiative Committee is one of two marijuana-related groups eyeing the 2016 ballot.

Board members officially announced the effort on Thursday, indicating that they want to strengthen the state's medical marijuana program, create a regulated system for taxable sales to adults over 21 and facilitate industrial hemp farming.

Committee Chair Jeffrey Hank, a Lansing attorney, said the group is fine-tuning draft language before submitting petitions to the Board of State Canvassers for review.

Proposed language would allow citizens to grow up to 12 marijuana plants each and dedicate tax revenues toward "public interest projects" such as road repairs and schools.

"We're trying to figure out the best way to boost jobs, save the state money, end the war on drugs where people are going to jail for marijuana use, raise revenue and put the money into things that people want," said Hank.

MCCLRIC plans to start a fundraising drive soon and is expecting to use a combination of paid and volunteer workers to collect signatures. The goal is to have petitions out in the field by May.

Michigan election law gives ballot committees a 180-day window to collect the required number of signatures necessary to place a proposal on the ballot. Roughly 250,000 signatures are required for initiated legislation.

Colorado, where legal marijuana sales through licensed stores began last year, reportedly generated $8.8 million in tax and fee revenue this January, which was then the highest grossing month on record. Because Michigan has a larger population, Hank said marijuana legalization could be more lucrative here.

"We're going to have a sales tax, and we're going to have an excise tax on non-medical marijuana, but medical will stay tax free," he said. "We're analyzing those numbers to see how we can have maximum economic impact."

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, the state's top law enforcement official, has consistently opposed efforts to legalize or decriminalize recreational marijuana. A spokesperson, asked about the potential petition drive, referred to a previous statement from the attorney general.

"When it comes to the medical marijuana question, we all know people who suffer from great pain and we are monitoring the legislature's review of that law, but we absolutely must keep drugs out of kids' hands and that is why I am opposed to so-called recreational drugs," Schuette said. "Protecting children must be our first priority. Always."

Marijuana remains illegal at the federal level, but voters in Colorado, Washington, Alaska and Oregon have already chosen to legalize recreational use. Marijuana is also illegal under Michigan law, but a number of municipalities have approved decriminalization measures.

Recent polling suggests roughly 50 percent of Michigan voters support the concept of legalization and taxation of marijuana.

A separate group, a non-profit called the Michigan Responsibility Council that involves former Oakland County Republican Party Chairman Paul Welday, is also exploring a potential legalization proposal but has not yet announced plans.

State Rep. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor, is also preparing statewide legalization legislation. His decriminalization proposal did not advance last session.

 

[oscar169]

Michigan marijuana legalization proposals - and a potential race to the ballot - in the works for 2016

LANSING, MI -- Two separate -- and potentially competing -- groups are laying the groundwork for 2016 ballot proposals that would seek to legalize, regulate and tax marijuana in Michigan.

Jeffrey Hank, an attorney who spearheaded a still-pending legalization effort in East Lansing last year, filed paperwork with the state on Tuesday to form the Michigan Comprehensive Cannabis Law Reform Committee.

"We want to do something in 2016 that will give Michigan voters the gold standard for cannabis reform," Hank told MLive. "We can look at other states that have done it, cherry-pick their best practices and make the best law we can."

Voters in Colorado, Washington, Alaska and Oregon have already chosen to legalize marijuana, and groups in a number of other states are pursuing ballot proposals. Recent polling suggests roughly 50 percent of Michigan voters support the concept of legalization and taxation of marijuana sold through state-licensed stores.

While planning has only just begun, Hank said the new Michigan coalition will seek to protect and improve the state's medical marijuana law, create a legal system for taxable sales to adults and allow industrial hemp farming.

Marijuana activists from around the state are expected to gather this weekend to discuss more specifics about potential ballot language, petition circulation and fundraising efforts.

"There is not a pot of money that's funding this operation," said Matthew Abel, a Detroit attorney and executive director of the Michigan chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

"There are a number of people who are going to put up an initial kitty to begin work, but serious fundraising is going to have to occur. Petitioners will have to be paid."

The activist community has long discussed a potential statewide proposal, but the effort has taken on a new urgency in recent weeks with formation of a new group they fear will put a more restrictive legalization measure on the ballot.

Suzie Mitchell, President and CFO of the East Lansing-based Mitchell Research & Communications firm, filed paperwork with the state last month to create a new nonprofit corporation called the Michigan Responsibility Council.

Mitchell, speaking with MLive on Wednesday, said it was too early in the process to discuss many details. She confirmed the company is an "advocacy group for the cannabis industry" that will likely transition to a ballot committee later in the year.

"It's very preliminary at this point," she said. "All we can say is that the goal is full legalization for 2016."

Paul Welday, a political consultant and former chairman of the Oakland County Republican Party, is involved in the effort as well.

"At this point, it is a group of people who are coming together to look at what some of the options might be," Welday said. "It's not a ballot committee, but the organization is looking at opportunities for a potential ballot initiative in 2016."

Sources familiar with the effort believe the Michigan Responsibility Council will be well funded and may seek to create a tightly regulated industry.

In Ohio, for instance, a group called ResponsibleOhio is working on a November 2015 ballot proposal that would limit production to ten wholesale growing sites controlled by investors. The group this week expanded their pending 2015 ballot proposal to include home growing for personal and medical use.

Michigan's marijuana activist community wants to pursue what Abel called a "craft beer model" rather than a "Budweiser model" for growing and distribution, allowing smaller-scale and in-home growing operations.

"With craft beer, there are smaller batches, but people really take pride in their product and are making unique, rich and and varied products," he said.

Both potential petition drives will take months to get off the ground, but state Rep. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor, is hoping to get the conversation started sooner rather than later in the state Legislature.

Irwin, who introduced decriminalization legislation last session, is preparing a new bill that he said will take "the next step" toward full legalization, regulation and taxation of marijuana.

He called Colorado, where legal marijuana sales through licensed stores began last year, a "successful experiment" that could inform a similar system in Michigan.

"What you're seeing is reduced use amongst adolescents, reduced crime, reduced drunk driving deaths and you're seeing quite a bit of tax revenue," Irwin said. "All of those are good things. What I'm hoping to do is take that law and improve upon it for Michigan."

Irwin had bipartisan backing for his decriminalization measure last session, but the bill did not advance in the state Legislature, where legislation related to Michigan's voter-approved medical marijuana law also stalled out last year.

Marijuana prohibition has been a costly failure, according to Irwin, who said he was not surprised by talk of potential ballot proposals and would prefer to see a "free market" approach to legalization.

"I think the idea of putting this question to the voters is a good one," he said. "The public is way ahead of politicians on this issue, as usual."

 

[Delerium]

Everything these twats do are from false statements

 

[oscar169]

Everything these twats do are from false statements

Who's they Bro??

 

[john martin]

Michigan needs to allow dispensaries, the way the people have been trying to do this entire time. Then, they can implement quality control if need be, but a free market will weed out the poo-poo places pretty fast when there are options, and competition isn't shut down left and right.

 

[germinator]

Legalize in 2016.........free the weed.

 

[LittleDabbie]

Smoking-hot weed debate continues to “light-up” in Michigan


Marijuana has been a legal form of medicine for specific qualifying Michigan patients since 2008. However, many Marijuana advocates in Michigan are not satisfied and their approaches to forwarding their initiatives vary.

Issues currently being addressed in Michigan include full legalization for adults, taxation and regulation, legalization of “provisioning centers” or dispensaries, and an expansion on the definition of what is considered “usable” Marijuana. The current Michigan Medical Marijuana Act (MMMA) does not allow usage of non-smokable forms of Marijuana.

On one front, State Rep. Mike Callton and Rep. Lisa Lyons are proposing new bills this year which would legalize store-front dispensaries and edible forms of Marijuana under House Bills 4209 and 4210.

When MMMA was enacted, dispensaries operated freely throughout the state. However, in 2013, the Michigan Supreme Court banned such dispensaries.

Callton introduced House Bill 4271 for legalization of provisioning centers in 2014, but it did not make it through the Senate.

Callton’s revised proposal for 2015, House Bill 4209, addresses some of the issues that arose from 4271.

“Admittedly, [4271] was weak,” Callton said. He explained it originally proposed each municipality would determine whether they would allow a dispensary to operate within their community.

Callton said while Governor Rick Snyder supports the idea of individual municipalities having the power to make this determination, the governor must also see a plan for state regulation of these businesses before he will sign this bill.

“We are having discussions on adding ancillary bills for taxation,” Callton said.

Detroit attorney Jeff Hank is spearheading his own, more comprehensive piece of legislation for 2016. Hank’s plan would preserve and protect the current status of MMMA, propose full legalization, taxation and state regulation of Marijuana sales to adults, and provide for legalization of industrial hemp.

Hank believes what the legislators are proposing “does not go far enough.” Hank said he is pushing for a law “enacted by the people.” He intends to submit a first draft to the public within the month, followed by a fundraising project and the circulation of the petition.

Hank said there is enough public interest and support to make it happen. “We have non-partisan support across the board on these issues,” he said.

However, Callton said he has seen previous failed efforts to gain support of a ballot initiative through public petition. “You need a lot of funding to get a valid referendum.”

Chris Lindsey, a legislative analyst for Marijuana Policy Project, an advocacy group who played an integral role in passing the MMMA, said his organization supports most of the efforts that are currently underway in the state, but they have concerns as well.

“Anything is better than what Michigan has now,” Lindsey said. “We are concerned that all eyes will turn to these initiatives for 2016 which could take the focus away from legislation that should be immediately addressed.”

Lindsey said the two initiatives Callton and Lyons are working on are immediately important to current Medical Marijuana patients, caregivers and business operators in Michigan.

Callton and Lindsey both referred to the number of dispensaries currently in operation throughout metro Detroit and Ann Arbor.

“Ann Arbor has a very liberal government and they have told their police to stand down,” Callton said. However, the law can intervene at any point. “Detroit is waiting to see what will happen with my bill before they crack down.”

“There is no shortage of people who are willing to take risks because you tend to get vested in your patients and you just can’t walk away from them,” Lindsey said.

Michigan universities are involved in the Marijuana discussion as well. Similar to Western Michigan University, Central Michigan University has a policy that prevents those students, who have legally obtained their license to consume and grow medical Marijuana, from engaging in these activities on campus.

Jordyn Harmani of Central Michigan Life reported on March 2 the Student Government Association passed a bill in the senate that would allow for medical Marijuana student patients to use Marijuana on the campus of Central Michigan University.

Rep. Jeff Irwin co-sponsored House Bills 5539 and 5540, which passed unanimously in December 2014 to legalize industrial hemp research for Michigan universities.

Hemp is frequently confused with Marijuana because both plants are from the species Cannabis, but hemp contains little to no THC, the active ingredient in Marijuana.

The bill focused specifically on hemp research, based in part on the passage of the Federal Farm Bill introduced by the Senate. The Federal Farm Bill included federal funding for hemp research, despite hemp production being illegal in the United States.

Industrial hemp farming is big business. “We buy a lot of hemp from Canada,” Irwin said. “But the really big economic opportunities in hemp production are lost as long as hemp is illegal in the federal government.”

Hoping to move the hemp initiative forward, Irwin said the research focus was the best avenue to get the bills passed.

“Hopefully our big research schools in the state like WMU, Michigan State, Wayne State and the University of Michigan will be able to access some of these federal research funds,” Irwin said.

http://www.westernherald.com/news/article_7ef0e1b6-cc1d-11e4-bc32-8f0c3d37cfa1.html

 

[LittleDabbie]

Traverse City Man Arrested for Trafficking Marijuana

The Traverse Narcotics Team along with the Ohio Highway Patrol have made a major multi-state marijuana bust linked to Traverse City.

On Monday, the Ohio Highway Patrol stopped a driver on a turnpike near the Pennsylvania State line. That driver – a 34-year-old Traverse City man – was arrested for possession with intent to deliver seven pounds of marijuana. The man also had twenty thousand dollars cash in the car.

The man is currently being held in Lorain County, Ohio, and police believe he had been transporting between 15 and 20 pounds of high grade marijuana to New York per month.

The Traverse Narcotics Team continued the investigation and they founds several locations in Grand Traverse County where they believe commercial marijuana was being grown.

On Wednesday, police executed search warrants on Irish Hills Drive and seized 40 marijuana plants.

The investigation led to a second search warrant, which was executed on Voss Drive. 71 plants and 2 pounds of processed marijuana were seized from that location.

A 39 year old man was arrested and lodged in the Grand Traverse Jail on felony drug charges in connection with the case.

http://www.minews26.com/content/?p=37453

 

[LittleDabbie]

Local Zoning Board May Ban Marijuana Dispensaries

Questions about Michigan's medical marijuana law continue to inspire spirited debate in cities across the state.

Tonight in Benzie County, two local zoning boards considered a ban on medical marijuana dispensaries.

The county sheriff and prosector were on hand as Inland and Homestead Township officials talked about drawing-up a zoning ordinance that would prevent future dispensaries from opening.

Reporter Charlie Tinker takes us inside the debate.

----

The medical marijuana debate continued in Benzie County as zoning board members considered an ordinance that would effectively ban dispensaries... One part of Michigan's often confusing medical marijuana law.

“It left a lot of questions unanswered, such as patient to patient transfers, could marijuana be sold, what is usable marijuana,” said Benzie County Prosecutor Sara Swanson.

Those questions--the subject of heated debate across the state.

Law enforcement says most dispensaries are technically illegal.

“A medical marijuana dispensary can only dispense to five individuals,” said Benzie County Sheriff Ted Schendel. “To have a store front is meaningless.”

“It's highly likely there would be illegal activity,” said Swanson.

Marijuana advocates argue they're within their rights; dispensaries or provisioning centers, they say, provide a service...

But again, it's a confusing lanscape, filled with legal gray areas...

And what some see as a problem...

“The problem is when you have overage and sometimes greed takes over common sense,” said Schendel. “What are you going to do with that overage? They tend to sell it to others and the minute you do that, you've violated the law.”

Others see as the best way to bring medicine to the people who need it most and to further complicate the situation, two new state bills look to clarify certain aspects of the law and could change the debate altogether.

For now, in Benzie County... Questions remain about what the ordinance should say, how it will be enforced... Even the need for it altogether.

http://www.9and10news.com/story/28557936/local-zoning-board-may-ban-marijuana-dispensaries

 

[LittleDabbie]

Statewide push for legal cannabis in Michigan

A coalition of marijuana advocates is pushing for statewide legalization of the cannabis in Michigan. Some pockets of the state have already moved to decriminalize marijuana, but decriminalization activists believe that is not enough. Michigan Comprehensive Cannabis Law Reform Initiative (MCCLRI) is collecting signatures to push for marijuana decriminalization in the statewide ballot in 2016.

A number of cities in Michigan have already legalized cannabis and marijuana-related arrests in those regions have declined significantly. MCCLRI believes that statewide legalization of cannabis can bring relief to law enforcers as they deal with fewer cases of marijuana violations and spend less money on the same. Therefore, there is the potential benefit of saving up to $300 millions in Michigan’s police department budget, according to legal marijuana advocates.

MCCLRI intends to push for legal recreational use of marijuana while maintaining the existing policies regarding legal marijuana in the state.

Tax revenue and jobs

Besides savings in the law enforcement budget, MCCLRI is also excited by the tax revenue opportunity from legal marijuana industry, which could be up to $200 million. According to the coalition’s chairman, Jeffrey Hank, they also see up to 25,000 new job opportunities in a legal cannabis environment.

Only for adults

The marijuana law proposal being push by MCCLRI will allow individuals to grow up 12 marijuana plants for their own use legally. The drug will be regulated the same way as alcohol whereby only adults aged 21 years and above can legally use marijuana for recreational purposes.

Currently, MCCLRI is fine-tuning the language of its cannabis law proposals for the 2016 ballot. The group also hopes to collect 250,000 signatures needed to push the proposal to statewide ballot.

Nationwide cannabis law reform

Legal cannabis activists have cited that national policymakers may have no choice but to back the progress made in decriminalization of marijuana in individual states. A bill recently introduced in the U.S. Senate seeks to classify marijuana under Schedule II from the current Schedule I classification. Reclassification of the substance will eliminate its current strict regulation. President Barack Obama has also signaled that his administration may back cannabis decriminalization.

http://www.mmjobserver.com/statewide-push-for-legal-cannabis-in-michigan/4824/

 

[LittleDabbie]

Michigan man arrested on drug-related charges 16 months after marijuana raid at his home

COLON TOWNSHIP, Michigan — A 72-year-old cancer patient has been arrested on drug-related charges more than a year after police seized medical marijuana plants from his rural St. Joseph County home.

The Detroit Free Press (http://on.freep.com/1O24oYc ) reports Thomas Williams was arrested and charged last week with drug manufacturing and conspiracy. The charges stem from a November 2013 police seizure when officers stormed into his Colon Township home, seizing cash, his car, phone and marijuana plants, claiming he was over his limit of 12.

William's medical marijuana card allows his to grow a dozen plants, but he says the extra plants found by police were clones that he planned to use to replace failing plants.

The Michigan State Police says it's not uncommon for arrests to come months after a raid due to lengthy investigations.

 

[LittleDabbie]

One pound of marijuana under the sink results in no jail, but judge orders $10,000 fine

GRAND RAPIDS, MI - A 44-year-old man who had already pleaded guilty to violating medical marijuana laws when police found a pillowcase-sized bag of weed in his bathroom last year will not do additional time behind bars, but he will be out $12,700 plus attorney's fees.

Samer Hamed was found guilty Jan. 30 in Kent County Circuit Court of manufacturing and delivery of marijuana.

Hamed was a co-owner of the now defunct Purple Med marijuana dispensary and was arrested in February 2013, when the state courts decided that the businesses did not conform to the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act. From that case, he pleaded guilty to manufacturing and delivery of marijuana and was sentenced to five months in jail.

But he was arrested again on May 7 when police searched Hamed's home near Four Mile Road NE and the East Beltline Avenue.

According to court testimony, police found 20 ounces of marijuana under the bathroom sink, another 33 grams in a Volkswagen in the garage, $2,702 in cash, a legally-owned rifle and shotgun.

Attorney Frank Stanley said his client still maintains that he was doing his very best to follow the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act, but the law as currently interpreted makes it very difficult for most people to follow the law.

Grand Rapids narcotics officers testified that the amount of pot found in Hamed's home was far beyond any what anyone could claim for personal use and it had a retail value of more than $6,000.

At Hamed's sentencing hearing Tuesday, March 17, Stanley said his client was out the $2,700 seized by police and held as a civil forfeiture allowable under state and federal law.

Stanley said his client is out of the marijuana business unless and until the State Supreme Court overturn's recent Appeals Court decisions that made Hamed's actions illegal. Stanley said it is just too costly.

Judge Donald Johnston added to the cost by assessing a $10,000 fine and placing Hamed on three years of probation during which time Hamed cannot drink, go to bars or use drugs.

"I don't know if there is much reason to impose further incarceration," Johnston said.