C
CannabisGal
- 30
- 18
My county in Mich is very anti legalization. I stay legal with plant numbers and amounts of cannabis but never know what may happen. Scary " LEGAL medicinal".........but only safe if the wrong cops aren't around.
The War on Medical Marijuana in MI Super Thread, NEWS,BUST,LAWS <<<<Updated Often>>>>
oscar169
Farming 🌱
Supporter
- 2,729
- 263
Yes this is a lot of the county's in Michigan, Be safe and always stay under your numbers and Never Never Ever let any Cops,Township, Local Government peoples in with out a Signed Search Warrant...:)
LittleDabbie
Supporter
- 11,813
- 438
Marijuana, Not Quite Legal If Proposal Passes
EAST LANSING, MI (WLNS) – Marijuana is a hot topic in East Lansing as Tuesday’s election is fast approaching.
“There is a proposal on the May ballot to decriminalize possession of a small amount of Marijuana and use of Marijuana within the city of East Lansing,” Lt. Steve Gonzalez, East Lansing Police Dept. says.
6 News spoke to several people with opposing views on the proposal.
“Well I support it, I think it’s time everybody knows the war on drugs is not working particularly the war on Marijuana,” Jeffrey Hank with the Coalition for a Safer East Lansing says. “Marijuana is safer tan alcohol, why are we putting people in jail for it? Why are we even charging people with a crime for it?”
Abriona May’s feels the opposite of Hank.
“I am more against legal Marijuana because it’s really bad for your health,” Mays says. “Just because the past few yearsthat it hasn’t been legal, I don’t feel that it needs to be legal.”
However, there is a hidden issue for those approving the proposal.
“It’s important for people to know that just because the city ordinance may change there is both state and federal laws taht prohibit the possession and use of Marijuana,” Gonzalez says.
Gonzalez also says that anyone caught with possession of the drug could be cited or face drug charges.
http://wlns.com/2015/04/30/marijuana-not-quite-legal-if-proposal-passes/
EAST LANSING, MI (WLNS) – Marijuana is a hot topic in East Lansing as Tuesday’s election is fast approaching.
“There is a proposal on the May ballot to decriminalize possession of a small amount of Marijuana and use of Marijuana within the city of East Lansing,” Lt. Steve Gonzalez, East Lansing Police Dept. says.
6 News spoke to several people with opposing views on the proposal.
“Well I support it, I think it’s time everybody knows the war on drugs is not working particularly the war on Marijuana,” Jeffrey Hank with the Coalition for a Safer East Lansing says. “Marijuana is safer tan alcohol, why are we putting people in jail for it? Why are we even charging people with a crime for it?”
Abriona May’s feels the opposite of Hank.
“I am more against legal Marijuana because it’s really bad for your health,” Mays says. “Just because the past few yearsthat it hasn’t been legal, I don’t feel that it needs to be legal.”
However, there is a hidden issue for those approving the proposal.
“It’s important for people to know that just because the city ordinance may change there is both state and federal laws taht prohibit the possession and use of Marijuana,” Gonzalez says.
Gonzalez also says that anyone caught with possession of the drug could be cited or face drug charges.
http://wlns.com/2015/04/30/marijuana-not-quite-legal-if-proposal-passes/
oscar169
Farming 🌱
Supporter
- 2,729
- 263
High priority: Medical marijuana, patients rights debated at Capitol with MSP
LANSING, Mich. – Medical marijuana can be a sticky issue when it comes to what’s legal and what’s not in the state. Thursday morning safe access for medical marijuana was the topic of a House of Representatives Judiciary Committee hearing in Lansing.
Medical marijuana patients, caregivers, and their families lined the hearing room to give public testimony alongside the Michigan State Police. The committee debated two pending bills.
First House Bill 4209 proposes the Provisioning Center Regulation Act, which would essentially legalize dispensaries. The second, House Bill 4210, or the smoking-alternative medical marijuana bill, would expand the definition of legal “usable marijuana,” and include additional products like extract, plant resins, and oils.
Speaking at the hearing was the Powers Family. Ryan Powers is a kindergartener who is full of life; but not too long ago, this was not the case.
Ryan’s parents, Jim and Erin Powers, told FOX 17 News that Ryan has an auto-immune condition called minimal change disease, which used to cause him a lot of pain.
“He had pain in his legs: his top was very heavy, his legs were very small, so he couldn’t even run around after all the other kids,” said Erin Powers. “You’d see him waddling after them.”
Ryan takes a medical marijuana oil orally twice per day. The oil is high in cannabidiol, or CBD, which is a marijuana plant extract that has medical implications but does not get him high. His parents said Ryan was able to get off of a few prescriptions that were actually hurting his kidneys, and now he’s in remission.
“Once we were able to add cannabis oil to his treatment, he immediately came to long-term remission: before cannabis oil he maintained a remission of approximately 14 days, and today he’s been in remission for about 330,” said Jim Powers.
The Powers spoke to the benefits of medical marijuana in hopes of pushing the two bills into law, which the National Patient Rights Association spearheaded. Alongside them was the Michigan State Police.
“We have to be able to ensure that whatever the consumers are using, that it’s safe,” said Sgt. Amy Dehner, MSP legislative liaison.
An emotionally charged issue with many sides, Dehner said at this point, this is a complex issue and they are not taking a stance. However, Dehner did say once they address all concerns with consumer and food safety issues, then they will be a good position to move forward with the legislation.
“It’s not going to be solved overnight,” said Dehner. “Do I think there are solutions out there? Absolutely, but when you have an issue this complex, you have to make sure that you take your time, that you address what needs to be addressed.”
NPRA Legislative Liaison Robin Schneider said the organization is working to make medical marijuana patients’ rights a top priority in Michigan.
“Right now they can smoke [marijuana], but the real medicine, the capsules, the tinctures, the topical oils, those are the medications that are going to help somebody with cancer,” said Schneider. “Those are the medications that can go into a feeding tube. Those are the medications that will stop a child’s seizures.”
Meanwhile, Jim Powers said he wants to fight for his son’s access to the medication he believes works, and be protected under the law.
“This is all about protecting sick people, protecting families, keeping them safe from arrest, and making sure that they’re able to maintain custody of their children,” said Jim Powers.
The House of Representatives Judiciary Committee will continue its hearings on this potential medical marijuana legislation next week.
LANSING, Mich. – Medical marijuana can be a sticky issue when it comes to what’s legal and what’s not in the state. Thursday morning safe access for medical marijuana was the topic of a House of Representatives Judiciary Committee hearing in Lansing.
Medical marijuana patients, caregivers, and their families lined the hearing room to give public testimony alongside the Michigan State Police. The committee debated two pending bills.
First House Bill 4209 proposes the Provisioning Center Regulation Act, which would essentially legalize dispensaries. The second, House Bill 4210, or the smoking-alternative medical marijuana bill, would expand the definition of legal “usable marijuana,” and include additional products like extract, plant resins, and oils.
Speaking at the hearing was the Powers Family. Ryan Powers is a kindergartener who is full of life; but not too long ago, this was not the case.
Ryan’s parents, Jim and Erin Powers, told FOX 17 News that Ryan has an auto-immune condition called minimal change disease, which used to cause him a lot of pain.
“He had pain in his legs: his top was very heavy, his legs were very small, so he couldn’t even run around after all the other kids,” said Erin Powers. “You’d see him waddling after them.”
Ryan takes a medical marijuana oil orally twice per day. The oil is high in cannabidiol, or CBD, which is a marijuana plant extract that has medical implications but does not get him high. His parents said Ryan was able to get off of a few prescriptions that were actually hurting his kidneys, and now he’s in remission.
“Once we were able to add cannabis oil to his treatment, he immediately came to long-term remission: before cannabis oil he maintained a remission of approximately 14 days, and today he’s been in remission for about 330,” said Jim Powers.
The Powers spoke to the benefits of medical marijuana in hopes of pushing the two bills into law, which the National Patient Rights Association spearheaded. Alongside them was the Michigan State Police.
“We have to be able to ensure that whatever the consumers are using, that it’s safe,” said Sgt. Amy Dehner, MSP legislative liaison.
An emotionally charged issue with many sides, Dehner said at this point, this is a complex issue and they are not taking a stance. However, Dehner did say once they address all concerns with consumer and food safety issues, then they will be a good position to move forward with the legislation.
“It’s not going to be solved overnight,” said Dehner. “Do I think there are solutions out there? Absolutely, but when you have an issue this complex, you have to make sure that you take your time, that you address what needs to be addressed.”
NPRA Legislative Liaison Robin Schneider said the organization is working to make medical marijuana patients’ rights a top priority in Michigan.
“Right now they can smoke [marijuana], but the real medicine, the capsules, the tinctures, the topical oils, those are the medications that are going to help somebody with cancer,” said Schneider. “Those are the medications that can go into a feeding tube. Those are the medications that will stop a child’s seizures.”
Meanwhile, Jim Powers said he wants to fight for his son’s access to the medication he believes works, and be protected under the law.
“This is all about protecting sick people, protecting families, keeping them safe from arrest, and making sure that they’re able to maintain custody of their children,” said Jim Powers.
The House of Representatives Judiciary Committee will continue its hearings on this potential medical marijuana legislation next week.
LittleDabbie
Supporter
- 11,813
- 438
More than $100,000 worth of marijuana seized in raids
The St. Clair County Drug Task Force recently conducting raids on four drug houses in Port Huron and Port Huron Township, according to a report from the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office.
More than $100,000 worth of marijuana was confiscated before it had a chance to get to the streets. Many of the manufacturers pulled out their medicinal marijuana cards to legitimize their operations, but there are guidelines in the law that disqualifies many of them.
“We are well aware of the medical marijuana laws in effect,” said Sheriff Tim Donnellon. “These people are not medical marijuana providers; they are people who are trying to hide behind the law to profit in illegal drug sales."
Deputies obtained a search warrant for a residence in the 1700 block of 24th Street on April 30 at about 7:30 p.m. Their search uncovered a total of $2,500 worth of marijuana, illegal prescription pills, two firearms, packaging material and drug paraphernalia. Four Port Huron men were arrested, ages 35, 27, 24 and 21. They are expected to face charges, including manufacturing with intent to deliver marijuana, possession of analogs and frequenting a drug house.
Two more search warrants were executed at about 11 p.m. April 29. An address in the 1400 block of 21st Street was hiding $15,000 worth of cocaine, packaging materials, a cell phone and a vehicle. A Detroit resident, 31, was arrested and faces charges of possession with intent to deliver cocaine and being a habitual offender.
Also at about 11 p.m., the Drug Task Force raided a home in the 2200 block of Farley Street in Port Huron. That search netted $9,000 worth of marijuana and led to a second search conducted in the 1500 block of Carleton Street in Port Huron. That search saw more than $112,000 worth of marijuana confiscated, digital scales, packaging materials, nine firearms, a vehicle and cell phones. A Port Huron man, 34, was arrested and faces multiple charges, including delivery and manufacture of marijuana, felony firearm, felon in possession of a firearm and habitual offender.
The raids were the result of a several month investigation into the sales of cocaine and marijuana in the Port Huron and Port Huron Township areas.
“These growers go way outside the statutory requirements for a legal marijuana operation,” said Donnellon. “We will continue to arrest and prosecute anyone who is breaking the law, whether it is drugs or any other criminal activity.”
Donnellon said sometimes several different investigations into illegal drug operations from differing agencies or departments lead to arrests around the same time, even if they are not related, as in these four cases. And, sometimes, as in the raid on Farley Street in Port Huron, one bust will lead to another.
The Sheriff’s Office Road Patrol K-9 Unit, Sheriff’s Office Special Response Team, U.S. Border Patrol K-9, Port Huron Police NET and U.S. Customs and Border Protection assisted in the investigations.Continued...
The St. Clair County Drug Task Force recently conducting raids on four drug houses in Port Huron and Port Huron Township, according to a report from the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office.
More than $100,000 worth of marijuana was confiscated before it had a chance to get to the streets. Many of the manufacturers pulled out their medicinal marijuana cards to legitimize their operations, but there are guidelines in the law that disqualifies many of them.
“We are well aware of the medical marijuana laws in effect,” said Sheriff Tim Donnellon. “These people are not medical marijuana providers; they are people who are trying to hide behind the law to profit in illegal drug sales."
Deputies obtained a search warrant for a residence in the 1700 block of 24th Street on April 30 at about 7:30 p.m. Their search uncovered a total of $2,500 worth of marijuana, illegal prescription pills, two firearms, packaging material and drug paraphernalia. Four Port Huron men were arrested, ages 35, 27, 24 and 21. They are expected to face charges, including manufacturing with intent to deliver marijuana, possession of analogs and frequenting a drug house.
Two more search warrants were executed at about 11 p.m. April 29. An address in the 1400 block of 21st Street was hiding $15,000 worth of cocaine, packaging materials, a cell phone and a vehicle. A Detroit resident, 31, was arrested and faces charges of possession with intent to deliver cocaine and being a habitual offender.
Also at about 11 p.m., the Drug Task Force raided a home in the 2200 block of Farley Street in Port Huron. That search netted $9,000 worth of marijuana and led to a second search conducted in the 1500 block of Carleton Street in Port Huron. That search saw more than $112,000 worth of marijuana confiscated, digital scales, packaging materials, nine firearms, a vehicle and cell phones. A Port Huron man, 34, was arrested and faces multiple charges, including delivery and manufacture of marijuana, felony firearm, felon in possession of a firearm and habitual offender.
The raids were the result of a several month investigation into the sales of cocaine and marijuana in the Port Huron and Port Huron Township areas.
“These growers go way outside the statutory requirements for a legal marijuana operation,” said Donnellon. “We will continue to arrest and prosecute anyone who is breaking the law, whether it is drugs or any other criminal activity.”
Donnellon said sometimes several different investigations into illegal drug operations from differing agencies or departments lead to arrests around the same time, even if they are not related, as in these four cases. And, sometimes, as in the raid on Farley Street in Port Huron, one bust will lead to another.
The Sheriff’s Office Road Patrol K-9 Unit, Sheriff’s Office Special Response Team, U.S. Border Patrol K-9, Port Huron Police NET and U.S. Customs and Border Protection assisted in the investigations.Continued...
LittleDabbie
Supporter
- 11,813
- 438
Prop 1 and local issues on Tuesday's ballot
Among local proposals:
•A marijuana decriminalization proposal is on the ballot in East Lansing, where residents also will be asked if they'd like to make municipal land sales easier by allowing a sale to go through with a simple majority vote in a citywide election. The City Charter now requires 60 percent voter approval.
http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/2015/05/04/prop-local-issues-tuesdays-ballot/26892575/
Among local proposals:
•A marijuana decriminalization proposal is on the ballot in East Lansing, where residents also will be asked if they'd like to make municipal land sales easier by allowing a sale to go through with a simple majority vote in a citywide election. The City Charter now requires 60 percent voter approval.
http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/2015/05/04/prop-local-issues-tuesdays-ballot/26892575/
LittleDabbie
Supporter
- 11,813
- 438
East Lansing approves marijuana decriminalization proposal
LANSING, MI — Voters in East Lansing are the latest in Michigan to approve lessening local marijuana ordinances.
With 16 out of 17 precincts reporting late Tuesday night, 2,973 voters, or 65.57 percent, approved a charter amendment to repeal the city of East Lansing's current marijuana ordinances.
Now, the use, possession and transfer of up to 1 ounce of the marijuana is legal for people 21 years or older on private property.
Attorney Jeff Hank, who spearheaded the campaign, said he was pleased with the results. Between a statewide proposal being on the ballot, other city charter questions, the rain and finals week at Michigan State University, he didn't know what the turnout would be.
He said he hopes the proposal will have a positive effect in the lives of people in East Lansing.
"We don't want to see the arrests" related to marijuana possession, Hank said, or have people caught in the criminal justice system.
Hank said the East Lansing vote, like others that have passed in communities across Michigan, should send a clear message to Lansing about legalizing and taxing marijuana.
"Time and time again we keep winning elections," Hank said. "The message is clear, the legislature and the governor has to start this conversation."
Hank also chairs the Michigan Comprehensive Cannabis Law Reform Committee, which seeks to put a statewide proposal on the 2016 ballot to legalize, regulate and tax marijuana in Michigan. He noted that while Proposal 1 failed to raise money for roads on Tuesday, there could be more money coming into the state if it taxes marijuana.
He said Tuesday night he wants to sit down with Snyder and the legislature to discuss their plan to tax the drug.
East Lansing Mayor Nathan Triplett supported the ballot proposal, but said much will likely not change in East Lansing.
"I expect the impact on our community to be very minimal," Triplett said.
In the past fiscal year, there were 23 use or possession citations issued, Triplett said, and that East Lansing police have made marijuana enforcement a low priority.
The proposal will not impact Michigan State University and current state and federal laws still in effect. This could cause some confusion, Triplett said, so the city and University will work on explaining the rules to residents and students.
While Triplett he supports local control on several issues, marijuana is not one of those. Like Hank, he hopes the passage will send a message to the state legislature to address marijuana legislation.
http://www.mlive.com/lansing-news/index.ssf/2015/05/east_lansing_approves_marijuan.html
LANSING, MI — Voters in East Lansing are the latest in Michigan to approve lessening local marijuana ordinances.
With 16 out of 17 precincts reporting late Tuesday night, 2,973 voters, or 65.57 percent, approved a charter amendment to repeal the city of East Lansing's current marijuana ordinances.
Now, the use, possession and transfer of up to 1 ounce of the marijuana is legal for people 21 years or older on private property.
Attorney Jeff Hank, who spearheaded the campaign, said he was pleased with the results. Between a statewide proposal being on the ballot, other city charter questions, the rain and finals week at Michigan State University, he didn't know what the turnout would be.
He said he hopes the proposal will have a positive effect in the lives of people in East Lansing.
"We don't want to see the arrests" related to marijuana possession, Hank said, or have people caught in the criminal justice system.
Hank said the East Lansing vote, like others that have passed in communities across Michigan, should send a clear message to Lansing about legalizing and taxing marijuana.
"Time and time again we keep winning elections," Hank said. "The message is clear, the legislature and the governor has to start this conversation."
Hank also chairs the Michigan Comprehensive Cannabis Law Reform Committee, which seeks to put a statewide proposal on the 2016 ballot to legalize, regulate and tax marijuana in Michigan. He noted that while Proposal 1 failed to raise money for roads on Tuesday, there could be more money coming into the state if it taxes marijuana.
He said Tuesday night he wants to sit down with Snyder and the legislature to discuss their plan to tax the drug.
East Lansing Mayor Nathan Triplett supported the ballot proposal, but said much will likely not change in East Lansing.
"I expect the impact on our community to be very minimal," Triplett said.
In the past fiscal year, there were 23 use or possession citations issued, Triplett said, and that East Lansing police have made marijuana enforcement a low priority.
The proposal will not impact Michigan State University and current state and federal laws still in effect. This could cause some confusion, Triplett said, so the city and University will work on explaining the rules to residents and students.
While Triplett he supports local control on several issues, marijuana is not one of those. Like Hank, he hopes the passage will send a message to the state legislature to address marijuana legislation.
http://www.mlive.com/lansing-news/index.ssf/2015/05/east_lansing_approves_marijuan.html
LittleDabbie
Supporter
- 11,813
- 438
Board of Trustees extends marijuana moratorium
CLINTON TOWNSHIP — As Lansing lawmakers’ conversations regarding proper medical marijuana enforcement have remained up in smoke, local municipalities are interpreting the law their own way.
Due to inaction by politicians at the state level, Clinton Township’s Board of Trustees recently decided to unanimously approve another 120-day moratorium.
This particular extension comes on the heels of a previous 120-day moratorium that was approved by the board in October of last year.
House Bills 4271 and 5104 passed with overwhelming favor in December 2013, though a period of political stagnancy has occurred in the Michigan Senate.
Both bills clarify the 2008 voter-approved law that brought medical marijuana to the forefront in the state, though disparity in how the law should be interpreted has been a constant issue in different regions around the state and has led to the current stalemate.
Bill 4271 pertains to municipality-specific dispensaries and how they are enforced, giving local officials the option to prohibit them altogether and also enact ordinances.
Specifics of the bill include: dispensaries cannot be located within 1,000 feet of a school; dispensary marijuana cannot be sold unless previously tested for fungi, mold or pesticides; dispensaries cannot hire someone under the age of 21, nor can they hire someone who has a felony drug conviction in the past 10 years; dispensaries cannot share space with a physician; and dispensaries cannot let physicians advertise in their facility, nor can they refer patients to specific physicians for monetary advantage.
Bill 5104 would allow patients to use edible forms of marijuana, rather than just smoking the substance. Such products would have to denote weight in ounces, the name of the manufacturer and the date it was made.
The passing of bills in the Senate would provide regulation and guidance for local communities. For example, the city of Warren has expressed wariness due to certain areas of regulation and potential detriments to air quality and zoning.
Township Attorney Jack Dolan said medical marijuana “remains a continued area of evolution” due to the stagnancy at the state level.
He added that continually emerging facets are impacting legislation and keeping local officials on their toes, from the concerns in Warren to others, such as style and honesty of packaging.
“What are the appropriate locations in the township for establishing the growth of marijuana beyond just growing for personal consumption?” Dolan said. “Also, whether or not facilities should be allowed where multiple patients and caregivers are allowed to grow marijuana at the same time.”
When Clerk Kim Meltzer pondered whether the township should start a committee related to the topic, Dolan said it was a good idea that could provide the township with better direction than what is instituted at the state level.
Trustee Paul Gieleghem voiced his concern at the fact that voters approved the use of medical marijuana years ago, yet no abundant legislative framework has resulted from that vote.
Dolan said that some communities have their own ordinances that relate to the matter, and the issue is one that the township must look at from all angles.
That includes accessing the issue from a legal standpoint.
“Rather than us go in a direction locally — whereas the state itself has gone in a different direction and put us in a position where we have an ordinance which would have been conflicting with the direction the state had gone — and having to deal with businesses that may have been approved under our ordinance when the state has gone elsewhere, we thought that kind of circumstance would not be harmonious with our community,” Dolan said. “If we just continue with a perpetual moratorium, I think we risk lawsuits that way. If we make an ordinance that’s too restrictive, we face lawsuits that way.
“For example, do you want to allow larger facilities where growers, on behalf of many patients and caregivers, have consolidated into a single building the growing of marijuana?”
Supervisor Bob Cannon said the township doesn’t have to act at this time.
“I’ll tell you, a lot of things are changing in the minds of many people who voted for medical marijuana years ago,” Cannon said. “One of those is the Denver experience. A lot of material is coming out of Denver to show it isn’t what people thought it would be, and I think that’s changing the minds of some of the people in Lansing.”
Meltzer, Gieleghem and Trustee Dean Reynolds supported a future committee that could oversee the process. Meltzer said such a committee could conduct research, stay in contact with Lansing legislators and check on its progress. At some the township is going to need to act, Gieleghem said.
Meltzer and Trustee Ken Pearl also voiced their concern for the youths of the community, wondering how the passing of such bills at the state level would impact overall drug use.
Dolan, though, cited the complexity of the modifications and provisions associated with the matter. One major issue is how dispensaries act pre-state law and post-state law, and whether changes would affect everyone or just a few.
While some individuals in the area have urged the township to act, some have taken it into their own hands and have found themselves in court.
“That’s the kind of mishmash that can occur because you’re not sure whether (the state government) is acting or not acting, or in this instance, where they had a bill that actually made it through one of the chambers of the government at the State House,” Dolan said. “That’s the issue: What do we want to do?”
http://www.candgnews.com/news/board-trustees-extends-marijuana-moratorium-83226
CLINTON TOWNSHIP — As Lansing lawmakers’ conversations regarding proper medical marijuana enforcement have remained up in smoke, local municipalities are interpreting the law their own way.
Due to inaction by politicians at the state level, Clinton Township’s Board of Trustees recently decided to unanimously approve another 120-day moratorium.
This particular extension comes on the heels of a previous 120-day moratorium that was approved by the board in October of last year.
House Bills 4271 and 5104 passed with overwhelming favor in December 2013, though a period of political stagnancy has occurred in the Michigan Senate.
Both bills clarify the 2008 voter-approved law that brought medical marijuana to the forefront in the state, though disparity in how the law should be interpreted has been a constant issue in different regions around the state and has led to the current stalemate.
Bill 4271 pertains to municipality-specific dispensaries and how they are enforced, giving local officials the option to prohibit them altogether and also enact ordinances.
Specifics of the bill include: dispensaries cannot be located within 1,000 feet of a school; dispensary marijuana cannot be sold unless previously tested for fungi, mold or pesticides; dispensaries cannot hire someone under the age of 21, nor can they hire someone who has a felony drug conviction in the past 10 years; dispensaries cannot share space with a physician; and dispensaries cannot let physicians advertise in their facility, nor can they refer patients to specific physicians for monetary advantage.
Bill 5104 would allow patients to use edible forms of marijuana, rather than just smoking the substance. Such products would have to denote weight in ounces, the name of the manufacturer and the date it was made.
The passing of bills in the Senate would provide regulation and guidance for local communities. For example, the city of Warren has expressed wariness due to certain areas of regulation and potential detriments to air quality and zoning.
Township Attorney Jack Dolan said medical marijuana “remains a continued area of evolution” due to the stagnancy at the state level.
He added that continually emerging facets are impacting legislation and keeping local officials on their toes, from the concerns in Warren to others, such as style and honesty of packaging.
“What are the appropriate locations in the township for establishing the growth of marijuana beyond just growing for personal consumption?” Dolan said. “Also, whether or not facilities should be allowed where multiple patients and caregivers are allowed to grow marijuana at the same time.”
When Clerk Kim Meltzer pondered whether the township should start a committee related to the topic, Dolan said it was a good idea that could provide the township with better direction than what is instituted at the state level.
Trustee Paul Gieleghem voiced his concern at the fact that voters approved the use of medical marijuana years ago, yet no abundant legislative framework has resulted from that vote.
Dolan said that some communities have their own ordinances that relate to the matter, and the issue is one that the township must look at from all angles.
That includes accessing the issue from a legal standpoint.
“Rather than us go in a direction locally — whereas the state itself has gone in a different direction and put us in a position where we have an ordinance which would have been conflicting with the direction the state had gone — and having to deal with businesses that may have been approved under our ordinance when the state has gone elsewhere, we thought that kind of circumstance would not be harmonious with our community,” Dolan said. “If we just continue with a perpetual moratorium, I think we risk lawsuits that way. If we make an ordinance that’s too restrictive, we face lawsuits that way.
“For example, do you want to allow larger facilities where growers, on behalf of many patients and caregivers, have consolidated into a single building the growing of marijuana?”
Supervisor Bob Cannon said the township doesn’t have to act at this time.
“I’ll tell you, a lot of things are changing in the minds of many people who voted for medical marijuana years ago,” Cannon said. “One of those is the Denver experience. A lot of material is coming out of Denver to show it isn’t what people thought it would be, and I think that’s changing the minds of some of the people in Lansing.”
Meltzer, Gieleghem and Trustee Dean Reynolds supported a future committee that could oversee the process. Meltzer said such a committee could conduct research, stay in contact with Lansing legislators and check on its progress. At some the township is going to need to act, Gieleghem said.
Meltzer and Trustee Ken Pearl also voiced their concern for the youths of the community, wondering how the passing of such bills at the state level would impact overall drug use.
Dolan, though, cited the complexity of the modifications and provisions associated with the matter. One major issue is how dispensaries act pre-state law and post-state law, and whether changes would affect everyone or just a few.
While some individuals in the area have urged the township to act, some have taken it into their own hands and have found themselves in court.
“That’s the kind of mishmash that can occur because you’re not sure whether (the state government) is acting or not acting, or in this instance, where they had a bill that actually made it through one of the chambers of the government at the State House,” Dolan said. “That’s the issue: What do we want to do?”
http://www.candgnews.com/news/board-trustees-extends-marijuana-moratorium-83226
Bill Murry
- 337
- 93
http://thecompassionchronicles.com/2015/05/05/38000_joints/
Testimony on the two bills will resume Thursday May 7 in the Judiciary Committee.
View HB 4210 HERE.
View HB 4209 HERE.
The formal notice is below.
Standing Committee Meeting
Judiciary, Rep. Klint Kesto, Chair
DATE: Thursday, May 7, 2015
TIME: 9:00 AM
PLACE: Room 307, House Office Building, Lansing, MI
AGENDA:
TESTIMONY ONLY:
HB 4209 (Rep. Callton) Health; medical marihuana; state and local regulation of marihuana provisioning centers; provide for.
HB 4210 (Rep. Lyons) Health; medical marihuana; marihuana-infused products; allow and regulate.
OR ANY BUSINESS PROPERLY BEFORE THIS COMMITTEE
To view text of legislation go to:
www.legislature.mi.gov/mileg.aspx?page=CommitteeBillRecord
Committee Clerk: Melissa Weipert
Phone: 517-373-5176
e-Mail: [email protected]
Testimony on the two bills will resume Thursday May 7 in the Judiciary Committee.
View HB 4210 HERE.
View HB 4209 HERE.
The formal notice is below.
Standing Committee Meeting
Judiciary, Rep. Klint Kesto, Chair
DATE: Thursday, May 7, 2015
TIME: 9:00 AM
PLACE: Room 307, House Office Building, Lansing, MI
AGENDA:
TESTIMONY ONLY:
HB 4209 (Rep. Callton) Health; medical marihuana; state and local regulation of marihuana provisioning centers; provide for.
HB 4210 (Rep. Lyons) Health; medical marihuana; marihuana-infused products; allow and regulate.
OR ANY BUSINESS PROPERLY BEFORE THIS COMMITTEE
To view text of legislation go to:
www.legislature.mi.gov/mileg.aspx?page=CommitteeBillRecord
Committee Clerk: Melissa Weipert
Phone: 517-373-5176
e-Mail: [email protected]
oscar169
Farming 🌱
Supporter
- 2,729
- 263
Good Find ^^^ I hope lots of people are able to attend the hearings,
LittleDabbie
Supporter
- 11,813
- 438
Confusion Over Decriminalizing Marijuana
When it comes to decriminalizing marijuana one word keeps coming up for people, confusion.
"It's definitely confusing, people don't know if they can use it or not," said Garrett Marshall, who lives in East Lansing.
Voters said yes to decriminalizing marijuana in East Lansing, making it the 18th city in the state to do so. For people 21 or older that means having up to an ounce of the drug, on private property won't get you in trouble with the city--but it still means trouble with the state.
"This misnomer that simply because the ordinance has changed that you can use marijuana, you can possess marijuana in the city of East Lansing," said Lt. Steve Gonzalez with the East Lansing Police Department.
Unless it's doctor approved having or using marijuana is illegal under state law.
"That will still be in effect and our officers will still have the authority to enforce that," Gonzalez added.
On Michigan State University's campus only state law applies, something University Police say they do enforce. On top of that MSU says students and employees using or possessing marijuana face judicial action through the school.
"There certainly is a level of confusion that I hope the legislature will see the need to resolve," said Mayor Nathan Triplett.
The Mayor calls that confusion symbolic and he's hoping it urges Michigan lawmakers revisit marijuana laws.
"So that people know very clearly this is the law, this is what's permitted, this is what's not permitted and they can make choices then knowing clearly what the rules are that apply to them," Triplett said.
People like Marshall agree that's the best way to get some clarity.
"If it starts at the bottom there's just going to be way more confusion," he said.
When it comes to decriminalizing marijuana one word keeps coming up for people, confusion.
"It's definitely confusing, people don't know if they can use it or not," said Garrett Marshall, who lives in East Lansing.
Voters said yes to decriminalizing marijuana in East Lansing, making it the 18th city in the state to do so. For people 21 or older that means having up to an ounce of the drug, on private property won't get you in trouble with the city--but it still means trouble with the state.
"This misnomer that simply because the ordinance has changed that you can use marijuana, you can possess marijuana in the city of East Lansing," said Lt. Steve Gonzalez with the East Lansing Police Department.
Unless it's doctor approved having or using marijuana is illegal under state law.
"That will still be in effect and our officers will still have the authority to enforce that," Gonzalez added.
On Michigan State University's campus only state law applies, something University Police say they do enforce. On top of that MSU says students and employees using or possessing marijuana face judicial action through the school.
"There certainly is a level of confusion that I hope the legislature will see the need to resolve," said Mayor Nathan Triplett.
The Mayor calls that confusion symbolic and he's hoping it urges Michigan lawmakers revisit marijuana laws.
"So that people know very clearly this is the law, this is what's permitted, this is what's not permitted and they can make choices then knowing clearly what the rules are that apply to them," Triplett said.
People like Marshall agree that's the best way to get some clarity.
"If it starts at the bottom there's just going to be way more confusion," he said.
oscar169
Farming 🌱
Supporter
- 2,729
- 263
38,000 Joints? Marijuana, Voodoo Math And The Michigan House
In a meeting of the House Judiciary Committee on April 30, the 3-year old proposal called The Provisioning Centers Act and two-year old Smoking Alternatives bills were finally resurrected for debate and consideration.
Or were they?
The two bills listed on the Committee agenda are designed to correct defects in the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act (MMMA)- some caused by courts and some by the language of the MMMA itself.
One would create a system of medical marijuana dispensaries, called Provisioning Centers, which would be locally approved and state certified. The other bill would restore the legally protected status of marijuana derivatives, including foods and concentrated types of cannabis medications, allowing registered patients to be protected by law for using and creating those medicines as they were until 2013.
Instead of addressing these bills directly, the Committee spent much of their time listening to talk on issues such as the power of the “marijuana lobby,” the harm marijuana may cause to children and the possible negative effects of legalizing cannabis for adult use in Michigan.
Testifying, or not, were the two bill sponsors- Rep. Michael Callton (R-Nashville) and Rep. Lisa Posthumus Lyons (R-Alto)- along with parents, their sick children and Sgt. David Kelly, section commander with the Michigan State Police (MSP), Special Investigations Division with the Narcotics Section.
The Representatives explained the need for their bills to be passed. Robin Schneider, Legislative Liaison for the National Patients Rights Association (NPRA), fielded questions and directed conversation. The parents gave speeches of significance, each side-by-side with their child, their stories clearly reaching the hearts of most Committee members.
Sgt. Kelly… well, he narrated a slide show.
Provisioning Centers Act or Legalization Centers Act?
Despite the subject- fixing the medical marijuana laws in Michigan- Sgt. Kelly delivered an off-topic presentation the Committee agenda titled, “Colorado: Lessons Learned- Medical Marijuana Expansion to Recreational Marijuana.”
Before beginning his prepared comments Sgt. Kelly made a statement to the Committee that seemed to distance himself from the contents of the slide show. “I just want to make it clear that I’m not testifying, I’m just giving a presentation,” Kelly told the Representatives.
The MSP presentation included slides with titles like “Medical Marijuana’s Transition to a Legalized Structure” and featuring a series of panels covered with pictures of products created for the legalized marijuana market in other states. The presentation failed to reference a single line of language contained within either of the two bills under consideration by the Committee.
Several slides drew chuckles from the crowd and made Representatives shake their heads in disbelief. One slide, titled “The Attractiveness of Provisioning Centers in Michigan,” didn’t include any information regarding provisioning centers at all- instead, the graphic showed fuzzy math proclaiming that a single caregiver in Michigan today can produce an absurd 38,707 marijuana joints per year per patient- more than 100 joints per day!
This math was predicated upon a yield of 1 pound of dried, usable marijuana per harvested plant, a weight Kelly described as a “conservative” average. Despite the crowd’s shocked reaction to that number, Committee Chairman Rep. Kesto (R-Commerce Twp) went even further, telling the Committee that he’d visited distribution centers and experts there told him their yields vary from “One to four pounds per plant.”
These questions challenging the current limits and abilities guaranteed by the medical marijuana program led some in the crowd to speculate on Kesto’s willingness to reduce a caregiver’s current ability to produce medicine for their patient, or to take their excess marijuana to Provisioning Centers.
HB 4209 and HB 4210 would allow licensed, registered caregivers to bring their excess marijuana to Provisioning Centers, and maintains the current limit of 12 plants and 2.5 ounces allowed per patient.
The Committee Chairman asked the sergeant about the production of concentrates and the two bills.
“Do you believe that, If we move in that direction, that it would need to be extracted in a commercial location?” Kesto asked.
“Yes, I think it would be safer than extracting it in the home.”
“Do you believe (those extraction sites) should be prohibited from being in a residential area?”
“Yes,” Sgt. Kelly eventually answered.
Rep. Kesto questioned Schneider about caregiver training and raised the issue of a legalized marijuana market during session on the 28th. In an odd move, Kesto peppered NPRA’s Schneider about the medical-based organization’s position on legalized marijuana. Schneider’s response, in a nutshell: until you fix the MMMA, there’s no reason to talk about legalization in the House of Representatives.
Back to the drawing board
The House Judiciary Committee already passed these two bills, unanimously, in 2013. Rep. Kesto was on that Committee and voted to approve both bills, which are relatively unchanged. This revisit to a previously-decided topic may have gone back two years, but the MSP slide show raised issues of marijuana’s medical efficacy that were clearly decided years ago.
The presentation by Sgt. Kelly contained arguments against allowing marijuana- legal or medical- into the hands of Michigan citizens, an argument that was settled definitively in 2008 by the voters. Much of his presentation was centered around tying the availability of marijuana for medicinal purposes to the consequence for children.
Slides in the MSP program showed bottles of colorful marijuana-infused liquid that Kelly claimed unfairly targets children as the end consumer. The bottles looked remarkably similar to the flavored tequilas and margarita mixers found on liquor store shelves in nearly every neighborhood in the state.
He disclosed that the presentation “stems from a January 2015 meeting held in Colorado by their Association of the Chiefs of Police,” Sgt. Kelly told the Committee. Those included many facts and figures “as reported by the state of Colorado approximately one year after entering the legalized recreational market.”
“Lesson #1 that we can take away from Colorado is not to underestimate the marijuana lobby,” Kelly warned the Committee.
Sgt. Kelly identified the Marijuana Policy Project, the Drug Policy Alliance and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws as the big three lobbying groups. He offered that the anti-legalization campaign in Colorado spent only $450,000 fighting the initiative, adding the pro-legals spent $20 million.
The Sergeant expanded to say that MPP is a money-for-legislation “machine” who demands a “return on your investment” in the states where they sponsor legislation. That return, Kelly said, came as a twofold benefit: an “infrastructure to dispense the product, and a better product.”
Kelly paused, then stated: “The only way to make a better marijuana product is to increase the psychoactive THC levels to make it a more potent drug.”
Sitting directly behind him were Jim Powers and other parents whose children depend on medicine created from low-dose THC, high-dose CBD marijuana. The difference between the sergeant’s statement and the actual reality could not have been more stark.
A later slide asked: what would Michigan look like with Provisioning Centers? Sgt. Kelly showed slides that indicated Colorado has more legalized and recreational dispensaries combined (827) than they do McDonald’s and Starbucks franchises (632).
The second lesson, Sgt. Kelly said, was that legislators should know “today’s marijuana is not the marijuana that they remember.” Slide after slide flashed by to illustrate the increase in average THC levels over time.
Later, Kelly introduced slides and spent a significant amount of time discussing marijuana use and the development of the adolescent brain. Adolescent use of marijuana is a criminal offense and is not authorized by either of the two bills up for consideration, except as recommended under law for medicinal purposes.
During a broadcast of the Planet Green Trees Radio Show (PGT) on the 30th, attorney Michael Komorn renewed his pledge to defend any parent who faces criminal charges for the administration of concentrated cannabis to their registered pediatric patient child.
PGT co-host Rick Thompson explained that Komorn Law would “help protect pediatric patients and their parents should they find themselves run afoul of the law for possession of concentrates.”
Komorn agreed and added, under certain conditions, “Komorn Law will represent you, pro bono.”
“I just want to say, thank you,” Jim Powers interrupted. “I know of at least two cases of parents who have actually continued the cannabis therapy as a direct result of your offer… Just the mere offer has made a difference in people’s lives.”
Powers is the founder of Michigan Parents for Compassion and appeared as a guest on the PGT Show. He provided testimony to the Judiciary Committee earlier that day. ”These two bills are a huge step forward in bringing clarity to the Act and helping to expand patient protections,” he told PGT.
Testimony on the two bills will resume Thursday May 7 in the Judiciary Committee.
View HB 4210 HERE.
View HB 4209 HERE.
The formal notice is below.
Standing Committee Meeting
Judiciary, Rep. Klint Kesto, Chair
DATE: Thursday, May 7, 2015
TIME: 9:00 AM
PLACE: Room 307, House Office Building, Lansing, MI
AGENDA:
TESTIMONY ONLY:
HB 4209 (Rep. Callton) Health; medical marihuana; state and local regulation of marihuana provisioning centers; provide for.
HB 4210 (Rep. Lyons) Health; medical marihuana; marihuana-infused products; allow and regulate.
OR ANY BUSINESS PROPERLY BEFORE THIS COMMITTEE
In a meeting of the House Judiciary Committee on April 30, the 3-year old proposal called The Provisioning Centers Act and two-year old Smoking Alternatives bills were finally resurrected for debate and consideration.
Or were they?
The two bills listed on the Committee agenda are designed to correct defects in the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act (MMMA)- some caused by courts and some by the language of the MMMA itself.
One would create a system of medical marijuana dispensaries, called Provisioning Centers, which would be locally approved and state certified. The other bill would restore the legally protected status of marijuana derivatives, including foods and concentrated types of cannabis medications, allowing registered patients to be protected by law for using and creating those medicines as they were until 2013.
Instead of addressing these bills directly, the Committee spent much of their time listening to talk on issues such as the power of the “marijuana lobby,” the harm marijuana may cause to children and the possible negative effects of legalizing cannabis for adult use in Michigan.
Testifying, or not, were the two bill sponsors- Rep. Michael Callton (R-Nashville) and Rep. Lisa Posthumus Lyons (R-Alto)- along with parents, their sick children and Sgt. David Kelly, section commander with the Michigan State Police (MSP), Special Investigations Division with the Narcotics Section.
The Representatives explained the need for their bills to be passed. Robin Schneider, Legislative Liaison for the National Patients Rights Association (NPRA), fielded questions and directed conversation. The parents gave speeches of significance, each side-by-side with their child, their stories clearly reaching the hearts of most Committee members.
Sgt. Kelly… well, he narrated a slide show.
Provisioning Centers Act or Legalization Centers Act?
Despite the subject- fixing the medical marijuana laws in Michigan- Sgt. Kelly delivered an off-topic presentation the Committee agenda titled, “Colorado: Lessons Learned- Medical Marijuana Expansion to Recreational Marijuana.”
Before beginning his prepared comments Sgt. Kelly made a statement to the Committee that seemed to distance himself from the contents of the slide show. “I just want to make it clear that I’m not testifying, I’m just giving a presentation,” Kelly told the Representatives.
The MSP presentation included slides with titles like “Medical Marijuana’s Transition to a Legalized Structure” and featuring a series of panels covered with pictures of products created for the legalized marijuana market in other states. The presentation failed to reference a single line of language contained within either of the two bills under consideration by the Committee.
Several slides drew chuckles from the crowd and made Representatives shake their heads in disbelief. One slide, titled “The Attractiveness of Provisioning Centers in Michigan,” didn’t include any information regarding provisioning centers at all- instead, the graphic showed fuzzy math proclaiming that a single caregiver in Michigan today can produce an absurd 38,707 marijuana joints per year per patient- more than 100 joints per day!
This math was predicated upon a yield of 1 pound of dried, usable marijuana per harvested plant, a weight Kelly described as a “conservative” average. Despite the crowd’s shocked reaction to that number, Committee Chairman Rep. Kesto (R-Commerce Twp) went even further, telling the Committee that he’d visited distribution centers and experts there told him their yields vary from “One to four pounds per plant.”
These questions challenging the current limits and abilities guaranteed by the medical marijuana program led some in the crowd to speculate on Kesto’s willingness to reduce a caregiver’s current ability to produce medicine for their patient, or to take their excess marijuana to Provisioning Centers.
HB 4209 and HB 4210 would allow licensed, registered caregivers to bring their excess marijuana to Provisioning Centers, and maintains the current limit of 12 plants and 2.5 ounces allowed per patient.
The Committee Chairman asked the sergeant about the production of concentrates and the two bills.
“Do you believe that, If we move in that direction, that it would need to be extracted in a commercial location?” Kesto asked.
“Yes, I think it would be safer than extracting it in the home.”
“Do you believe (those extraction sites) should be prohibited from being in a residential area?”
“Yes,” Sgt. Kelly eventually answered.
Rep. Kesto questioned Schneider about caregiver training and raised the issue of a legalized marijuana market during session on the 28th. In an odd move, Kesto peppered NPRA’s Schneider about the medical-based organization’s position on legalized marijuana. Schneider’s response, in a nutshell: until you fix the MMMA, there’s no reason to talk about legalization in the House of Representatives.
Back to the drawing board
The House Judiciary Committee already passed these two bills, unanimously, in 2013. Rep. Kesto was on that Committee and voted to approve both bills, which are relatively unchanged. This revisit to a previously-decided topic may have gone back two years, but the MSP slide show raised issues of marijuana’s medical efficacy that were clearly decided years ago.
The presentation by Sgt. Kelly contained arguments against allowing marijuana- legal or medical- into the hands of Michigan citizens, an argument that was settled definitively in 2008 by the voters. Much of his presentation was centered around tying the availability of marijuana for medicinal purposes to the consequence for children.
Slides in the MSP program showed bottles of colorful marijuana-infused liquid that Kelly claimed unfairly targets children as the end consumer. The bottles looked remarkably similar to the flavored tequilas and margarita mixers found on liquor store shelves in nearly every neighborhood in the state.
He disclosed that the presentation “stems from a January 2015 meeting held in Colorado by their Association of the Chiefs of Police,” Sgt. Kelly told the Committee. Those included many facts and figures “as reported by the state of Colorado approximately one year after entering the legalized recreational market.”
“Lesson #1 that we can take away from Colorado is not to underestimate the marijuana lobby,” Kelly warned the Committee.
Sgt. Kelly identified the Marijuana Policy Project, the Drug Policy Alliance and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws as the big three lobbying groups. He offered that the anti-legalization campaign in Colorado spent only $450,000 fighting the initiative, adding the pro-legals spent $20 million.
The Sergeant expanded to say that MPP is a money-for-legislation “machine” who demands a “return on your investment” in the states where they sponsor legislation. That return, Kelly said, came as a twofold benefit: an “infrastructure to dispense the product, and a better product.”
Kelly paused, then stated: “The only way to make a better marijuana product is to increase the psychoactive THC levels to make it a more potent drug.”
Sitting directly behind him were Jim Powers and other parents whose children depend on medicine created from low-dose THC, high-dose CBD marijuana. The difference between the sergeant’s statement and the actual reality could not have been more stark.
A later slide asked: what would Michigan look like with Provisioning Centers? Sgt. Kelly showed slides that indicated Colorado has more legalized and recreational dispensaries combined (827) than they do McDonald’s and Starbucks franchises (632).
The second lesson, Sgt. Kelly said, was that legislators should know “today’s marijuana is not the marijuana that they remember.” Slide after slide flashed by to illustrate the increase in average THC levels over time.
Later, Kelly introduced slides and spent a significant amount of time discussing marijuana use and the development of the adolescent brain. Adolescent use of marijuana is a criminal offense and is not authorized by either of the two bills up for consideration, except as recommended under law for medicinal purposes.
During a broadcast of the Planet Green Trees Radio Show (PGT) on the 30th, attorney Michael Komorn renewed his pledge to defend any parent who faces criminal charges for the administration of concentrated cannabis to their registered pediatric patient child.
PGT co-host Rick Thompson explained that Komorn Law would “help protect pediatric patients and their parents should they find themselves run afoul of the law for possession of concentrates.”
Komorn agreed and added, under certain conditions, “Komorn Law will represent you, pro bono.”
“I just want to say, thank you,” Jim Powers interrupted. “I know of at least two cases of parents who have actually continued the cannabis therapy as a direct result of your offer… Just the mere offer has made a difference in people’s lives.”
Powers is the founder of Michigan Parents for Compassion and appeared as a guest on the PGT Show. He provided testimony to the Judiciary Committee earlier that day. ”These two bills are a huge step forward in bringing clarity to the Act and helping to expand patient protections,” he told PGT.
Testimony on the two bills will resume Thursday May 7 in the Judiciary Committee.
View HB 4210 HERE.
View HB 4209 HERE.
The formal notice is below.
Standing Committee Meeting
Judiciary, Rep. Klint Kesto, Chair
DATE: Thursday, May 7, 2015
TIME: 9:00 AM
PLACE: Room 307, House Office Building, Lansing, MI
AGENDA:
TESTIMONY ONLY:
HB 4209 (Rep. Callton) Health; medical marihuana; state and local regulation of marihuana provisioning centers; provide for.
HB 4210 (Rep. Lyons) Health; medical marihuana; marihuana-infused products; allow and regulate.
OR ANY BUSINESS PROPERLY BEFORE THIS COMMITTEE
oscar169
Farming 🌱
Supporter
- 2,729
- 263
Cole: Medical marijuana a "nightmare" for law enforcement
Craig Currier (231) 439-9358 - [email protected]
After failing to gain enough support at the end of last year, a pair of bills aimed at clarifying and updating Michigan's medical marijuana law are back and creeping forward in the Legislature.
House Bills 4209 and 4210 mirror proposals introduced in 2013. If they become law, the bills would legalize and regulate medical marijuana dispensaries and allow for "medibles," marijuana products that are edible and used by many who can't or prefer not to smoke the drug.
The bills were discussed Thursday morning in a state House Judiciary Committee meeting in Lansing. State House Rep. Triston Cole, R-Mancelona, is a member of the committee and said afterward the Legislature should be careful in crafting any new medical marijuana policies.
"I'm very critical of medical marijuana," Cole said. "I have concerns with how and why it's being used."
Cole, who represents a district that includes Charlevoix and Otsego counties, said the risks to public safety have to be weighed against the therapeutic benefits marijuana provides to patients.
"I'm not disputing that there are medicinal qualities in the cannabinoids, however I have a lot of hesitation with the way that they're currently produced and distributed and how dosages are laid out," he said.
Approved by voters in 2008, Michigan's medical marijuana law allows card-holding patients to avoid facing arrest, prosecution or other penalties for possessing marijuana for a medical purpose. State law limits the amount a patient or caregiver may possess at any one time to 2.5 ounces and also restricts the number of plants that may be cultivated, but it is silent on the topics of dispensaries and edible products.
In the years after the law was passed, dispensaries were widespread throughout the state and edible marijuana products were widely available, too. But separate Michigan Supreme Court rulings in 2013 made dispensaries and any "medibles" illegal. The state's attorney general told local county prosecutors at that point dispensaries may be shut down.
Lawmakers soon after began working on changes to ensure safe and proper access to medical marijuana for all patients.
"We're not here to sell you on medicinal marijuana," said state Rep. Lisa Posthumus Lyons, R-Alto, who is sponsoring the medibles bill. "We're here because the voters spoke years ago on allowing medicinal marijuana for patients and what we have, what this has created, are some issues that need to be addressed legally."
David Kelly, a section commander with the Michigan State Police in the narcotics investigation unit, said during Thursday's hearing production of non-smokable marijuana products is dangerous, especially in a residential setting where it has led to numerous explosions in recent years.
Kelly described an emerging process through which the drug is reduced down into an oil that requires butane and has led to a number of reported explosions inside homes in recent years.
Cole said all law enforcement officers he has talked to oppose medical marijuana because they don't know how to police it and are concerned about the criminal element tied to it.
"It is a nightmare from a law enforcement standpoint," he said.
Before deciding how to vote on the bills, Cole said he will seek out opinions from growers, patients, law enforcement officials and other members of his district.
The dispensary legislation, which is sponsored by Rep. Mike Callton, R-Nashville, refers to dispensaries as medical marijuana provisioning centers and allows municipalities to enact additional zoning restrictions on them, as well as place a cap on the number that may exist within their borders.
Follow @CraigCurrierPNR on Twitter.
Contact Your Legislators
107th district (for Emmet County residents) — Lee Chatfield: (517) 373-2629, [email protected]
105th district (for Charlevoix County residents) — Triston Cole: (517) 373-0829, [email protected]
http://www.petoskeynews.com/feature...cle_ba8957ce-ef33-53f0-bd82-702f79740e68.html
Craig Currier (231) 439-9358 - [email protected]
After failing to gain enough support at the end of last year, a pair of bills aimed at clarifying and updating Michigan's medical marijuana law are back and creeping forward in the Legislature.
House Bills 4209 and 4210 mirror proposals introduced in 2013. If they become law, the bills would legalize and regulate medical marijuana dispensaries and allow for "medibles," marijuana products that are edible and used by many who can't or prefer not to smoke the drug.
The bills were discussed Thursday morning in a state House Judiciary Committee meeting in Lansing. State House Rep. Triston Cole, R-Mancelona, is a member of the committee and said afterward the Legislature should be careful in crafting any new medical marijuana policies.
"I'm very critical of medical marijuana," Cole said. "I have concerns with how and why it's being used."
Cole, who represents a district that includes Charlevoix and Otsego counties, said the risks to public safety have to be weighed against the therapeutic benefits marijuana provides to patients.
"I'm not disputing that there are medicinal qualities in the cannabinoids, however I have a lot of hesitation with the way that they're currently produced and distributed and how dosages are laid out," he said.
Approved by voters in 2008, Michigan's medical marijuana law allows card-holding patients to avoid facing arrest, prosecution or other penalties for possessing marijuana for a medical purpose. State law limits the amount a patient or caregiver may possess at any one time to 2.5 ounces and also restricts the number of plants that may be cultivated, but it is silent on the topics of dispensaries and edible products.
In the years after the law was passed, dispensaries were widespread throughout the state and edible marijuana products were widely available, too. But separate Michigan Supreme Court rulings in 2013 made dispensaries and any "medibles" illegal. The state's attorney general told local county prosecutors at that point dispensaries may be shut down.
Lawmakers soon after began working on changes to ensure safe and proper access to medical marijuana for all patients.
"We're not here to sell you on medicinal marijuana," said state Rep. Lisa Posthumus Lyons, R-Alto, who is sponsoring the medibles bill. "We're here because the voters spoke years ago on allowing medicinal marijuana for patients and what we have, what this has created, are some issues that need to be addressed legally."
David Kelly, a section commander with the Michigan State Police in the narcotics investigation unit, said during Thursday's hearing production of non-smokable marijuana products is dangerous, especially in a residential setting where it has led to numerous explosions in recent years.
Kelly described an emerging process through which the drug is reduced down into an oil that requires butane and has led to a number of reported explosions inside homes in recent years.
Cole said all law enforcement officers he has talked to oppose medical marijuana because they don't know how to police it and are concerned about the criminal element tied to it.
"It is a nightmare from a law enforcement standpoint," he said.
Before deciding how to vote on the bills, Cole said he will seek out opinions from growers, patients, law enforcement officials and other members of his district.
The dispensary legislation, which is sponsored by Rep. Mike Callton, R-Nashville, refers to dispensaries as medical marijuana provisioning centers and allows municipalities to enact additional zoning restrictions on them, as well as place a cap on the number that may exist within their borders.
Follow @CraigCurrierPNR on Twitter.
Contact Your Legislators
107th district (for Emmet County residents) — Lee Chatfield: (517) 373-2629, [email protected]
105th district (for Charlevoix County residents) — Triston Cole: (517) 373-0829, [email protected]
http://www.petoskeynews.com/feature...cle_ba8957ce-ef33-53f0-bd82-702f79740e68.html
john martin
- 521
- 93
"After failing to gain enough support at the end of last year, a pair of bills"
They didn't fail to gain support, they had tons. They got sabotaged by the Sheriffs Association or whatever it is called last minute.
They didn't fail to gain support, they had tons. They got sabotaged by the Sheriffs Association or whatever it is called last minute.
oscar169
Farming 🌱
Supporter
- 2,729
- 263
Doctor who certified patients for medical marijuana without exams faces sentencing today
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - A former Grand Rapids doctor who certified some patients and caregivers for medical marijuana cards without in-person evaluations will be sentenced Monday, April 6, in federal court.
Dr. Gregory Kuldanek pleaded guilty to conspiracy to manufacture fewer than 50 marijuana plants.
As part of a plea deal, "at great risk to himself," he provided testimony against the leaders of an organization that was growing marijuana at various places in West Michigan, his attorney, Kelly Lambert III, said in a sentencing memorandum.
Kuladanek testified against Betty Jenkins and Phillip Walsh, and his cooperation likely led others to enter pleas.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Courtade asked that U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney depart from sentencing guidelines because Kuldanek provided substantial assistance to the prosecution.
Kuldanek worked for East Paris Internal Medicine Associates for nearly three decades before he was arrested last spring.
Kuldanek, 58, who had no prior criminal history, has moved to Palm Springs, Calif., with his life partner, a medical assistant.
Kuldanek had focused on treating patients with HIV and AIDS. He is unemployed, and is uncertain if his medical license will be taken.
He met patients through Jenkins and "actually believed that the patients were in need of medical marijuana for pain relief related to the various medical conditions that they presented with," Lambert wrote.
"After a while, Dr. Kuldanek began to rely upon Ms. Jenkins's word that a particular individual was in need of medical marijuana and that the patient, for whatever reason, was unable to make it to Dr. Kuldanek's office for an examination," Lambert wrote.
Kuldanek, on occasion, began meeting prospective patients at restaurants and other places, his attorney said.
He said that Kuldanek acknowledged he knew that an in-person exam was required.
"Yet, in retrospect, Dr. Kuldanek believes that he was carefully groomed and manipulated and that ... his sense of compassion was taken advantage of by Ms. Jenkins and co-defendant, Phillip Walsh," Lambert said.
He said his client was not motivated by financial gain.
The government obtained names of 66 patients and caregivers linked to the alleged drug organization by issuing a grand-jury subpoena to the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. Kuldanek had provided medical certifications to most of them, investigators said.
Police used search warrants at a home on Forest Hill Avenue SE and two four-unit apartment buildings in Gaines Township. Police say marijuana was also grown in Kuldanek's Belding property and on Alden Nash Road in Lowell Township, records showed.
Police said 467 plants and 18 pounds of processed marijuana were seized.
http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rap...ertified_patients.html#incart_related_stories
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - A former Grand Rapids doctor who certified some patients and caregivers for medical marijuana cards without in-person evaluations will be sentenced Monday, April 6, in federal court.
Dr. Gregory Kuldanek pleaded guilty to conspiracy to manufacture fewer than 50 marijuana plants.
As part of a plea deal, "at great risk to himself," he provided testimony against the leaders of an organization that was growing marijuana at various places in West Michigan, his attorney, Kelly Lambert III, said in a sentencing memorandum.
Kuladanek testified against Betty Jenkins and Phillip Walsh, and his cooperation likely led others to enter pleas.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Courtade asked that U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney depart from sentencing guidelines because Kuldanek provided substantial assistance to the prosecution.
Kuldanek worked for East Paris Internal Medicine Associates for nearly three decades before he was arrested last spring.
Kuldanek, 58, who had no prior criminal history, has moved to Palm Springs, Calif., with his life partner, a medical assistant.
Kuldanek had focused on treating patients with HIV and AIDS. He is unemployed, and is uncertain if his medical license will be taken.
He met patients through Jenkins and "actually believed that the patients were in need of medical marijuana for pain relief related to the various medical conditions that they presented with," Lambert wrote.
"After a while, Dr. Kuldanek began to rely upon Ms. Jenkins's word that a particular individual was in need of medical marijuana and that the patient, for whatever reason, was unable to make it to Dr. Kuldanek's office for an examination," Lambert wrote.
Kuldanek, on occasion, began meeting prospective patients at restaurants and other places, his attorney said.
He said that Kuldanek acknowledged he knew that an in-person exam was required.
"Yet, in retrospect, Dr. Kuldanek believes that he was carefully groomed and manipulated and that ... his sense of compassion was taken advantage of by Ms. Jenkins and co-defendant, Phillip Walsh," Lambert said.
He said his client was not motivated by financial gain.
The government obtained names of 66 patients and caregivers linked to the alleged drug organization by issuing a grand-jury subpoena to the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. Kuldanek had provided medical certifications to most of them, investigators said.
Police used search warrants at a home on Forest Hill Avenue SE and two four-unit apartment buildings in Gaines Township. Police say marijuana was also grown in Kuldanek's Belding property and on Alden Nash Road in Lowell Township, records showed.
Police said 467 plants and 18 pounds of processed marijuana were seized.
http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rap...ertified_patients.html#incart_related_stories
oscar169
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Grand Rapids doctor sentenced in marijuana case acted out of 'compassion,' attorney says
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - A former Grand Rapids doctor was motivated by compassion, not greed, when he certified patients for use of medical marijuana and allowed marijuana to be grown in his home, his attorney said.
Still, Dr. Gregory Kuldanek, 58, recognized he was breaking the law.
Kuldanek was sentenced Monday, April 6, to three months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney in Kalamazoo.
The judge said Kuldanek will spend two years on supervised release once the prison term ends.
Related: Doctor certified patients for medical marijuana use without evaluations, records show
Related: Two convicted of conspiracy in $1.3 million medical marijuana operation
Kuldanek was fined $25,000. He has already surrendered property at 13350 Seven Mile Road NE in Belding.
He was one of 10 linked to a multi-county marijuana grow operation. Participants contended they were growing medical marijuana.
Kuldanek, whose practice focused on patients with HIV and AIDS, believed he was helping others by certifying patients for use of medical marijuana outside of his office. The government said he certified groups of patients at restaurants but sometimes did not meet them at all.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Courtade asked the judge to consider Kuldanek's help upon his arrest. Kuldanek testified against the alleged leaders, Betty Jenkins and Phillip Walsh, who await sentencing.
His attorney, Kelly Lambert III, said his client was "carefully groomed and manipulated and that and his sense of compassion was taken advantage of by Ms. Jenkins and co-defendant, Phillip Walsh."
He said his client did not benefit financially.
"In short, it is clear that Dr. Kuldanek was not primarily motivated by financial gain. Instead, Dr. Kuldanek acted out of misguided concern for alleviating perceived pain," the attorney wrote in a sentencing memorandum.
"Dr. Kuldanek having been motivated by misguided altruism and compassion as opposed to greed is further evidenced by his medical practice both before and after the events giving rise to the information in this matter."
Kuldanek worked 28 years at East Paris Internal Medicine Associates, P.C. until he was arrested.
Lambert said his client left Grand Rapids for Palm Springs, California, where he served homeless patients in an open clinic setting beginning in August. He lost that job, however, in December because his malpractice insurance provider dropped him.
Several people wrote letters on Kuldanek's behalf. One friend, who was down after losing his mother, said Kuldanek covered his delinquent taxes twice before he almost lost his home. Kuldanek also sold him a truck for $100 when he needed a vehicle.
He said he was embarrassed "to say that on my behalf, it's been all take and no give."
Another patient said Kuldanek even made house calls. He said it "would be a crime to prevent Dr. Kuldanek from continuing to practice medicine and continuing to give his level of care and professionalism that is so rare to find."
Dr. William Foley III, who worked with Kuldanek for 28 years, said he understood Kuldanek certifying patients because of "his long-standing desire to help relieve the suffering of his patients. I have observed him over the years to have cared for patients with serious problems such as AIDS, developmental disabilities, cancer and many other severe and chronic pain and suffering. This I believe (led) him to be vulnerable to the idea that he was helping people with medical problems to relieve their suffering as he has always been a vary caring, compassionate physician."
He said Kuldanek was "ashamed" to be part of the marijuana operation.
Kuldanek remains free and will self-surrender when notified by the U.S. Marshals Service where he will serve his sentence.
http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2015/04/grand_rapids_doctor_sentenced.html
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - A former Grand Rapids doctor was motivated by compassion, not greed, when he certified patients for use of medical marijuana and allowed marijuana to be grown in his home, his attorney said.
Still, Dr. Gregory Kuldanek, 58, recognized he was breaking the law.
Kuldanek was sentenced Monday, April 6, to three months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney in Kalamazoo.
The judge said Kuldanek will spend two years on supervised release once the prison term ends.
Related: Doctor certified patients for medical marijuana use without evaluations, records show
Related: Two convicted of conspiracy in $1.3 million medical marijuana operation
Kuldanek was fined $25,000. He has already surrendered property at 13350 Seven Mile Road NE in Belding.
He was one of 10 linked to a multi-county marijuana grow operation. Participants contended they were growing medical marijuana.
Kuldanek, whose practice focused on patients with HIV and AIDS, believed he was helping others by certifying patients for use of medical marijuana outside of his office. The government said he certified groups of patients at restaurants but sometimes did not meet them at all.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Courtade asked the judge to consider Kuldanek's help upon his arrest. Kuldanek testified against the alleged leaders, Betty Jenkins and Phillip Walsh, who await sentencing.
His attorney, Kelly Lambert III, said his client was "carefully groomed and manipulated and that and his sense of compassion was taken advantage of by Ms. Jenkins and co-defendant, Phillip Walsh."
He said his client did not benefit financially.
"In short, it is clear that Dr. Kuldanek was not primarily motivated by financial gain. Instead, Dr. Kuldanek acted out of misguided concern for alleviating perceived pain," the attorney wrote in a sentencing memorandum.
"Dr. Kuldanek having been motivated by misguided altruism and compassion as opposed to greed is further evidenced by his medical practice both before and after the events giving rise to the information in this matter."
Kuldanek worked 28 years at East Paris Internal Medicine Associates, P.C. until he was arrested.
Lambert said his client left Grand Rapids for Palm Springs, California, where he served homeless patients in an open clinic setting beginning in August. He lost that job, however, in December because his malpractice insurance provider dropped him.
Several people wrote letters on Kuldanek's behalf. One friend, who was down after losing his mother, said Kuldanek covered his delinquent taxes twice before he almost lost his home. Kuldanek also sold him a truck for $100 when he needed a vehicle.
He said he was embarrassed "to say that on my behalf, it's been all take and no give."
Another patient said Kuldanek even made house calls. He said it "would be a crime to prevent Dr. Kuldanek from continuing to practice medicine and continuing to give his level of care and professionalism that is so rare to find."
Dr. William Foley III, who worked with Kuldanek for 28 years, said he understood Kuldanek certifying patients because of "his long-standing desire to help relieve the suffering of his patients. I have observed him over the years to have cared for patients with serious problems such as AIDS, developmental disabilities, cancer and many other severe and chronic pain and suffering. This I believe (led) him to be vulnerable to the idea that he was helping people with medical problems to relieve their suffering as he has always been a vary caring, compassionate physician."
He said Kuldanek was "ashamed" to be part of the marijuana operation.
Kuldanek remains free and will self-surrender when notified by the U.S. Marshals Service where he will serve his sentence.
http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2015/04/grand_rapids_doctor_sentenced.html
oscar169
Farming 🌱
Supporter
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Two convicted of conspiracy in $1.3 million medical marijuana operation
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Two Kent County residents have been convicted of running a medical marijuana operation that authorities say brought in about $1.3 million.
Jurors in U.S. District Court on Monday, Jan. 12, found Betty Lee Jenkins and Phillip Joseph Walsh guilty of conspiracy to manufacture marijuana and maintaining drug-involved premises following a six-day trial in Kalamazoo.
The trial before Judge Paul Maloney included testimony from some co-defendants who have pleaded guilty for their roles in the operation that began in 2012.
Much of the marijuana, which the government said made the conspirators $1,293,600, was sold outside of the state. The government said Jenkins and Walsh, with the assistance of eight others, grew more than 100 plants at more than 10 properties. Court documents pointed to Jenkins as the leader of the operation.
The defendants contended they thought they acted within guidelines of the state’s medical marijuana law. The government alleged their claims of compliance were a "ruse to shield them from state prosecution."
Maloney ruled against those who wanted to use the state’s medical marijuana law as a defense.
In November 2013, officers with the Kent Area Narcotics Enforcement Team and Drug Enforcement Agency were investigating an alleged marijuana manufacturing operation run by Kathleen Anne Rosengren in Cascade Township. She told police she provided Jenkins with two large garbage bags of harvested marijuana that Jenkins took to her Kentwood home. Rosengren later pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute less than 50 kg of marijuana.
RELATED: Medical marijuana grower finds no relief in federal law change, alleged leader of Kent County operation on trial
Detectives executed a search warrant at Jenkins' home, and that raid led them to apartment buildings in Gaines Township where marijuana was being grown.
Neither Jenkins nor Walsh lived at the apartment properties but allowed tenants to stay there rent free or for a reduced fee in exchange for growing marijuana, the government said.
Jenkins and Walsh were arrested in April, at which time officers found the two were continuing to manufacture marijuana at three locations.
In total, police seized 467 marijuana plants and 18 pounds of processed marijuana.
Among the others accused of aiding the operation is Dr. Gregory Kuldanek, who admitted to certifying medical-marijuana patients and caregivers without providing medical evaluations. He pleaded guilty to manufacturing fewer than 50 marijuana plants and forfeited property in Belding, which he rented to Jenkins, according to court records.
The government is seeking forfeiture of the properties where marijuana was grown as well as a judgment of $1,293,600 representing the proceeds of the conspiracy. A forfeiture hearing is set for Tuesday.
http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2015/01/two_convicted_of_conspiracy_fo.html
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Two Kent County residents have been convicted of running a medical marijuana operation that authorities say brought in about $1.3 million.
Jurors in U.S. District Court on Monday, Jan. 12, found Betty Lee Jenkins and Phillip Joseph Walsh guilty of conspiracy to manufacture marijuana and maintaining drug-involved premises following a six-day trial in Kalamazoo.
The trial before Judge Paul Maloney included testimony from some co-defendants who have pleaded guilty for their roles in the operation that began in 2012.
Much of the marijuana, which the government said made the conspirators $1,293,600, was sold outside of the state. The government said Jenkins and Walsh, with the assistance of eight others, grew more than 100 plants at more than 10 properties. Court documents pointed to Jenkins as the leader of the operation.
The defendants contended they thought they acted within guidelines of the state’s medical marijuana law. The government alleged their claims of compliance were a "ruse to shield them from state prosecution."
Maloney ruled against those who wanted to use the state’s medical marijuana law as a defense.
In November 2013, officers with the Kent Area Narcotics Enforcement Team and Drug Enforcement Agency were investigating an alleged marijuana manufacturing operation run by Kathleen Anne Rosengren in Cascade Township. She told police she provided Jenkins with two large garbage bags of harvested marijuana that Jenkins took to her Kentwood home. Rosengren later pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute less than 50 kg of marijuana.
RELATED: Medical marijuana grower finds no relief in federal law change, alleged leader of Kent County operation on trial
Detectives executed a search warrant at Jenkins' home, and that raid led them to apartment buildings in Gaines Township where marijuana was being grown.
Neither Jenkins nor Walsh lived at the apartment properties but allowed tenants to stay there rent free or for a reduced fee in exchange for growing marijuana, the government said.
Jenkins and Walsh were arrested in April, at which time officers found the two were continuing to manufacture marijuana at three locations.
In total, police seized 467 marijuana plants and 18 pounds of processed marijuana.
Among the others accused of aiding the operation is Dr. Gregory Kuldanek, who admitted to certifying medical-marijuana patients and caregivers without providing medical evaluations. He pleaded guilty to manufacturing fewer than 50 marijuana plants and forfeited property in Belding, which he rented to Jenkins, according to court records.
The government is seeking forfeiture of the properties where marijuana was grown as well as a judgment of $1,293,600 representing the proceeds of the conspiracy. A forfeiture hearing is set for Tuesday.
http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2015/01/two_convicted_of_conspiracy_fo.html
oscar169
Farming 🌱
Supporter
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Ex-con faces federal charges over marijuana grow operations, ammunition
FLINT, MI -- A Flint ex-con is facing federal charges after authorities say they discovered a large amount of ammunition in his home and two marijuana-growing operations.
Investigators filed a complaint Thursday, April 30, in Flint U.S. District Court against the man, who is not being identified because he has not yet been indicted or arraigned on any charges, after multiple search warrants allegedly uncovered the drugs and ammunition.
An affidavit filed with the complaint by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives claims a search warrant was originally executed Feb. 12, 2014, at a home on the 7000 block of Brewer Road.
Agents seized numerous firearms, more than 2,100 rounds of ammunition, more than 80 marijuana plants and already processed marijuana, according to the affidavit.
A second search warrant was executed more than a year later at the 30-year-old suspect's new home on Crawford Street.
Authorities allege they executed a search warrant April 29 at the suspect's home on the 700 block of Crawford Street, according to the affidavit.
During the search, agents allegedly discovered 20 marijuana plants, boxes ammunition and multiple components for processing ammunition, including a large garbage bag with shell casings, boxes of shotgun wads, boxes of bullets and primers.
Court records show the suspect was previously convicted of first-degree home invasion and assault with intent to rob following a 2003 incident in Linden and 2012 Flint conviction of assaulting/resisting/obstructing police.
He was released Tuesday, May 5, on $50,000 unsecured bond. A preliminary exam is set for May 21.
http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2015/05/ex-con_faces_federal_charges_o.html
FLINT, MI -- A Flint ex-con is facing federal charges after authorities say they discovered a large amount of ammunition in his home and two marijuana-growing operations.
Investigators filed a complaint Thursday, April 30, in Flint U.S. District Court against the man, who is not being identified because he has not yet been indicted or arraigned on any charges, after multiple search warrants allegedly uncovered the drugs and ammunition.
An affidavit filed with the complaint by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives claims a search warrant was originally executed Feb. 12, 2014, at a home on the 7000 block of Brewer Road.
Agents seized numerous firearms, more than 2,100 rounds of ammunition, more than 80 marijuana plants and already processed marijuana, according to the affidavit.
A second search warrant was executed more than a year later at the 30-year-old suspect's new home on Crawford Street.
Authorities allege they executed a search warrant April 29 at the suspect's home on the 700 block of Crawford Street, according to the affidavit.
During the search, agents allegedly discovered 20 marijuana plants, boxes ammunition and multiple components for processing ammunition, including a large garbage bag with shell casings, boxes of shotgun wads, boxes of bullets and primers.
Court records show the suspect was previously convicted of first-degree home invasion and assault with intent to rob following a 2003 incident in Linden and 2012 Flint conviction of assaulting/resisting/obstructing police.
He was released Tuesday, May 5, on $50,000 unsecured bond. A preliminary exam is set for May 21.
http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2015/05/ex-con_faces_federal_charges_o.html
oscar169
Farming 🌱
Supporter
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East Lansing approves marijuana decriminalization proposal
LANSING, MI — Voters in East Lansing are the latest in Michigan to approve lessening local marijuana ordinances.
With 16 out of 17 precincts reporting late Tuesday night, 2,973 voters, or 65.57 percent, approved a charter amendment to repeal the city of East Lansing's current marijuana ordinances.
Now, the use, possession and transfer of up to 1 ounce of the marijuana is legal for people 21 years or older on private property.
Attorney Jeff Hank, who spearheaded the campaign, said he was pleased with the results. Between a statewide proposal being on the ballot, other city charter questions, the rain and finals week at Michigan State University, he didn't know what the turnout would be.
He said he hopes the proposal will have a positive effect in the lives of people in East Lansing.
"We don't want to see the arrests" related to marijuana possession, Hank said, or have people caught in the criminal justice system.
Hank said the East Lansing vote, like others that have passed in communities across Michigan, should send a clear message to Lansing about legalizing and taxing marijuana.
"Time and time again we keep winning elections," Hank said. "The message is clear, the legislature and the governor has to start this conversation."
Hank also chairs the Michigan Comprehensive Cannabis Law Reform Committee, which seeks to put a statewide proposal on the 2016 ballot to legalize, regulate and tax marijuana in Michigan. He noted that while Proposal 1 failed to raise money for roads on Tuesday, there could be more money coming into the state if it taxes marijuana.
He said Tuesday night he wants to sit down with Snyder and the legislature to discuss their plan to tax the drug.
East Lansing Mayor Nathan Triplett supported the ballot proposal, but said much will likely not change in East Lansing.
"I expect the impact on our community to be very minimal," Triplett said.
In the past fiscal year, there were 23 use or possession citations issued, Triplett said, and that East Lansing police have made marijuana enforcement a low priority.
The proposal will not impact Michigan State University and current state and federal laws still in effect. This could cause some confusion, Triplett said, so the city and University will work on explaining the rules to residents and students.
While Triplett he supports local control on several issues, marijuana is not one of those. Like Hank, he hopes the passage will send a message to the state legislature to address marijuana legislation.
http://www.mlive.com/lansing-news/index.ssf/2015/05/east_lansing_approves_marijuan.html
LANSING, MI — Voters in East Lansing are the latest in Michigan to approve lessening local marijuana ordinances.
With 16 out of 17 precincts reporting late Tuesday night, 2,973 voters, or 65.57 percent, approved a charter amendment to repeal the city of East Lansing's current marijuana ordinances.
Now, the use, possession and transfer of up to 1 ounce of the marijuana is legal for people 21 years or older on private property.
Attorney Jeff Hank, who spearheaded the campaign, said he was pleased with the results. Between a statewide proposal being on the ballot, other city charter questions, the rain and finals week at Michigan State University, he didn't know what the turnout would be.
He said he hopes the proposal will have a positive effect in the lives of people in East Lansing.
"We don't want to see the arrests" related to marijuana possession, Hank said, or have people caught in the criminal justice system.
Hank said the East Lansing vote, like others that have passed in communities across Michigan, should send a clear message to Lansing about legalizing and taxing marijuana.
"Time and time again we keep winning elections," Hank said. "The message is clear, the legislature and the governor has to start this conversation."
Hank also chairs the Michigan Comprehensive Cannabis Law Reform Committee, which seeks to put a statewide proposal on the 2016 ballot to legalize, regulate and tax marijuana in Michigan. He noted that while Proposal 1 failed to raise money for roads on Tuesday, there could be more money coming into the state if it taxes marijuana.
He said Tuesday night he wants to sit down with Snyder and the legislature to discuss their plan to tax the drug.
East Lansing Mayor Nathan Triplett supported the ballot proposal, but said much will likely not change in East Lansing.
"I expect the impact on our community to be very minimal," Triplett said.
In the past fiscal year, there were 23 use or possession citations issued, Triplett said, and that East Lansing police have made marijuana enforcement a low priority.
The proposal will not impact Michigan State University and current state and federal laws still in effect. This could cause some confusion, Triplett said, so the city and University will work on explaining the rules to residents and students.
While Triplett he supports local control on several issues, marijuana is not one of those. Like Hank, he hopes the passage will send a message to the state legislature to address marijuana legislation.
http://www.mlive.com/lansing-news/index.ssf/2015/05/east_lansing_approves_marijuan.html
oscar169
Farming 🌱
Supporter
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Cadillac Man Arrested for Having Marijuana in School Zone
A harassment call turned into a drug bust in Cadillac, because a man was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Cadillac police got a call that a man was causing problems at Bieners Pizza, across the street from the high school.
Officers found two men who matched the description and then discovered marijuana on one them.
Matthew Weese could be facing up to 40 years in prison for having marijuana in a school zone.
Police say he was carrying many small bags of the drug in a backpack.
But he wasn't the man police were actually looking for.
They found him later.
That incident was resolved peacefully.
http://www.9and10news.com/story/29004150/cadillac-man-arrested-for-having-marijuana-in-school-zone
A harassment call turned into a drug bust in Cadillac, because a man was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Cadillac police got a call that a man was causing problems at Bieners Pizza, across the street from the high school.
Officers found two men who matched the description and then discovered marijuana on one them.
Matthew Weese could be facing up to 40 years in prison for having marijuana in a school zone.
Police say he was carrying many small bags of the drug in a backpack.
But he wasn't the man police were actually looking for.
They found him later.
That incident was resolved peacefully.
http://www.9and10news.com/story/29004150/cadillac-man-arrested-for-having-marijuana-in-school-zone
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