R
Roddy
Guest
(This is a snippings of the news in The Daily Telegram Sunday Aug 14, whole story is quite lengthy and I think may be found on lenconnect dot com Anything I leave out is merely fluff and not me censoring for effect)
Lansing-Prompted by an abundance of pot-oriented shops, confused law enforcement officials and numerous disputes, some Michigan lawmakers are planning a major push to change or clarify a voter approved state law allowing marijuana to be used for medical purposes.
New bills are being drafted for introduction to the state legislature within the next few months, joining some that already have been introduced. The bills would require stricter doctor-patient relationships before a patient could get authorization to use the drug and likely cut down on the number of marijuana dispensaries in the state.
blah blah blah...
"The intent is to define and fill in the holes" Said Rep. John Walsh, a Republican from Livonia and one of the main architects of the upcoming legislative package. "Today, there's not enough definition in the law" Said Rep. Richard LeBlanc, a Democrat from Westland. "Law enforcement needs some definition so they know what's legal and what's not."
Lansing's Michigan Avenue, within a few miles of the state Capitol, offers a glimpse of why some lawmakers say the medical marijuana program has spiraled beyond the voters' intent of offering pain relief to patients with debilitating conditions. More than half a dozen, easily visible storefronts connected to medical marijuana have opened in a two mile stretch within walking distance of schools, churches and homeless shelters.
"Dispensaries - pot shops, drug houses, whatever you want to call them," Said Attorney General Bill Schuette, who worries the state law has so many holes it allows drugs to get into the wrong hands. "This law has been hijacked by drug dealers who want to make money, line their pockets, by selling drugs and making a huge profit." Sixteen states have legalized the medical use of marijuana, with programs in various phases of development. Other states have seen similar confusion over their laws, including raids and debate over local regulations in California and disputes over which doctors can recommend medical marijuana in Colorado.
Michigan has issued more than 80,000 patient registrations blah blah blah...
Business owners contend dispensaries and collective growing facilities are legal because nothing in the law prohibits them. Some local communities have decided dispensaries should be illegal or heavily zoned because state law is largely silent or unclear, and federal law continues to ban possession of the drug.
Blah Blah Blah...blah blah blah...etc etc....
"Changes are long overdue," said Michael Thomas, the prosecuting attorney from Saginaw County. "It's left police officers, it's left prosecutors with a lot of confusion over what the law is."
Lansing-Prompted by an abundance of pot-oriented shops, confused law enforcement officials and numerous disputes, some Michigan lawmakers are planning a major push to change or clarify a voter approved state law allowing marijuana to be used for medical purposes.
New bills are being drafted for introduction to the state legislature within the next few months, joining some that already have been introduced. The bills would require stricter doctor-patient relationships before a patient could get authorization to use the drug and likely cut down on the number of marijuana dispensaries in the state.
blah blah blah...
"The intent is to define and fill in the holes" Said Rep. John Walsh, a Republican from Livonia and one of the main architects of the upcoming legislative package. "Today, there's not enough definition in the law" Said Rep. Richard LeBlanc, a Democrat from Westland. "Law enforcement needs some definition so they know what's legal and what's not."
Lansing's Michigan Avenue, within a few miles of the state Capitol, offers a glimpse of why some lawmakers say the medical marijuana program has spiraled beyond the voters' intent of offering pain relief to patients with debilitating conditions. More than half a dozen, easily visible storefronts connected to medical marijuana have opened in a two mile stretch within walking distance of schools, churches and homeless shelters.
"Dispensaries - pot shops, drug houses, whatever you want to call them," Said Attorney General Bill Schuette, who worries the state law has so many holes it allows drugs to get into the wrong hands. "This law has been hijacked by drug dealers who want to make money, line their pockets, by selling drugs and making a huge profit." Sixteen states have legalized the medical use of marijuana, with programs in various phases of development. Other states have seen similar confusion over their laws, including raids and debate over local regulations in California and disputes over which doctors can recommend medical marijuana in Colorado.
Michigan has issued more than 80,000 patient registrations blah blah blah...
Business owners contend dispensaries and collective growing facilities are legal because nothing in the law prohibits them. Some local communities have decided dispensaries should be illegal or heavily zoned because state law is largely silent or unclear, and federal law continues to ban possession of the drug.
Blah Blah Blah...blah blah blah...etc etc....
"Changes are long overdue," said Michael Thomas, the prosecuting attorney from Saginaw County. "It's left police officers, it's left prosecutors with a lot of confusion over what the law is."
