MICHIGAN MEDICAL MARIJUANA IN THE NEWS DrugSense FOCUS Alert #446 - Wednesday, August 11th, 2010 Almost every day we read articles in the press which show the efforts going on in Michigan to oppose the will of the voters. The editorial below states that "Municipalities throughout the state have been struggling with just how to regulate the distribution of the drug to those who can legally use it." The state's law is clear as you may read at http://drugsense.org/url/8mvr7sW8 It was passed by two-thirds of the voters. Even the state legislature can not change the law without a three-fourths vote in each house. But by a simple majority vote some municipalities are attempting to take away rights of Michigan's legal caregivers and patients. This effort is being spearheaded by the Michigan Municipal League http://mapinc.org/url/1P1nVl8N and some members of the law enforcement community. Taking the lead in opposition to these efforts is the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan. Please read their latest press release at http://www.aclumich.org/issues/drug-policy/2010-07/1460 Your letters to the editor in support of the will of the people are important. Please bookmark this link which will display Michigan's marijuana press articles as they are archived by MAP http://www.mapinc.org/find?275 Pubdate: Wed, 11 Aug 2010 Source: Daily Tribune, The (Royal Oak, MI) Webpage: http://mapinc.org/url/px6eGJuE Copyright: 2010 The Daily Tribune Contact: Website: http://www.dailytribune.com/ SILVERDOME POT FEST SHOULD BE CANCELED Much to the chagrin of city officials, plans have been set for a cannabis convention in the Silverdome for Oct. 29-31. Bruce Perlowin, the CEO of Medical Marijuana Inc., is behind the event and bristles at referring to it as a "pot party." He calls it the International Holistic Health Cannabis Convention Halloween Harmony & Harvest Festival, and says it's a trade show. No matter how it is termed, city officials are justified in being concerned. Medical marijuana may be legal in Michigan but the controversial drug shouldn't and isn't something that can be purchased over the counter at your local pharmacy. Municipalities throughout the state have been struggling with just how to regulate the distribution of the drug to those who can legally use it. Many communities have placed moratoriums on ordinances addressing the distribution to make sure the process is appropriately covered and that the drug doesn't fall into the wrong hands. In fact, local officials would be shirking their duties if they did not scrutinize the law and establish sound regulatory laws. Voters approved the proposition with their hearts, but local community leaders need to control it with their heads. Medical marijuana is not the panacea that its supporters say it is, and there are numerous peripheral or collateral problems associated with its legal distribution and use. Most doctors are reluctant to say it won't help a suffering patient but likewise, only a few are strong proponents. Also, making sure the drug doesn't find its way into the hands of those not authorized to use it will cost communities money because of the law enforcement requirements. Medical Marijuana Inc. advertises itself as providing tools to manage a medical marijuana business in full compliance of laws and regulations regarding cannabis. This is one very good reason why the Silverdome festival should not be conducted. Too many communities are still not certain about how to regulate marijuana, which is the reason for the moratoriums. Consequently, if all of the laws are not in place, how can festival organizers provide accurate guidance on complying with the regulations? In addition, Pontiac Police Chief Val Gross has expressed concern about public safety and illegal drug use in connection with the festival. We're not going to second-guess Perlowin as to why he wants to conduct the dome festival. It certainly seems premature at the very least, considering how new the law is. Some people will undoubtedly make thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars, thanks to the new law. It's not unreasonable to give local communities time to institute regulations that will make sure all of the transactions are legal. Complicating the situation is the fact marijuana use may be allowable for some people under state law, but it's still illegal on the federal level. Medical Marijuana Inc. is a California-based company. That state was one of the first in the nation to legalize medical marijuana and since then, it still is struggling with regulations over how the drug should be distributed. While Michigan would like to become the new "Hollywood" through increased filmmaking here, we don't need to bring in the California drug culture. So caution is obviously called for and common sense says that the festival should be canceled. Suggestions for writing letters are at our Media Activism Center http://www.mapinc.org/resource/#guides For facts about medicinal marijuana please see http://www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/node/54 A new medicinal cannabis flyer is available at http://mapinc.org/url/Rr2BR72F Prepared by: Richard Lake, Focus Alert Specialist www.mapinc.org =.

Focus Alert Archive