Caregiver's Cup: Ypsilanti to host marijuana competition
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that the Michigan Marijuana Chamber of Commerce has not met with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration about the event.
Ypsilanti Township will play host to what's being billed as the nation’s largest cannabis competition next month.
The inaugural “Caregiver’s Cup” invites medicinal marijuana growers to bring their buds to the Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest Jan. 30-31. They'll have the opportunity to be crowned the best pot grower by certified patients prescribed to use medicinal marijuana.
Darrell Stavros (left) and Anthony Freed of the Michigan Marijuana Chamber of Commerce are pictured in their Ypsilanti office. They are two of the organizers of the Caregiver's Cup. Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com
Organizers with the Michigan Marijuana Chamber of Commerce expect nearly 30,000 guests throughout the weekend. They're using the competition to raise public and political awareness on the recent legalization of medicinal marijuana in the state.Â
They say that while legalization of the plant is a positive development, the industry burgeoning around it needs greater oversight.
“There are so many gray areas in the law that there needs to be greater regulation,” said Darrell Stavros, director of corporate sponsorship for the MMCC. “There have been caregivers who are taking advantage of patients.”
Under the law, patients have the written approval of a doctor to use the plant for relief from cancer, multiple sclerosis, paraplegia or other medical conditions.
Caregivers are those licensed by the state to grow up to 12 plants for up to five patients. But no oversight agency checks on where or how they grow the plant, which Stazros calls one of the problems.
Stavros said the product suffers and safety risks increase if plants are grown in poor conditions by people uneducated in the process, leaving room for abuse of the law. Anyone who doesn't have a drug-related felony can complete a course and become a caregiver.
“If you’re in a neighborhood, would you want your neighbor’s house full of weed? Probably not, but that’s what’s going on,” Stavros said. “We are 100 percent pro-marijuana, but we do need to think there needs to be regulations involved.”
The MMCC envisions designated growing zones where caregivers can grow their plants, while keeping them all in one spot to improve oversight. It would also allow authorities to keep tabs on who is growing the plants.
Stavros cited an example of a 55-year-old Detroit woman who allowed a 21-year-old man to be her caregiver. The man promised to provide her with her medicine, but instead began demanding money and sex for it.
“Situations like that happen all the time, and that’s where there needs to be regulations on caregivers,” he said. “Things like that shouldn’t be happening.”
While discussion on the medicinal marijuana industry and how to shape it is one major component of the weekend, the competition is the big draw.
The 100 caregivers entering the contest are asked to provide 2.5 ounces of marijuana to the panel of 140 judges. They'll ingest, smoke or vaporize the pot in designated areas in or outside the hotel that are open only to patients.
Judges will be grouped according to their recognized illness, with the purpose of allowing doctors to examine them and ask questions about the effects.
Anthony Freed, executive director of the MMCC, said that's unprecedented in this type of venue.
“These questions are going to be asked and, with a little research, are going to be answered,” he said. “It seems like such an inconsequential thing, but we can say for the first time physicians will be working one-on-one. When you think about it, that’s a big step away from where we were 12 or 24 months ago.”
The information collected will be used to research the medical benefits of the plants and for pharmaceutical development.
Freed and Stavros expect the crowd to include a strange blend of tie-dye and suit-and-tie types. Stavros said one prominent state Republican legislator may announce his candidacy for the U.S. Senate, but declined to say who.
The organizers are also working carefully to ensure law enforcement is on board.
The MMCC is soliciting support for the event from local and federal law enforcement officials. Organizers are hoping some law enforcement officials will agree to be part of a panel discussion. Â A meeting with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has not occurred, as earlier reported on AnnArbor.com. Rich Isaacson, a representative from the DEA, said his agency does not typically meet with groups like the MMCC because marijuana is still illegal under federal law. Â “Our main point is we certainly are not supporting this initiative in any sense,” he said. Â “In fact, marijuana is still a schedule 1 drug in the eyes of the federal government so that’s the furthest thing we would be supportive of."
Roughly 50 vendors will be on hand, and the weekend is filled with seminars on everything from hydroponics to accounting. Freed and Stavros have invited politicians at all levels and are framing the event as more of a jobs fair, as they believe the economic impact of the industry’s growth in the community could be significant.
“One of our goals is making politicians realize that someone is going to do it, and if it’s you, there is a financial windfall,” Freed said.
Entry for two days is $25 and one day is $15. For a full schedule of events and more information, visit http://www.micaregiverscup.org/.
Tom Perkins is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com. Reach the news desk at news@annarbor.com or 734-623-2530.
Comments
Amos
Mon, Jan 11, 2010 : 1:37 p.m.
Did AnnArbor.com even spell this guy's name right? I googled him and got a lot more results for "Darrell Stavros" (with a "V") than for "Darrell Stazros" ("Z"). A Darrell Stavros on Facebook is a member of the Caregiver's Cup fan page, so I think his name was misspelled throughout this article. This probably makes it harder for people to Google him and learn about his background. Based on my Google results, it looks like he and Anthony Freed are in either the real estate or lending industry.
littlegirlblue
Mon, Jan 4, 2010 : 10:33 a.m.
Ya know Phillip,they had a place like that. It was in Vandalia,MI. A campground called "Rainbow Farm"...it was beautiful..and informative..and helped people band together for the right to smoke herb.... In 2001, after a five day stand off with FBI and state police the two owners of Rainbow Farm were shot on their own property and killed. Keep that in mind kiddies while we are ripping to shreds the attempts of FELLOW ACTIVISTS and organizers. While this particular article about the Cannabis Cup has done alot of damage, both in and out of the Medical Maryjane community..let's not turn a blind eye to the fact that we are at the ground level of a movement and there are bound to be mistakes. At least they are mistakes by people who are actively organizing, spending alot of time and energy trying to do good for everyone.To ignore the apology/explaination of Mr.Freed is a mistake -( I am not the only one on here that saw that right?) if we can't forgive our own..who can? Any move forward toward mainstreaming marajuana in any way is for the betterment of all, but unfortunately any backward, "negative" moves effects us all too...will the medical marajuana community be better than American society at large and band together in these moments of division - or will we all stand around and argue and point fingers? It will be interesting to see. Time's a wastin' people.
Philip Lane
Thu, Dec 31, 2009 : 5:27 p.m.
The event seems a bit hyped to me, after all there are gray areas mentioned about who may provide meds to whom and where it may occur. The two proponents position themselves at the forefront of mj economy, but are exploiting the issue with a ridiculous premise-a frat boy dream of a government sanctioned mj event with" judges" rating product quality on medical grounds...hmm.When I had that idea I called it a festival w/ 10 bands @ $10. I must admit that it appears some thought went into this Caregivers Cup idea, only where did the care give $100 & 2.5 oz to come to the party? Excuse me, but it sounds uncomfortably controversial, like grounds for arrest. Let's not confuse visionary organizing with garden variety opportunism. It is just a little bit early for Michigan Chambers of Commerce to weigh in on boosting trade in communities when legal rights are only just now coming into being which pertain to Medical Marijuana users in private or public circumstances. Medical Marijuana needs a standard of credence that a back page ad in a popular magazine cannot adequately define. A million people in this state yearn and struggle for respect to enjoy a benign activity so they are not the butt of jokes and prejudice. What medical patients are being supported by the preposterous exhibition of watching so-called judges get high and compare notes like they are on a spring break field trip? It seems improbable that this event as it is described can give dignity to the earnest movement in this state to bring Medical Marijuana into a sensible relationship within our state economy. As it is described, this event is a bad joke that will give MM opponents more fuel than they deserve for a debate they don't understand but love to antagonize anyway and score points in conventional law and order terms. I would be more impressed if the Caregivers Cup didn't look like a stoner holiday that cops and the morally uptight can vilify, and still miss the point. Alternatively, I propose a cultural event held in a Temporary Autonomous Zone ( no busts) with proponents from all walks of life, 40 earth-friendly vendors,bands, doctors and lawyers in a two-day forum everyone can enjoy without a punitive fee structure and get to go home safely.
ronn oneal
Thu, Dec 31, 2009 : 2:31 p.m.
So its safe to say that we are evolving from country ypsi-tucky to a place known for weed, called ypsi-fornia, amster-lanti... Go figure. but this will help economy.
Doug Orton
Thu, Dec 31, 2009 : 11:53 a.m.
I am considering discontinueing my subscription to this paper, this is the worst case of 'yellow journalism' I have seen in all my 60 years on this planet. I take offense at your unsubstantiated quote of Mr. Stazros re. Stazros cited an example of a 55-year-old Detroit woman who allowed a 21-year-old man to be her caregiver. The man promised to provide her with her medicine, but instead began demanding money and sex for it. Situations like that happen all the time, and thats where there needs to be regulations on caregivers, he said. Things like that shouldnt be happening. Situations like that are not happening all the time. I have been involved in Michigan's medical cannabis movement for years and have not seen ANYTHING like this, not once. For you to print such accusations, without any proof, without doing some fact checking, is tantamount to 1930's style scare tactics. I am most displeased!
DigitalNomad
Wed, Dec 30, 2009 : 1:11 p.m.
It is more than just the "DEA comment" it is just that we should not promote an event that does not follow the laws. The use or transfer of medical marijuana is for MEDICAL PURPOSES. Judges getting high on 100.5 samples is hardly medical use. I want the public to know - patients don't get high - we get relief from using medical marijuana!
Camille T Horne
Wed, Dec 30, 2009 : 10:22 a.m.
They shouldn't have said they had the DEA's support. So shall we picket them? Crucify them? They made a mistake, but their cause is still just. I'll be the first one to yell at them, but I will still a ticket and support the cause. CTH
mmj supporter
Wed, Dec 30, 2009 : 1:12 a.m.
LEGALLY, a caregiver can only supply medical marijuana to his or her patient(s). All these caregivers are going to be giving marijuana to these two cats. Under the law, at best, this is a gray area, but as far as a risk factor, it's very high. Therefore, the misstatement about DEA backing is extremely dangerous to readers who depend on annarbor.com for journalistic integrity.
Execatl
Wed, Dec 30, 2009 : 12:51 a.m.
Come on people stop fighting and nitpicking! I did not get the impression that these guys are trying to turn weed into another corporate-dominated comodity, please! Now that the author made it clear that they do NOT intend to put a stop to home growing or home gardens, lets unite! Did they overstate the facts (DEA meetings)? Yes. Did the author take things out of context? Yes. But the point is that this will be a great opportunity to LEGALLY advance our cause! Remember, together we stand, divided we fall.
mmj supporter
Wed, Dec 30, 2009 : 12:37 a.m.
Tom Perkins: Do you verify information that is spewed to you before putting it in your articles as fact? For two days, your readers have been lead to believe, by you through your writing, that this event is okay by the DEA. Do you understand how much trouble you've possible put your readers in? Think all those readers will see the retraction? Professional journalism has sunken to an all-time low and this is what we get. It's free though so what do we expect, right?
Tom Perkins
Tue, Dec 29, 2009 : 5:50 p.m.
A clarification: This article does not state and is not trying to imply that the MMCC wants to put a stop to home growing or home gardens. Furthermore, Darrell Stazros and Anthony Freed never stated or implied that is their intention in any interviews with AnnArbor.com.
DigitalNomad
Tue, Dec 29, 2009 : 3:08 p.m.
The DEA has supported this event? Lets see the letter!
DigitalNomad
Tue, Dec 29, 2009 : 3:06 p.m.
I am a legal Medical Marijuana patient under the MMMP. I do not agree with this article's perception on how things are with Caregivers, Patients, and someone growing 12 plants. I have met many trust-worthy people in this new area of medical marijuana and I have never heard anything like the horrors these two are trying to present. Michigan has a good plan for medical marijuana - we can make it work by working together - not by spreading fear, uncertainy, and misinformation. The people of michigan voted for a free system for patients to grow their own medication or have a trustworthy caregiver help them - not for cities and counties to restrict these rights. The Caregiver's Cup is wrong - CGs cannot share medicine registered to a specific patient with anyone else. You cannot fool the informed patients and caregivers that are making this program work in michigan. This is about patient rights.
littlegirlblue
Tue, Dec 29, 2009 : 1:50 p.m.
Wow...this went way bad...way quick... I can not believe that the very first time out of the gate someone stuck their foot THAT far into their mouth. I understand the need for regulation. If being a caregiver is ever going to be looked at as a legitimate profession by the blinded anti-pot masses they will need to feel "safe" by the use of restrictions and regulations.(Of course that's the only way for Uncle Sam to get his share as well...sometimes ya gotta throw the dog a bone.) Rules are not always a bad thing. However,for the chamber to use the "Fear Factor" the way they did on their first big public showing is a grave,grave mistake that may not be able to be undone. It's a shame that now they will spent precious time doing damage control when there is so much serious business to attend to.
pseudo
Tue, Dec 29, 2009 : 7:51 a.m.
thanks for the first correction - the headline is what bothered me.
mmj supporter
Mon, Dec 28, 2009 : 9:52 p.m.
[Stazros cited an example of a 55-year-old Detroit woman who allowed a 21-year-old man to be her caregiver. The man promised to provide her with her medicine, but instead began demanding money and sex for it. Situations like that happen all the time, and thats where there needs to be regulations on caregivers, he said.] Mr. Stazros, please enlighten us to the many times a caregiver has demanded sex from his patient for medical marijuana. Also, do reporters just print anything that is said? Printing this idiot's untruthful words hurts many in the medical marijuana community. Journalists need to be held accountable too.
billy
Mon, Dec 28, 2009 : 8:38 p.m.
Heres a great video of where marijuana use may lead you. A video of one marijuana user, one medical patient, and a great science fiction writer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6O9cYTZXekA&feature=related Marijuana use may lead also to the presidency, professionial sports, congress, television, or if you're unlucky, a lifetime of job and school discrimination and prison. Barack Obama, Al Gore, Carl Sagan, Bill Gates, Bill Clinton(George bush and Newt Gingrich smoked pot too, all people do, it doesn't matter what political party you're affilated with)....how would our world be different if they had been arrested and jailed and denied financial aid? Would our world be a brighter world for the better? I think not. There needs to be a grassroots effort to completely legalize marijuana in Michigan.
billy
Mon, Dec 28, 2009 : 8:18 p.m.
What we need is full legalization immediately. We need to put this up to the voters like they are doing in California and this also needs to become a nationwide movement. Commercial product should be regulated just like beer to be free of pesticides and contaminant such as vermiculite/perlite/rockwool etc..Homegrowers should be free to grow as much as they want for personal use. Didn't we learn the lessons from alcohol prohibition? Eighty years later our generation has chosen a safer alternative than alcohol, yet the persecution and prosecution and the destruction of lives and families of the cannabis culture continue. Marijuana prohibition is evil.
bob redden
Mon, Dec 28, 2009 : 6:34 p.m.
well here we have more people that are trying to make all the money i am a MMMA member and i do not like what MMCC is saying about this cup i was going to go but not now thanks Mr Greg Francisco for all you and the MMMA are doing
Jackson
Mon, Dec 28, 2009 : 2:58 p.m.
I compare this story to the Reefer Madness put out by the government in the 30's. They lie to promote their own agendas. My neighbors would never know I was a caregiver for 5 patients. I've yet to have a disatisfied patient. In fact I try to help convert my patients over so they may grow their own. We don't need any more stinking regulations that will help these two put people in their buildings so they may profit in the long run. Read between the lines. Follow the money trail.
Greg Francisco
Mon, Dec 28, 2009 : 2:38 p.m.
Speaking as the founder and president of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Association I call B.S. to this article. The quotes attributed to the 2 subjects are both alarmist and untrue. The story of the 51 yr old woman pressured to have sex by her caregiver is an urban myth. Shame on your reporter for printing it without verification. Any attempt to undo the current patient--caregiver system will be vigorously opposed. I can only guess why these men said these things much less why you would print them.
Atticus F.
Mon, Dec 28, 2009 : 2:12 p.m.
Thanks for posting that link derf.
bruno_uno
Mon, Dec 28, 2009 : 1:50 p.m.
I am so sick of people acting like marijuana is so evil but look at all the prescription drug abuse in this country. That's okay, it's legal and drug companies tell us they are safe! What a contradiction. You don't think people use and abuse "legal" prescription drugs? Please people, if I suffered from MS or had to undergo chemo and this was one source of relief, I say let it be so! Quick acting so high and mighty when all the people that are so against medical marijuana are probably loaded up on anti-anxiety, anti depressive drugs, etc. Stop the hypocrisy!
Atticus F.
Mon, Dec 28, 2009 : 11:57 a.m.
@ billy, Acctually a patient can get medical MJ from any source without fear of prosecution. However the person who sells MJ to the patient recieves no immunity from the law if they dont have a license.
Billy Staples
Mon, Dec 28, 2009 : 11:52 a.m.
There is another story here missed in the article. This caregivers cup was passively endorsed by the board, (they allowed use of their logo not limited to but including the back cover of High Times magazine to promote this event. of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Association who are an organization meant to advocate for Patient and Caregiver Rights. There is a revolt among the membership at the MMMA website michiganmedicalmarijuana.org as I write this. I'm a cardholder, (Patient card), and I do not support anything this "Cup" event is pushing.
Billy
Mon, Dec 28, 2009 : 11:17 a.m.
"The 100 caregivers entering the contest are asked to provide 2.5 ounces of marijuana to the panel of 140 judges. They'll ingest, smoke or vaporize the pot in designated areas in or outside the hotel that are open only to patients." Just a note here, this is entirely against the new medical law. You are ONLY allowed to receive "medicine" from your designated caregiver, and they are ONLY allowed to grow it and provide it directly to you. The ONLY, and I mean ONLY person that is allowed to purchase "medicine" that a caregiver grew for one of their patients is a "visiting patient," someone with a patient card from another state. That is how the law was written, that is how it stands right now. What these guys running this little tent show are doing is VERY VERY illegal according to the state medical marijuana laws. The law does NOT allow trading or "sampling." Caregiver of patient A CANNOT give "medicine" to Caregiver of patient B. The bill is VERY VERY short, and easily readable to see that what these guys are doing is clearly illegal, so go check it out if you don't believe me. I think I will be attending, stone sober, to point and laugh at all the smart people who get arrested and subsequently lose their medical cards.
Atticus F.
Mon, Dec 28, 2009 : 10:22 a.m.
@james papsdorf, I agree with you 100%. I'm a care giver for my father who is dying of cancer, and I grow in my basement for him. Whats gonna happen when I'm forced to rent a growing space for him...It will bankrupt me. By creating more regulation, you are giving the police more ammunition to go after sick people and their families. Darrell Stazros, and Anthony Freed, are either so short sighted about the needs of patients who are truely suffering. Or they want to create the Phillip Morris of Marijuana, where they controll the way it's manufactured and where it's manufactured. I can appreciate them being entrepeneurs in the field of medical cannabis...But I dont agree with regulating sick people or putting the loved ones of sick people in jail for growing medicine in their homes.
oldblueypsi
Mon, Dec 28, 2009 : 10 a.m.
What's next? A Heroin Hoedown? A Pill Party? A Crack Competition on the Hooker Highway (E Mich Ave, Ypsi Twp)? "(They) are framing the event as more of a jobs fair, as they believe the economic impact of the industrys growth in the community could be significant." Are "they" asking the local dope peddlers to bring multiple copies of their resumes for "open positions"? Yes, grade the products for purity and strength. But let's not turn it into a public circus.
pseudo
Mon, Dec 28, 2009 : 8:58 a.m.
Just to clarify...Ypsilanti? or Ypsilanti Township?
bunnyabbot
Mon, Dec 28, 2009 : 1:25 a.m.
I have to agree with the comment "this is the dumbest thing I have ever heard of"
David Briegel
Sun, Dec 27, 2009 : 9:49 p.m.
If we lived in a sane and civilized nation we wouldn't even be discussing these foolish events because it would be legal. It should be legal. Period!
Scott Goodman
Sun, Dec 27, 2009 : 7:04 p.m.
Ann Arbor Michigan has always been a marijuana activism town. Now medical cannabis is legal in Michigan, but new regulations need to be put in place to implement a plan for manufacturing and distribution. Growing, in particular. With guys like the two featured in this article it feels like we are well on our way to a safe, sane policy with regard to the new laws today and tomorrow. Go Ann Arbor!! Yay Michigan!!
Derf
Sun, Dec 27, 2009 : 6:57 p.m.
This Event should be BOYCOTTED by all Caregivers and Patients!!! Pretty Obvious MMCC does NOT Support Legal Caregivers/Patients and want's to destroy what 63% of Michigan Voters Approved. No Legal Caregiver would make such Obvious Reffer Madness Style Lies in support of their so called Cup. This so called Medical Marijuana Event was only put together to make the Medical Marijuana Community Look Bad. What is MMCC's Real Objective?
mmj supporter
Sun, Dec 27, 2009 : 6:45 p.m.
Wow, the fear agenda these two are pushing is insane. They sound like prohibitionists to me, or else just trying to spread fear so they're the only ones growing and selling marijuana. Ask them about their dispensary.
billy
Sun, Dec 27, 2009 : 3:37 p.m.
It's kind of funny this is two blocks down from the state police post and the headquarters of LAWNET, who steal thousands of pounds of pot every year from our local citizens.
HighlyRated
Sun, Dec 27, 2009 : 2:50 p.m.
Hopefully everything will go well at this event. I don't see anything wrong with marijuana or having a harmless competition for certified growers. I do wonder why Ypsilanti though. I thought Ann Arbor was supposed to be the most "pot friendly." Not that it matters.
johnnya2
Sun, Dec 27, 2009 : 12:27 p.m.
The fact that there is even the slightest prohibition on pot is ridiculous. There has NEVER in he history of the planet been a documented case of a marijuana over dose. On the other hand people have overdosed on asirin, viagra and alcohol.
misti3k
Sun, Dec 27, 2009 : 12:20 p.m.
This is the dumbest thing I have ever heard of.
fman
Sun, Dec 27, 2009 : 10:59 a.m.
Its good to see more people sticking up for mary jane. It dose a lot of good for a lot of people.
Donquixoteee
Sun, Dec 27, 2009 : 8:01 a.m.
I'd suggest that every pothead in a 50 mile radius will come to witness this competition just to get High by breathing in the ambiance. Perpetuating substance abuse has long been an Ann Arbor agenda and this competition is a fine example of how to legally circumvent State dope law. I'm sure it will be a great success. Maybe next year there could be a "who can toke their joint the longest contest" to raise money for cancer research?
zollar
Sun, Dec 27, 2009 : 7:32 a.m.
There are so many gray areas in the law that there needs to be greater regulation" "The MMCC has already met with and received support from Washtenaw County law enforcement agencies, as well as the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Those agencies also are invited for a panel discussion" You would be a idiot and a fool to attend this event and bring any marijuana you may have grown. It is still illegal to grow M.J. in this state. I am sure the above agency's will have a field day identifying growers who they can decided to prosecute at a later day. And no I am not a M.J. user or grower.