Michigan

News

Last year, after the vote to legalize adult-use recreational marijuana in Michigan was certified, people lined up outside provisioning centers with the expectation that they would be allowed to buy some in those locations - - only to find that a state medical certification was still required.

DETROIT - Michigan is officially the first state in the Midwest to allow marijuana for more than medical purposes.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- A Michigan judge has thrown out a case against two former corrections officers who lost their jobs after being arrested and charged with possession of marijuana-infused butter.

LAS VEGAS -- For Hilary Dulany, long roots in Michigan and the prospect of expanding her Oregon marijuana business are luring her back to the Great Lakes State.

Letters

As a Colorado voter who helped end cannabis prohibition in my state, I've observed the current laws work as planned, protecting responsible adults who choose to use the extremely popular, God-given plant. Every subsequent poll indicates Colorado voters continue to support it, and there's every reason to believe Michigan voters will end the discrimination and continue supporting it in the future.

While many citizens accept regulations when they seem reasonable, "95 percent" of cannabis (marijuana) dispensaries being affected by new regulations do not seem reasonable. It's another achievement of government-subsidized discrimination in a country where the prevalence of discrimination is undeniable. And make no mistake: Bigots orchestrated cannabis prohibition from the beginning as an act of racism, greed, and control.

Local doctors are not writing any pain medicine prescriptions when they find the patient is using medical marijuana. This is why we have a local heroin epidemic. Medical marijuana serves as a pain medicine, but does not cover all pain. Why are these doctors/hospitals willing to write multiple scripts for powerful pain pills, but stop writing any scripts for pain pills when they learn of the patient's medical marijuana use? Doctors, please help patients: write one script for pain pills to cover the horrific pain (some of these people are dying), and let medical marijuana get them through the rest. Or this problem will get worse.

Re: The Detroit News' Dec 12 story, "FBI agent shot in Detroit drug raid": We seem to hear stories like this one about the enormous drug bust and injured FBI agent so often that it makes you wonder whether police officers really still believe we're making a dent in the drug market.

In a recent Higher Ground column, Larry Gabriel wrote about why people should sign MILegalize petition to end Michigan's cannabis prohibition ("Make the right choice: Support MILegalize,"Nov. 25). Reader Stan White wrote in to offer his endorsement:

I favor the MILegalize petition. Please visit its website and contribute to its campaign fund. Michigan is a right-to-farm state. If your land is suitable and you raise crops according to state standards, you may compete in the state's open market. I'd say legalize marijuana but don't corporatize it. Never interfere with patients' rights to grow their own. And tell the police to take a hike. They are addicted to profiting from Michigan's antiquated, unconstitutional forfeiture law. Their reps have repeatedly hijacked lawmakers' votes to fine tune the MMMA by showing up en masse and playing "tough cop" in legislators' offices just before a vote.

In the United States, and in Michigan, autism is growing. In fact, it is growing at such an alarming rate that it has just recently been identified as a significant public health issue, due to statistics provided by the Center for Disease Control's Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, a nationwide federal program that tracks autism rates around the country.

According to the Center For Disease Control, 44 people die from prescription opioid overdoses every day in the United States. In 2013, more than 16,000 people fatally overdosed on prescription painkillers.

Opinions

Nine years after Michigan voters overwhelmingly approved an initiative that permits doctors to prescribe marijuana for therapeutic purposes, state and local lawmakers are still struggling to design a regulatory scheme that balances the interests of patients, providers and residents.

Chronic pain is a tremendous public health problem. The Institute of Medicine estimates chronic pain affects 100 million Americans at an estimated annual cost of $600 billion. But the rampant use of opioids to treat chronic pain stands out as the least-defensible and most-harmful of our maltreatments. Many U.S. physicians remain resistant to this, though I would argue other options should be considered.

Huge bust halts MMJ grower On Aug. 18, the Colorado Springs Metro Vice, Narcotics and Intelligence division assisted with the execution of three search warrants that resulted in the arrest of one person and the seizure of 537 marijuana plants, three firearms, ammunition and an undisclosed amount of cash. The raid took place within city limits and included agents from the federal Drug Enforcement Agency and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

"I hurt daily," says former NFL and Michigan State University football player Andre Rison. "Marijuana candy helps."

Links

Education and Responsible Reform of Marijuana Laws

Our mission is to move public opinion sufficiently in order to achieve the repeal of cannabis prohibition in the state of Michigan so that the responsible use of cannabis by adults is no longer subject to penalty under law

Rainbow Farm -- Supporting industrial hemp and cannabis legalization in Michigan. Campground, concerts, events, benefits.

Veterans for Medical Marijuana Access is committed to protecting the rights of veteran patients and healthcare professionals by advocating for safe and legal access to marijuana (cannabis) for all appropriate therapeutic uses and to encourage research on marijuana as a treatment alternative.

Papers