Fired up: Legality of medical marijuana dispensaries an issue of debate in Michigan
Ann Arbor resident Chuck Ream says he smokes marijuana to help with a gastrointestinal problem he's had since 1968.
Lon Horwedel | AnnArbor.com
On Sept. 30, three armed gunmen broke into the Liberty Clinic dispensary on Main Street in Ann Arbor, robbing the employees and customers inside, police say.
Both instances involved marijuana, dispensaries, violence and guns. And both ended with criminal charges — in one case against three men accused of robbing a clinic, and in the other, against the owner of a clinic.
Marijuana dispensary owners in Michigan appear to be under fire from all sides.
From criminal concerns to regulations, municipalities and law enforcement officials are trying to figure out what to do with a phenomenon that was never part of the state law passed in 2008: dispensaries.
The Michigan Medical Marihuana Act addresses several aspects of the burgeoning business:
• Qualified patients and caregivers can possess up to 12 plants and/or 2.5 ounces of harvested material, with the plants maintained in a locked and enclosed facility.
• Patients can designate a caregiver to grow their plants, and each caregiver can have up to five patients.
But absent from the law is any language addressing dispensaries, which have popped up all over the state since the law went into effect in April 2009. At least 12 or 13 clinics are operating in the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti area.
Calling themselves cooperatives, health collectives or compassion centers, dispensaries are places where patients with qualifying medical conditions — like cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain and other afflictions listed in the state act — can purchase medical marijuana.
A controlled substance — which marijuana is considered under federal law — can’t technically be sold by caregivers, the state law says. That’s why dispensaries are set up as non-profits or cooperatives that take “donations” for services in exchange for product. Owners say that set-up also follows the law’s “spirit of compassion.”
The laws
Around the country, 15 states and the District of Columbia allow for the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. Seven specifically allow dispensaries.
Like most states where medical marijuana is legal, Michigan requires patients to register. That may provide protection from arrest for possessing some marijuana for personal medical use, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, a non-partisan organization that tracks states’ legislative trends. With a physician’s recommendation, the proper paperwork and a fee of $100 — $25 for certain low-income individuals -- a prospective patient gets the right to use marijuana for medicinal purposes and a state registry ID card.
Around Ann Arbor, some dispensaries employ doctors who provide recommendations for those who want to become medical marijuana patients. Other medical marijuana hopefuls receive a recommendation from a family doctor, while some physicians refuse to sign off on medical marijuana.
In Michigan, the office administering the law finds itself under a crushing “tidal wave of paperwork” from individuals trying to register to receive an ID card, said Celeste Clarkson, manager of the registry program. Her office receives between 150 and 850 applications a day, she said. The card expires after one year, compounding the workload.
But the federal government sees no difference between “medical marihuana,” as it’s called under Michigan law, and the street drug.
Marijuana is classified as a Schedule 1 substance under the Controlled Substances Act, placing it in the same category as methamphetamine, heroin, LSD and Mescalin. Schedule I substances are illegal, considered to have a high potential for dependency and have no accepted medical use. Comparatively, cocaine is classified as a schedule II substance “because there are legitimate medical uses in some surgical procedures,” said Rich Isaacson, a special agent for the Detroit division of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Chuck Ream's Oaksterdam University faculty ID badge sits on his dining room table. Oaksterdam's website says it is the nation's first cannabis college and was founded in 2007 to provide students with the highest quality training for the cannabis industry.
Lon Horwedel | AnnArbor.com
“The DEA doesn’t use its resources to target the people who are following state law,” Isaacson said.
In October 2009, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder sent a memo to federal prosecutors discouraging them from prosecuting those who distribute marijuana for medical purposes in accordance with state law.
Amid that contradiction between federal and Michigan law — and confusion in the state law -- different counties have approached the issue differently.
To Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper, it’s crystal clear.
“In Michigan, the act does not authorize dispensaries or cooperatives,” Cooper wrote in a Detroit Free Press editorial. “We constantly read about townships and cities agonizing over how to zone medical marihuana dispensaries. The answer is simple. No dispensaries are allowed under Michigan law and they are clearly prohibited under federal law.”
Cooper said by e-mail that numerous individuals use the MMMA as a shield for criminal activities, something voters didn’t anticipate when they approved the new law by 63 percent of the vote.
She wouldn’t discuss specifics or say how many raids have been conducted or how many marijuana clinics have been shut down in Oakland County. “We do not keep track on the basis of defenses (spurious or otherwise),” she said.
But a few of those raided are talking.
Teichman, whose home was raided in August, works as a product engineer for an automaker, and he and his wife, Candace, own a diner called Everybody’s Café in Waterford Township.
They started opening the café doors after hours to medical marijuana cardholders interested in talking shop and trading product in February, at members-only gatherings commonly referred to as compassion clubs. At the meetings, registered medical marijuana users also smoked pot at the restaurant. In June, the Teichmans opened a new business, a medical marijuana dispensary called Herbal Remedies.
Herbal Remedies lasted 33 days before a narcotics squad raided it, along with Teichman’s restaurant and home. Police took cash, computers, passports, guns and four years of tax records for his restaurant. Teichman said Tuesday he hasn’t gotten any of it back. He said the six weapons taken were registered -- he hunts with his two sons and is a concealed pistol permit holder.
According to the Oakland Press, the Teichmans were among 20 individuals busted Aug. 25 for providing pot. Now, the couple faces felony charges in Oakland County court related to the delivery and manufacturing of marijuana, Bill Teichman said. In court, the Teichmans’ attorney said undercover cops used fake medical marijuana ID cards to purchase marijuana and orchestrate the bust. The attorney called that move as “entrapment.”
The Midwest Cultivator, a one-year-old, Ypsilanti-based medical marijuana trade publication, has undertaken a series on drug raids.
Charmie Gholson, co-owner and editor of the pro-pot publication, admits criminal activity is likely connected to some dispensaries.
“We’re emerging from the black market,” she said. “There are people coming in from out of state who want to get in on this gold rush, and there are people who are going to maintain that criminal element of their life.”
But she points out some of those being raided are everyday people without criminal ambitions who thought they were following the law.
In Washtenaw County, no medical marijuana clinic raids have occurred, authorities said. And this area has long had a more lax attitude when it comes to pot smoking.
Ann Arbor is home to the yearly Hash Bash and decriminalized marijuana long ago -- making possession of a small amount of pot a $5 civil infraction ticket (now $25). Ann Arbor approved its own medical marijuana laws four years ahead of the rest of the state.
Washtenaw County Prosecutor Brian Mackie said he didn’t vote to legalize medical marijuana and doesn’t think dispensaries are legally allowed.
Mackie said he’s concerned about people using marijuana and driving, an offense that carries a penalty of 93 days in jail and/or fines between $100 and $500 and/or 360 hours of community service on a first offense. The status as a medical marijuana cardholder doesn’t legalize driving while under the influence of marijuana.
The clinics
Owners and proponents of dispensaries say it’s about the medicine and compassion for the suffering -- not about making money.
Magdalena Cox, co-owner of a dispensary called the Green Bee Collective at 401 S. Maple Road, said her place isn’t a “pot shop.”
“We’re there to help the sick so they don’t have to go on the street corner,” she said.
The Liberty Clinic is located in rented office space at 206 S. Main Street, where the odor of marijuana was present on a recent day. Loud music blared, and a crowd of people waited in chairs and on their feet for their chance to purchase marijuana from a back room. They cheered when a patron emerged and announced he had won the week’s raffle and a free eighth of an ounce of weed.
Liberty Clinic is owned by James Chaney, who goes by Chainsaw and has been convicted of drug trafficking in Ohio, records show. He did not return calls from AnnArbor.com.
"Super Lemon Haze" medical marijuana available at the 3rd Coast Compassion Center in Ypsilanti.
Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com
OM business partners Keith Lambert and Christian Davis founded the dispensary.
They want OM to be “a dispensary you could send your grandma to,” Davis said.
“We want to be something Ann Arbor would be proud of,” Lambert added. “A good reflection of the city.”
Long-time medical marijuana activist Chuck Ream said local supporters like himself feel relatively safe in Washtenaw County in their efforts to provide medicine to sick people. Ream is a partner in MedMAR Pharmaceuticals Inc., a dispensary at 1818 Packard in Ann Arbor.
“Outside of Washtenaw County, people are being destroyed for trying to help people who are sick,” he said.
Ream said MedMAR’s business partners poured $100,000 into improving a disintegrating, vacant building. He declined to name the business partners, but said they’re involved in the construction and automotive industries.
At MedMAR, an office space with a soothing vibe and comfortable beige couches, the marijuana is kept locked up, behind a wall outfitted with two-way mirrors. At dispensaries, back rooms like MedMAR’s are only accessible to those who hold state-issued cards.
Those involved with dispensaries say they’re concerned about crime and take measures to prevent it.
“I want a high-quality industry where people are in it for the patients,” Ream said. “Any one stupid person can destroy it for all of us.”
Lambert of OM said safety is a top priority.
“We keep our product in safes and in locked rooms,” he said. “We want it to be safe.”
Economic boon
Dispensary partners say the clinics create job growth in a stagnant economy.
3rd Coast Compassion Center in Ypsilanti, which opened Jan. 1, considers itself to be the first public dispensary in the state of Michigan, partner Darrell Stavros said.
The clinic at 19 N. Hamilton St. in downtown Ypsilanti has its own online TV station and employs 11 people, Stavros said. He said neighboring businesses have been supportive of his efforts.
Abe Asani has owned 24-hour diner Abe’s Coney Island for 25 years. It’s down the street from 3rd Coast.
Because of 3rd Coast, more people are coming to Ypsilanti, he said.
“In this economy, every little thing helps. Not just me, everybody in the area. It helps business,” he said.
3rd Coast partner Jamie Lowell said the building — it has in its various incarnations been a funeral home and a mortgage company — was vacant for several years before the clinic moved in. The 7,000-square foot space is also home to The Midwest Cultivator and Puff Danny’s Glass Boutique, which bills itself as a “high-quality head shop” with Michigan blown glass.
Future of dispensaries
After a number of dispensaries moved in locally, municipalities took swift action to decide if — and how — to regulate them.
“We’ve tried to provide reasonable regulations for businesses that are going to operate as dispensaries, and those include certain safety requirements and limitations of total licenses,” Ann Arbor city attorney Stephen Postema said.
Among the actions by cities, townships and villages:
• The Ypsilanti Township Board of Trustees passed a zoning ordinance addressing dispensaries in May 2010, without a moratorium, said Mike Radzik, director of the township’s office of community standards. Its zoning ordinances says dispensaries and nurseries have to be at least 1,000 feet apart and cannot be within 1,000 feet of a public library, school or college, place of worship, residential district, or child care organization. Marijuana can’t be consumed at a dispensary or a nursery.
• The Ypsilanti City Council approved a three-month moratorium in July on new licenses for medical marijuana businesses, but approved a zoning ordinance Wednesday. It now allows dispensaries in three city business districts. The dispensaries cannot be within 1,000 feet of a school, and marijuana can’t be grown or consumed on the premises. The city will allow for grow facilities, places where multiple caregivers can grow their plants under one roof, in certain industrial districts. Grow facilities and dispensaries must be at least 500 feet apart. A licensing ordinance that addresses dispensaries is expected to come before the council in January, city planner Teresa Gillotti said.
• The Ann Arbor City Council instituted 60-day moratorium in November while it simultaneously crafts zoning and licensing regulations. The latest ordinance discussed Monday would cap the total number of dispensaries at 15 and ban those convicted of a misdemeanor involving any controlled substance or any felony from operating them. The city would charge a to-be-determined fee for an annual license and require dispensary partners to list all affiliated business managers and physicians.
• Saline banned them outright, while Chelsea officials are expected to vote to ban dispensaries later this month.
• Dexter and Dexter Township both have moratoriums in place while planners discuss possible regulations.
Different opinions
Individual opinions about dispensaries vary.
Ben Ogren, a 20-year-old Washtenaw Community College student, said he favors dispensaries. He is a qualified patient with sinus problems, he said.
Medical marijuana cards are popular among college students, according to Ogren.
“Pretty much everyone is doing the whole dispensary thing,” he said.
Faith Hopp, a Wayne State University professor who lives in Pittsfield Township, voted in favor of the law in 2008. She doesn’t use medical marijuana, but has friends who do. Dispensaries haven’t been on her radar, she said.
“I thought it was good to find a way to make it legal and hopefully make it safe,“ she said. “I still support the idea behind the law.”
The last thing people who are sick should worry about is the legality of medicine that makes them feel better, she said. Hopp works with hospice centers in Michigan, researching social work issues related to end-of-life care.
“But it sounds like it’s being used for recreational use,” she continued. “The people who voted for the law didn’t support recreational use -- the voters voted for medicinal use.”
Dale Franz, 73, has purchased marijuana from the Liberty Clinic.
“It has an effect that can be positive in most circumstances for people’s wise use, careful use,” said Franz, a former journalist who uses a vaporizer to take medical marijuana. Franz has severe sciatic nerve pain, he said, and marijuana helps him sleep and manage his pain without opiate-based painkillers like Vicodin.
“We allow people to make their own decision about whether they are going to drive if they have a drink of alcohol, but we have inconsistent rules about other kinds of things that should also be a matter of maturity and good behavior,” Franz said.
Former Ann Arbor resident Andy Goodrich now lives in San Jose, where dispensaries have been around for several years. California was the first to legalize marijuana for medical use in the Compassionate Use Act of 1996.
Goodrich said the dispensaries in San Jose don’t concern him. He recently voted in favor of Proposition 19, the latest effort by a state to make marijuana legal.
“I don’t think it’s a problem,” he said.
Ann Arbor resident Daniel Berland, a chronic pain doctor and an anesthesiology professor at the University of Michigan, called medical marijuana “a joke.”
“It’s just legalized drug dealing,” he said. “And if that’s what we want to do, then what we should do is just legalize it.”
Berland spends his life traveling around trying to convince doctors most medicines should be withdrawn because he believes medications, painkillers in particular, mostly harm people. That includes narcotics frequently decried by the medical marijuana enthusiasts, like morphine and Vicodin.
“The vast majority of people dancing their way into the dispensaries are potheads who want pot,” he said. “The whole process, for the entire state, should be started over. There’s nothing in the law about dispensaries. Nothing.”
Juliana Keeping is a health and environment reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at julianakeeping@annarbor.com or 734-623-2528.
Comments
thc support
Fri, Sep 30, 2011 : 6:43 a.m.
This is really major topic. For legal use of marijuana dispensaries in michigan you must follow michigan marijuana laws. An Initiation of Legislation to allow under state law the medical use of marihuana; to provide protections for the medical use of marihuana; to provide for a system of registry identification cards for qualifying patients and primary caregivers; to impose a fee for registry application and renewal; to provide for the promulgation of rules; to provide for the administration of this act; to provide for enforcement of this act; to provide for affirmative defenses; and to provide for penalties for violations of this act.
American Family
Sun, Dec 12, 2010 : 9:09 p.m.
Schedule I Substance DEA Number Non NarcoticOther Names Marijuana 7360 N Cannabis, marijuana Really now, need more be said people? Like it, support it, or not like it and do not support it... it will put you in jail and ruin you. When the law changes, then fine, but until then......... Cool or not. Don't be stupid people. Think before you do. Is that "toke" really really REALLY worth it?
tommysnell
Sat, Dec 11, 2010 : 3:06 p.m.
@American Family: Marijuana will be rescheduled from a sched 1 drug, legalized and taxed nothing short of 5 or 6 years TOPS. The ecomony's sluggish recovery will only fuel this changs as time wears on for "American Families" everywhere. The emerging GREEN industry and the countless jobs and income generated by pot will be too big to turn away from as our governmental entities will soon realize. In the face of growing numbers of recession-related, violent robberies, Border crime and the pro-pot movement, governments will have a hard time just saying No to the revenue. Another 4 or 5 states jump on board and it's going to be too big to shake and most importantly, too big to ignore.
Rick
Sat, Dec 11, 2010 : 1:11 p.m.
@American Family-- Schedule I Cannabis is a damned lie. See above.
Rick
Sat, Dec 11, 2010 : 12:48 p.m.
No "joke", Dr Berland. Cannabis has controlled this Ann Arbor native's asthma since 1968. It took a glaucoma dignosis in California to relieve me of the stigma of "criminality". The prohibition of Earth's most beneficial plant species is a crime against humanity; look up "Storm Crow's List" if you are skeptical in any way.
Soothslayer
Sat, Dec 11, 2010 : 7:28 a.m.
It's like what Lenin said... you look for the person who will benefit, and, uh, uh... There's way too much pot on campus and campus housing as it is. These kids think they're entitled because they're going to college. Too bad when they grow up they'll not have an education but wasted 4 years. I weep for the future.
C. S. Gass
Sat, Dec 11, 2010 : 1:01 a.m.
Also, there needs to be another possble "Report to staff" option at A2.com other than: Why are you flagging this content? The content is offensive or objectionable The content violates copyright law One which reads: Poster of content is an impatient, non-computer savy idiot and posted it twice", would be good. Or, you could have a delete button, either or. Just saying.
C. S. Gass
Sat, Dec 11, 2010 : 12:55 a.m.
The people, for whom the government works, have spoken. Loudly. They've said to leave medical MJ people alone. The state, specifically the Oakland County Prosecutors office, and other county prosecutors and Sheriffs, are not listening, however. I've been on the job for 20 years and thought that the medical MJ law was a great idea. I voted for it. I still think it is a good idea even with all the problems that have arisen after it's passage. The problems associated with this law are the creations and mechanations of those in law enforcement and the judiciary who are still living in the past. It makes me sick to think that there are people I work with who continue to go against the will of the people as they are doing. Such is the beginning of totalitarianism. Where did anyone in this country get the idea that you need to have a seperate law written to legalize something that is already legal for the providers and customers. This is nothing more than a prosecutor and certain prohibitionist zealots in the drug enforcement community making a retaliatory strike against those who they perceive to be 'hippie fringe' people. I have argued, professionally, against these types of mind numbed, lock step, zombies for years about this very topic. They refuse to see the logic of anything to which they don't agree about going in. There is no sense in further discussions with these people. There is only one answer. Vote them out. Prosecutors and Sheriffs who engage in this type of blatent persecution should be sent packing. In all cases, politicians should reflect the will of the people they represent. The people of the state of Michigan voted by an overwhelming majority to legalize marijuana for medicinal use. The people, again, have spoken, politicians who do not listen, do so at their own peril. And yes, I too have been a proponent of legalizing marijuana and regulating it like liquor. Why? Because I've never been to a domestic assault where the suspect involved was high on marijuana only. I cannot say the same for alcohol. I've never been to an accident scene where the sole intoxicant was marijuana. I cannot say the same for alcohol. I've never seen a fight break out at a place where the the sole inebriant served was marijuana. I cannot say the same for alcohol. I have never had anyone try to kill me while they were high on marijuana. I cannot say the same for alcohol. And while I do not advocate any further restrictions on alcohol, I do admit it is far more dangerous than marijuana. But no one in the prosecutors office seems to want to raid liquor distributors who are coloring outside the lines, and they do exist, here, in Michigan. Not to mention, there are far worse drugs in the world, crack, meth, E, heroin, which actually kill people. I've never seen anyone OD on pot and die. Eat until they are enormous, sure, but not die. Our prosecutors and sheriffs time and money are better spent on these drugs eradication. That is what kills me in this whole issue. Priorities. The prosecutors and drug enforcement teams still flogging the dead horse of marijuana enforcement need to change their priorities and quit wasting the dwindling law enforcement funds we have today tilting at windmills.
C. S. Gass
Sat, Dec 11, 2010 : 12:54 a.m.
The people, for whom the government works, have spoken. Loudly. They've said to leave medical MJ people alone. The state, specifically the Oakland County Prosecutors office, and other county prosecutors and Sheriffs, are not listening, however. I've been on the job for 20 years and thought that the medical MJ law was a great idea. I voted for it. I still think it is a good idea even with all the problems that have arisen after it's passage. The problems associated with this law are the creations and mechanations of those in law enforcement and the judiciary who are still living in the past. It makes me sick to think that there are people I work with who continue to go against the will of the people as they are doing. Such is the beginning of totalitarianism. Where did anyone in this country get the idea that you need to have a seperate law written to legalize something that is already legal for the providers and customers. This is nothing more than a prosecutor and certain prohibitionist zealots in the drug enforcement community making a retaliatory strike against those who they perceive to be 'hippie fringe' people. I have argued, professionally, against these types of mind numbed, lock step, zombies for years about this very topic. They refuse to see the logic of anything to which they don't agree about going in. There is no sense in further discussions with these people. There is only one answer. Vote them out. Prosecutors and Sheriffs who engage in this type of blatent persecution should be sent packing. In all cases, politicians should reflect the will of the people they represent. The people of the state of Michigan voted by an overwhelming majority to legalize marijuana for medicinal use. The people, again, have spoken, politicians who do not listen, do so at their own peril. And yes, I too have been a proponent of legalizing marijuana and regulating it like liquor. Why? Because I've never been to a domestic assault where the suspect involved was high on marijuana only. I cannot say the same for alcohol. I've never been to an accident scene where the sole intoxicant was marijuana. I cannot say the same for alcohol. I've never seen a fight break out at a place where the the sole inebriant served was marijuana. I cannot say the same for alcohol. I have never had anyone try to kill me while they were high on marijuana. I cannot say the same for alcohol. And while I do not advocate any further restrictions on alcohol, I do admit it is far more dangerous than marijuana. But no one in the prosecutors office seems to want to raid liquor distributors who are coloring outside the lines, and they do exist, here, in Michigan. Not to mention, there are far worse drugs in the world, crack, meth, E, heroin, which actually kill people. I've never seen anyone OD on pot and die. Eat until they are enormous, sure, but not die. Our prosecutors and sheriffs time and money are better spent on these drugs eradication. That is what kills me in this whole issue. Priorities. The prosecutors and drug enforcement teams still flogging the dead horse of marijuana enforcement need to change their priorities and quit wasting the dwindling law enforcement funds we have today tilting at windmills.
Speechless
Fri, Dec 10, 2010 : 2:01 p.m.
Seventy-first! This, from a previous article on city council's Med Mary ordinance discussions: "... Planning Commissioner Tony Derezinski, who also serves on the City Council, said the process of coming up with regulations for medical marijuana reminded him of his time in the state legislature, back in the 1970s, when state lawmakers took steps to legalize bingo...." Presumably, many genuinely concerned citizens of a generation ago took it upon themselves to speak out earnestly to Michigan's lawmakers. They must have expressed grave concerns about how the naturally euphoric high and addictive properties of playing bingo would invariably provide an unintended gateway to harder lifestyles that would be destructive to our social fabric. People would live only for their next fix. With hindsight, we now know the results of bingo legalization. Church social halls across our fair state did become dens of sin and cesspools of avarice. And wherever you see bingo, you'll also find caffeine flowing freely. Beware!
Woman in Ypsilanti
Fri, Dec 10, 2010 : 12:19 p.m.
@American Family. I guess it worked because I don't really have a problem if other people choose to smoke pot. It seems ok to me. I can't think of any reason why it is my business if my neighbors son smokes pot behind the garage.
townie54
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 11:28 p.m.
There is no such thing as a typical pot smoker.Police,doctors,lawyers,teachers,and people from all walks of life smoke it.There are millions,yes millions that smoke it so it isnt just some pothead rebels.Whatever you are before you smoke pot your still the same after you smoke pot.So a loser will still be a loser and a smart person you will still be a smart person.Everyone that went on to hard drugs probably all drank milk first too which is as ridiculus as some of the things being said here.Whole governments and places like Wall Street are corrupt but I'm a criminal if I want to go home after a hard days work and "burn one" to relax?
SillyTree
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 10:39 p.m.
Yes! If something is illegal, it should stay illegal. People used to rescue slaves from the south even though it was illegal. Some hippy changed the law. Alcohol was illegal, but some hippy changed the law. It used to be illegal to say nasty things about the king of England, but some hippy changed the law. It used to be illegal to drive over 55 mph, but some hippy changed the law. Illegal is not a sound argument. You may be right that marijuana will remain illegal, but it won't be from a sound argument.
American Family
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 10:32 p.m.
Marijuana is classified as a Schedule 1 substance under the Controlled Substances Act, placing it in the same category as methamphetamine, heroin, LSD and Mescalin. Schedule I substances are illegal, considered to have a high potential for dependency and have no accepted medical use. It is illegal, and no amount of "sugar coating" will make it different. Pass all the local laws you want A2, it is still not legal.The Pothead from the '60's and their ilk have and will use every excuse in the book to smoke the pot. I will enjoy with glee when I read about the pothead's stash being raided all of the time by Federal DEA Officers. And no, I don't want to hear about it good uses. There are plenty of legally doctor prescribed drugs to help you. This is just a front to get people to think pot is okay. Hippies. Peace man.
ShadowManager
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 10:12 p.m.
A good dispensary is better than State Farm, because like a good neighbor...uh, nevermind forgot what I was saying...
SillyTree
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 9:18 p.m.
Potheads, don't use your buyer's cards at the grocery store! The government is using that information to track your purchases of snack foods. That way you can AND WILL be profiled as a prolific user of marijuana! Also, beware of being peaceful, humorous(but not necessarily funny), interested even in bad music and other such identifying behaviors! You will be pinpointed and rounded up. And quit keeping secrets from ShadowManager; he's onto us anyway. That sly dog!
SillyTree
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 9:12 p.m.
Once when I was high, I said to a friend, "If a rising tide raises all boats, why doesn't the titanic come up for air at high tide?" This whole thing makes me want to be sick!
ShadowManager
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 9:01 p.m.
Caring is sharing....and lord knows alot of the people with potcards share that high-grade medical-grade KB with those that don't. A rising tide raises all boats...and alot of medical-grade primo bud in the supplychain means alot more powerful and prevalent weed --- illegal mostly --- in the state. That's the secret that the medical marijuana proponents don't like acknowledge : a dispensary in town means that really powerful, really good strains are also in town, more readily available, generally, than they would be if there was no dispensary in town.
SillyTree
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 8:43 p.m.
Pot makes you lazy like Michael Phelps, Arnold Shwarzenegger Pot makes you unsuccessful like Richard Branson, Barack Obama, Michael Bloomberg... Pot makes you uncreative like Stephen King...okay, well...I'll give you that one. This whole thing makes me want to be sick!
SillyTree
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 8:28 p.m.
A friend of mine had arthritic hemostyosis complicated by tibial fatigue. Out of desperation, she tried medical marijuana. One day while she was tripping on the stuff, she totally blew her mind. She went to look in the mirror and she was THE DEVIL!!! She could no longer live with herself, being the devil and all, so she jumped out the window. When she landed she suffered a cranial intrusion via the mandibular reflex. What is really weird is that she no longer suffered from the other problems and the cranial intrusion was only temporary! Now she is ocmpletely cured and can get high without believing she's the devil So she does!
FredMax
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 7:23 p.m.
Ghost, My point is to question an equivocation of MJ to Alcohol. Probably in your googling you ran across MJ as the "teen drug of choice" (over alcohol). How can we know that the legalization of MJ would not have a substantial long term increase on usage rates of youngsters? Take a look at how few countries countries have legal MJ: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_cannabis_by_country Cambodia or Bulgaria anyone? Not much empirical evidence to help us truly understand the impact of this on a western society. China is one rare "advanced" country that is "legal", however probably they are too busy eating our lunch to need drugs to be happy.
ffej440
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 5:24 p.m.
@Polecat- From what I'm reading "potheads" are the only ones with a brain. For example: 9,969,727 estimated Michigan population 2009, 44,384 cards issued by the state=.4% Not what we would call a "lot of sick citizens"
Atticus F.
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 5:12 p.m.
Polecat, thats an outragous, bold faced lie... I can think of alot of people who are far more succesful than you, who happen to smoke pot. Also, in your oppinion, how does a pothead "look" when being compared to a drunk? I would rather carry on a conversation with someone who's smoke pot tha someone who's been drinking Jack Daniels any day.
Atticus F.
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 4:55 p.m.
It's kind of bizarre to see all of these lives being ruined, and dollars being spent to stop cannabis...As if there were something felonious about mother nature.
janejane
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 4:33 p.m.
For those of us whom watched the drinking and pot smoking without imbibing ourselves, you users have at it. I could care less about your health or your happiness. Whatever you decide to do to yourself is just fine by me. Don't kill anyone else in the process with your car or second hand smoke. I was married to someone like you for 20 years. Always a party. If I tried to relax and have a drink, forget it...someone had to be on call for our babies. Did I miss drinking? No. Not when I was mistreated, ignored, shoved around and cheated on by my alcoholic husband. His marijuana and alcohol use dulled his senses and removed him from his family....he only cared about getting drunk and high. But you keep smoking dope and chasing it with beer or doing what you're doing in the name of freedom of choice and nothing dangerous...it is dangerous....dangerous to those around you. They're stuck with you unless you kill yourself or your marriage...then you still hurt everyone around you. Mine was 20 years ago...and it still hurts every day to think of what my children had to go through and what I lost by being married to such a selfish piece of trash.
Polecat
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 4:30 p.m.
I'll bet the state had no idea how many of their citizens were sick. It's amazing that only the potheads can't seem to understand what potheads look like and act like. The rest of us can, harmless my arse.
dogpaddle
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 4:21 p.m.
Thank you, Bugjuice, for your post about lying to children (or anyone) re: Reefer Madness and so on. What does everyone think kids/young adults do once they find out they've been lied to about the harms and sickness of: masturbation, sex, LGBT people? And then they realize with certain precautions (like don't drink or smoke then drive), there is no harm in any of those things. Or there is harm when they have been given false or no information. It has been proven (look at the Netherlands who has comprehensive education in terms of sex ed and drugs and their rate of unwanted pregnancy is nill and their rate of substance abusers is lower than ours) that when young people are given complete and accurate information about things, they make wiser choices. Ignorance does not equal safety.
Terrin
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 4:12 p.m.
Mike, as a parent it your responsibility to monitor and raise your kids with appropriate values. Society as a whole's freedom to make personal decisions shouldn't be infringed because of your desire to have kids. Further, passing laws to deny access to things only increases a child's desire to obtain those things. Look at alcohol. Most other countries do not suffer the same infatuation as our kids suffer because it is legal other places. annarbor22: I have a friend who is an attorney and often jokes that Georgia is the Peach State, Florida the Sunshine State and Michigan the Police State. Fact is we have some of the toughest criminal laws in the whole Country. It is already illegal to drive while under the influence of a controlled I substance, which marijuana qualifies. Further, Michigan has some ridiculous mandatory sentencing. Not to long ago a driver was driving home late at night on Washtenaw. It was foggy out and hard to see. A guy who was drunk was walking in the middle of the road. The driver didn't see the guy until the last minute and hit him. The driver had traces of a chemical found in marijuana is his blood. If he smoked it, it would have had to been days earlier. The way the law is written the driver, even though he wasn't at fault for the death (the guy drunk walking in the middle of Washtenaw was), was sentenced to several mandatory years in jail even though the chemicals had no effect on accident. Let adults make their own choices. If they hurt somebody, make them do the time. That is what freedom should be about.
bugjuice
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 3:15 p.m.
"The prestige of government has undoubtedly been lowered considerably by the prohibition law. For nothing is more destructive of respect for the government and the law of the land than passing laws which cannot be enforced. It is an open secret that the dangerous increase of crime in this country is closely connected with this." - Albert Einstein quote on Hemp "Even if one takes every reefer madness allegation of the prohibitionists at face value, marijuana prohibition has done far more harm to far more people than marijuana ever could." - William F. Buckley Jr. quote on Marijuana "Why use up the forests which were centuries in the making and the mines which required ages to lay down, if we can get the equivalent of forest and mineral products in the annual growth of the hemp fields?" - Henry Ford quote on Marijuana "When a private enterprise fails, it is closed down; when a government enterprise fails, it is expanded. Isnt that exactly whats been happening with drugs?" - Milton Friedman quote on Marijuana
lionslover
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 2:56 p.m.
d00g Great post! if it is a joke, then the joke is on the...bill of rights trampling -- money grabbing -- totally out of touch (or just don't care) with the will of the people -- confiscation/seizure/forfeiture worms!! If they don't start laughing - and quit arresting...the next joke the voters will push through is the total legalization or de-criminalization of marijuana and subsequent elimination of their jobs!!!!!!! This from a state that allows legalized gambling and consumption of alcohol, which causes millions of dollars in collateral damage to families, health, etc. It's all about the prison lobby, the alcohol lobby, and of course the legalized ripping off of(and revenue gained from) personal property by the cops.
Killroy
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 2:44 p.m.
I have to agree, these dispensaries are just another way around the law. A friend of mine who is a real pot connoisseur, told me that you can get a prescription for virtually any ailment, real or not and that once you have your pot id card you can even get a discount. I, personally, have no issues with pot and don't smoke anything, but it does seem to make more sense to legalize pot and tax the heck out of it, rather than putting lipstick on a pig?
ffej440
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 2:17 p.m.
As far the Oakland county raids, they seem VERY motivated by Mike Bouchard and all the back stabbing that went on between him and Mike Cox during the primary. Bouchard used every chance he could get to take a stab at Mike Cox for not conducting State raids and leaving the task to him. If I lived in Oakland county I would not vote Bouchard for dog catcher!
bunnyabbot
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 2:15 p.m.
Legality will not end the black market for any product. There are still those people who want to offer a product cheaper or tax free by selling it under the table or off the back of a truck etc Those that say they are just there to help sick people are full of it. It is a business, business is about getting customers to you and making money off of them.
tim
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 2:05 p.m.
Lets just call it what it is-- the stoner law - the burnout law - the pot head law, as a child of thr 60s and 70s I know better. Pot doesn't ruin every users world, but it sure take it's toll and leaves a path of broken lives.
rusty shackelford
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 2:01 p.m.
Cops get lots of money and fancy toys from the feds to engage in "drug war" activities, which largely explains why some enforcement agencies (e.g. in Oakland county) continue to bust people who are acting within state law.
julieswhimsies
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 1:42 p.m.
The true "gateway drugs?" Caffeine, tobacco, and alcohol....not necessarily in that order. I also agree with the poster who asks: "What is wrong with euphoria"? What IS wrong with euphoria recreationally? Millions of lives have been ruined by alcohol. In the end, if you become an alcoholic, it can kill you....not to mention the collateral damage to the family around the alcoholic. You cannot tell me that people who drink beer or alcohol do not get a "buzz". Tobacco will also kill you in the end. I know. I was the collateral damage of an alcoholic father and heavy smoker. He died last June from Cirrhosis and lung cancer. Growing up with him and his abuse of these legal drugs was a nightmare. He paid for it with his life. Yeah. I smoked a little weed in college. I didn't continue because I don't like smoke. However, if I were to become ill and in need of medication for pain or nausea, I would definitely go for the marijuana brownie. To this day, I do not touch a DROP of alcohol, and have never smoked a cigarette. Those drugs will kill you.
julieswhimsies
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 1:16 p.m.
I predict Marijuana will be legalized within the next ten years at most. It makes sense. Regulated and taxed, it will provide revenue. Quality control can also be applied. Jobs would be created. As most people are aware, maijuana is not physically addicting, as is alcohol. There are no withdrawal symptoms is the drug is discontinued, as well. People are, and will continue to use this drug. Decriminalize it. It's time.
Curious
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 1:04 p.m.
Very well written article by Ms. Keeping. For the thoughtful reader she offers a spectrum of issues that need to be considered. It is clear from these postings that there are many advocates for legalizing marijuana working over time behind the scenes to make it a reality. The picture of Mr. Ream at the beginning of this article should be made into a huge poster with the caption "Welcome to Ann Arbor - where compassion is alive and well." It kind of tells the whole story in one picture.
FredMax
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 1:02 p.m.
"Yes, and this is true of alcohol, too. The only difference is that one cannot be incarcerated for its use because it is legal." Somewhere upwards of 5% of the students in my high school centered their entire lives around marijuana. Many always had a supply on person, and smoked almost obsessively at every chance. However, abuse of alcohol was far less predominant, apparently limited more to weekend usage. In my experience, there is a substantial difference in the abuse of these two substances as practiced by young people.
AACity12
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 1 p.m.
There wouldnt be courtrooms full of people with "issues" if it were legal.
bugjuice
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 12:54 p.m.
What's wrong with getting a buzz on, getting high or feeling euphoric? Even the pro alcohol crowd can't dispute that except that a small minority of them don't want anyone to be able to exercise their free will in doing so safely. But if it's pot, the world is going straight to heck even though the problem is alread here and with plenty of other legal opportunities to do so. @grye. There is a pharmaceutical marijuana pill called Marinol. It's not very effective. And not knowing that there is a pill doesn't give any your arguments much help in the believability department. Prohibition does not work. Scare tactics and lies do not work in convincing people not to use drugs. Implying that legalization will add thousand of impaired drivers on the road is a scare tactic with no basis in fact. If adding bad drivers endangering the public is anyone's concern let's put all beer drinkers and tail-gaters at football games in the clink no matter how much or where they imbibe, let's make cell phones in cars illegal and don't allow eating fast food while driving. Good grief! Reefer Madness!
ritabook
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 12:51 p.m.
It is only a 'gateway drug' when you can't get any.
SillyTree
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 12:48 p.m.
Marijuana doesn't complement food? I'm surprised that Doritos and McDonald's aren't supporting legalization. Try getting a nice merlot to go with those!
Woman in Ypsilanti
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 12:43 p.m.
@gyre There is a synthetic version of marijuana on the market and as far as I know, it is perfectly legal http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetrahydrocannabinol
grye
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 12:38 p.m.
FFEJ: Sure there are some beers that have more alcohol content that will provide a faster high. Same thing with other liquors that are available. However some drinks containing alcohol can be enjoyed without dulling the senses. However the primary use of marijuana is to get high, not to enjoy a taste that compliments food or provides quench for your thirst. Marijuana growers may be able to manipulate the level of drug in the plant. Why can't the drug be removed from the plant and put into a pill form for those that need the drug for medical reasons? Haven't heard of any pharmaceutical company developing such a pill. Ghost: Legalize marijuana? Sure, lets put an additional upteen thousand impared drivers on the road, wasted people at work, etc. Legalize it and those that were not inclined to use it may try it out of curiosity. Then some of them become habitual users. We have enough problems in our society. Don't need to throw gasoline on the fire. I really doesn't help unless you are an arsonist.
Woman in Ypsilanti
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 12:30 p.m.
Actually, I'll bet all of the drug addicted mothers annarbor28 mentions who started with marijuana really started with some other drug, like caffeine. That is the flaw in the gateway drug theory. It isn't how many addicts of harder drugs first started with marijuana that is important, it is the ratio of people who start smoking marijuana who then go on to harder drugs. I can assure you, I know a lot of regular recreational pot smokers who have not gone on to harder drugs. I myself am a daily user of caffeine and have not gone on to harder drugs. The truth is that marijuana has a lot of medicinal uses. I know a lot of women who have found that it helps them with menstrual issues. I personally find it offensive when people claim that such health issues aren't important enough to legitimately qualify for medical marijuana use. I guess women are just supposed to suffer silently. Luckily for me, Midol is legal and works great for me but what if it didn't? What if the only relief I could get was from marijuana as is the case for many women. It bothers me that some other people would presume to tell me how to best take care of my own health. That is between me and my doctor. As it happens, I have a doctor who as a matter of policy does not prescribe marijuana. But I am ok with that because it is my choice. As for recreational use. It baffles me that a drug as safe as marijuana would be banned. Legalizing a drug for recreational purposes does not mean making it legal for people to drive under the influence of it. But come on...here we have a drug that is not physically addicting, wont cause overdoses, doesn't cause people to become violent in the way alcohol does, etc. It is just silliness on our part and proof that people have bought into the decades of false anti-marijuana propaganda.
SillyTree
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 12:19 p.m.
A doctor should know something about logic. If you switch the statements in a conditional the conditional is no longer necessarily true. It may be true, but it is not necessarily true. P->q does not necessarily mean q->p If I did the dishes, the dishes are clean does not mean that if the dishes are clean, I did the dishes. Someone else may have washed them. If you use hard drugs, you have used marijuana does not necessarily mean that if you have used marijuana you use hard drugs. I don't know if marijuana is causal in the use of harder drugs, but saying that it is from anecdotal evidence and reversing the statements in a conditional does not prove anything and is irresponsible from a person of science.
bugjuice
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 11:54 a.m.
I feel bad for Mike's son's friend if he's in jail. Is he in jail for smoking pot or for something else? If he's inside because of smoking pot, all the more reason for legalization so another young life won't be ruined by the incredibly misguided War on Drugs. Maybe he'd be better off with less expensive and more helpful therapy under a doctors care instead of in jail with hard core criminals on the taxpayers dollar only to leave with a criminal record and less chance of a productive adult life.
Some Guy in 734
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 11:29 a.m.
TheOSU: Dispensaries don't smell like tomato soup and feet.
David Briegel
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 11:24 a.m.
I was "addicted" to All In The Family and Mash. I am thankful I kicked my addiction when Reality TV became prevalent. They weren't "gateways"! That is an example of the silliness of the naysayers. You may like Marijuana like you like a TV show or a sunny day. It is NOT addictive! The OSU, hilarious and proof of the point that it is not addictive and the complete failure of it's prohibition. And selective enforcement is damaging the respect for Law Enforcement and millions of otherwise innocent lives!
bugjuice
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 11:23 a.m.
I wonder how many of the folks who continue to spread the myth of marijuana as a "gateway" drug also ascribe to "personal responsibility" in making good lifestyle choices. People make their own decisions, some bad, some good. Marijuana or other drugs have no bearing on the lifestyle choices people make. If you hang out with druggies, well that's a choice you make. Smart people don't hang out with druggies. Many pot smokers do it at home and not to excess, like most drinkers. Uninformed people make stupid choices. Informed people tend to make better decisions and we've been lied to about marijuana since it was made illegal in the 30's. If you lied to kids (or anyone) about marijuana and other "euphoric" drugs, then they find out it isn't so bad, what else are they being lied to about? This is what the anti marijuana crowd and the government fears. What other lies are they telling? Telling one lie, like the one about Reefer Madness and you have destroyed all credibility regardless of the facts. The anti marijuana crowd has only the lies of J Edgar Hoover, Harry Anslinger and William Randolph Hearst to blame for the billion dollar drug war and all their self righteous hand wringing.
iamwrite
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 11:11 a.m.
"There is no such thing as gateway drugs. There are only gateway people." The t-shirts are being printed as we type.
Forever27
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 11:03 a.m.
@annarbor28, again, the gateway drug myth is simply not true. As for your slanderous comment about the dispensaries: "The drug cartels will control many of them, also, and knock off those who aren't part of their operations." You clearly show a lack of knowledge on this topic. If any medical distributor is part of a "cartel" it's the pharmaceutical industry who has doctors and politicians bought and paid for.
annarbor28
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 10:50 a.m.
The synthesized drugs are available, and are just not as profit-making as the dispensaries. Of course these dispensaries are money-making operations, why is that a surprise? The drug cartels will control many of them, also, and knock off those who aren't part of their operations. I can tell you that the drug-addicted mothers began with marijuana as part of a lifestyle, which then involved heavier drugs. The Columbia students just arrested for drug-dealing had many drugs, such as cocaine, not just marijuana. They are all tied together and many people's lives are ruined by drugs. Just because addictive prescription drugs are overprescribed, that does not justify throwing marijuana into the works. The goal is to minimize this. I personally will not prescribe oxycontin,etc, for that reason, because the vast majority of people do not need it, and many become addicted (although it seems like a nasty drug, eh?) So I practice in this way, and encourage healthy lifestyles and diet, yoga, exercise, etc, not drugs, except when vitally needed. So I have to go see patients today. I will not be available to be attacked for upholding my principles! Move on...
DonBee
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 10:48 a.m.
I was surprised at the number of people in Colorado that had Medical Marijuana in a meeting recently. Almost all of the 21 to 30 year olds in the room had a card. This was a professional meeting, not a medical meeting. I talked to several folks, they only had to make an appointment and ask the Doctor and they were good to go. My hope is that Doctors are less liberal with it in Michigan. I watched what it did to several folks who had jobs that required their full attention to keep things running lose their jobs because they decided to use marijuana during working hours. Like any drug, including alcohol, you need to understand the real impact on your ability to work before you use it, or be ready to find a new job. I am not for or against the use of marijuana, I am against anyone using any medication or drug that has an impact on the safety of people around them.
bugjuice
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 10:44 a.m.
I fail to understand what the problem is with "euphoria" and why people don't want to allow others to get that euphoria from something other than alcohol which is proven to be addictive, contributes to many other killer diseases. What's wrong with feeling good? I guess it's ok with "legal" alcohol (think underage drinking) and rampant prescription drug abuse, but when it comes to an organic substance that grows almost everywhere it's a bad thing?
dogpaddle
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 10:42 a.m.
To Mike and Annarbor28: no one here is advocating legalizing this naturally occurring substance for kids no more than we would legalize alcohol. As a former teacher, I, too, have seen the irresponsibility and damage it can do to young people (as does alcohol and tobacco). Young people who are still growing and developing physically and mentally have no business using substances that can impede their growth (emotionally, mentally and physically) and all of these substances (the legal and the currently not legal) do just that. If we are so worried about what things do to kids, why aren't cigarettes illegal? Why isn't alcohol illegal (oh, wait, we learned that costly lesson during prohibition)? But we are talking here about adults making adult choices with their own health care. Or even adults making adult choices recreationally as they do with alcohol. Dr. Annarbor28, I exercise religiously and daily and yes, I feel euphoric from it. That alone does not help me deal with a couple of legitimate ailments that medical marijuana helps me cope with. And to grye: I hear you on what that first sip of a local cold microbrew can do for you on a hot summer day and so on with other alcohols. How do you know that the first puff or two of a joint at the end of the day doesn't do that for others? And as for a manufactured pharmaceutical that has THC in it - we have that. It's called marinol. Most chemo suffers can't tolerate it and puke it back up. So many of us here in Ann Arbor shop in our plethora of natural food markets. For a good reason - we like products in their natural form - not synthetic. I would love to keep this productive dialogue going, but I am doing what I do every day and following the good doctor's advice and heading out to exercise. And I might make different choices later today after doing what has to be done in the privacy of my own home. :)
ffej440
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 10:29 a.m.
@ grye - Not really. It depends on your medical needs. Different Strains and even grow time determine the effects. Most of these can be controlled by the grower. Think of it like beer- You finish the lawn and want a cold beer, you could drink a lite beer and taste great with little effect. Now say you drank an "Ice" or "Malt Liquer" type of beer, the effect would be much stronger. They may all be beer- but they are not the same.Euphoria is just one effect of some types of cannibis caused by THC, CBD and CBN content. If you have not heard this before,please check it out. Cannibis has become like a fine wine - Tailored to your taste and desired effects.
bugjuice
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 10:23 a.m.
A doctor says that drugs are not the answer. If you ask the the pharmaceutical companies who make billions in profits and sell all kinds of addictive and dangerous drugs they are the answer. All those drug addicted mothers also drank milk and so did their kids. @grye has obviously never used marijuana because the "euphoric" highs between pot and alcohol are completely different. Not even close in comparison. And why should anyone who can grow a simple plant in the garden have to give up that right to buy, at a highly inflated price, to a profit driven big pharmaceutical, alcohol or tobacco company? I suppose legal prescription drug users don't take their meds to get "high" and become addicted to them as well? And those doctors never overprescribe drugs or prescribe them without doing complete diagnosis? There are far too many reports of prescription drug abuse and deaths from over-presrciption. Rush Limbaugh his myriad doctors and oxycontin come to mind.
Hmm
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 10:21 a.m.
Some of the comments in here are laughably ridiculous. Like straight out of Reefer Madness bad. "Marijuana is not harmless. Kids get hooked on it.." " The driver of the vehicle that recently crashed and fatally killed the Okemos HS grads on US-23 had marijuana in his blood, but there is no way to measure whether this drug was responsible for the car speeding wildly out of control." Are you people serious?
ffej440
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 10:13 a.m.
@ Craig- This is just a guideline by the State to cover themselves, it is not the law itself you quote. For example it also says something like that about seeds, when we really have no choices but to get seeds somewhere. I'm not going to bother with the posts that are written by clearly uninformed people (and your a doctor?) I do think doctors are charging too much.My GP doesn't know anything about cannibis so they wouldn't write the state form. I took my full records to a Clinic doc who used the info already given and charged me $200 to do no more than complete the form using my existing records.If anyone seems to be taking advantage, I think its the doctors. Note: that was $200 in addition to the SOM $100
Forever27
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 10:06 a.m.
@annarbor28, the "gateway drug" myth about marijuana has been debunked many times. Again, as for marijuana being addictive, studies show that is simply not the case. people can become psychologically addicted, but there are no addictive properties to marijuana like there is to cigarettes or heroin.
grye
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 10:06 a.m.
The issue I have with most marijuana use is that it is specifically used to obtain a euphoric high. Some may say alcohol the same thing. I disagree. A cold beer tastes great after working in the yard during the summer. A glass of red wine tastes fantastic with an Italian dinner and compliments the food. If used to excess, alcohol will also create the same euphoria. However, the sole non-medicinal reason for using marijuana is the euphoria, not the enjoyment of sucking smoking into your lungs. If marijuana has a medicinal value, then figure out how to extract the substance that provides the relief from the plant. Put it into a pill form and provide it as prescibed drug. Then we will know who is using the drug for medicinal value and who is using it illegally to get high.
annarbor28
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 10 a.m.
mike: as a doctor, I totally agree. I have asked many drug-addicted mothers about this after they have given birth to drug-addicted babies and they all started with marijuana and progressed to crack, heroin,etc. Plus, there are no laws that govern driving under the influence, or accurate easily obtained measurements to even study this and pass laws such as DUI equivalents. The driver of the vehicle that recently crashed and fatally killed the Okemos HS grads on US-23 had marijuana in his blood, but there is no way to measure whether this drug was responsible for the car speeding wildly out of control. Crack down on the smuggling of drugs instead of just legalizing the trade. You are also setting up employees for being the targets of crime, ala LA's recent experiences. Work on the reasons for drug addiction, instead of enabling it. Legalizing it so that "stub your toe, get marijuana" is wrong. There are well-synthesized chemically related drugs that can be very tightly controlled for very ill patients, but not what I see in LA, which is have a headache? Get some marijuana on the street corner in as little store, screened by some bored HS grad who will approve anything. Doctor is "out-to-lunch", no problem. How about relaxing and taking a run instead? Drugs are not the answer.
Forever27
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 9:43 a.m.
@bugjuice, I'm sorry to hear of the medical issues you've been dealing with. It's good to know that you're receiving some relief from the medicinal uses of marijuana. Just to make a point about something you said, marijuana was legal for the longest time until the 20th century. It was only recently that the plant was demonized and misrepresented by people who had a vested interest in cornering other markets such as the paper, alcohol and tobacco industries. Good luck with your future treatment. Hopefully you can make another recovery.
Steve Pepple
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 9:34 a.m.
An exchange between two commenters have been removed because of personal attacks. Make your points, please, without calling each other names.
bugjuice
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 9:27 a.m.
Two years ago I was diagnosed with bladder cancer. The tumor was surgically removed. For three days after the surgery I had incredibly painful bladder cramping. At the Emergency Room I was given morphine and it just dulled the pain. Prescribed Vicodin at home did the same but also caused constipation. With both prescription drugs the pain came back quickly requiring another dose of pills. On the recommendation of a friend I ate a marijuana brownie was able to not only sleep through the night. The pain was not just tolerable put almost completely gone. I smoked a couple of joints over the next week, but the effect wasn't as pronounced. The brownie seemed to be the only thing that really reduced the pain and let me sleep. After my recovery I easily stopped used marijuana. My bladder cancer has returned and I'm headed for another surgery and chemo. I will be making my own brownies with legal pot thanks to Michigan voters. I told my doctor about the brownies and he said if it worked for me, then it's a good thing. If I could call it a miracle drug I would, but it's just a simple plant that anyone can grow. I has been in use for thousands of years and I cannot understand why it took this long to become a legal medicine. I also cannot figure out why people are so opposed to it's legalization except that they have accepted all the lies, myths and political propaganda that has kept it illegal. Marijuana prohibition costs million of dollars in unnecessary prison and law enforcement costs. If legal it could be taxed to help reduce government debt. There are jobs in growing and selling legal pot. There is no evidence of anyone overdosing or death from pot. So what's the big deal over simple legalization for personal use and growing?
Craig Lounsbury
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 8:23 a.m.
This will be the 3rd or 4th time I have said this in the assorted articles on the subject, on the general information page of the State's own website, the 7th bullet point down says: "You, or your designated primary caregiver, may grow your marihuana. There is no place in the state of Michigan to legally purchase medical marihuana." http://www.michigan.gov/mdch/0,1607,7-132-27417_51869_52137---,00.html It seems to me when I read that from the State they are saying in effect dispensaries are not acceptable. The "loophole" whereby these places take a "donation" rather than make a "sale' is laughable. A donation is voluntary. Can anybody actually decline to make a "donation" and still get the product?
Mike
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 8:20 a.m.
Marijuana is not harmless. Kids get hooked on it, it dulls their senses, and makes them lazy. As the parent of teenagers I have experienced the heartbreak of what happens when your kid is hooked on this crap. My youngest son has a friend who is now incarcerated for the second time in his young life because he can't stop smoking weed. Michigan was stupid enough to pass this law and now must face the unintended consequences. Everyone sits back while tese activists work the system and slowly undermine society. When are people going to wake up? Go sit in Judge Simpson's court room for a few days and you will see that the majority of the people in there have issues with pot. I speak from personal experience, most of you have no idea what you'red talking about.
tim
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 8:15 a.m.
So this guy would risk lung cancer to deal with other health problems?
Steve
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 8:08 a.m.
I have seen help wanted ads in annarbor.com looking for doctors to work in medical marijuana dispensaries, writing prescriptions, and promising them upwards of $2,500 PER DAY pay. I think we should just make it legal and stop these charades about 'compassion clubs' and 'cooperatives.' Drug dealers are drug dealers any way you slice it.
David Briegel
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 7:17 a.m.
It is not legal because the legal drug dealers/pushers can't find an effective way to control the market! YET! When they do, their hired hands in congress will tie a bow around it for them! Who will be the next Billy Tauzin?
Terry
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 7:17 a.m.
Thanks for a well-written story
420
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 6:39 a.m.
Dr. Daniel Berland, if medical marijuana is such a joke, why then would the US have a patent on the medicinal properties of marijuana? Google "US Patent 6630507", it states clearly the medicinal benefits. In addition, here is a quote worth consideration... "Marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known. In strict medical terms, marijuana is safer than many foods we commonly consume." -Source: US Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration, "In the Matter of Marijuana Rescheduling Petition," [Docket #86-22], (September 6, 1988), p. 57 What is a joke is the over prescribing of addictive, debilitating and deadly chemical based drugs by a medical profession influenced directly by the pharmaceutical industry. Actually, it is not a joke and far from funny. www.420domains.com
Hillbillydeluxe
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 6:14 a.m.
When it is completely legal and sold and taxed like cigarettes the criminal element will lose alot of interest.