Pubdate: Sun, 31 Oct 2010
Source: Traverse City Record-Eagle (MI)
Copyright: 2010 The Traverse City Record-Eagle
Contact: http://www.record-eagle.com/opinion/local_story_128175513.html
Website: http://www.record-eagle.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1336
Author: Art Bukowski
Referenced: Michigan Medical Marijuana Act http://drugsense.org/url/8mvr7sW8
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/Michigan+medical+marijuana
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?275 (Cannabis - Michigan)

MEDICAL MARIJUANA: COLLECTIVE INC. TO OPEN MONDAY IN TC

Product Will Not Be Grown on Site

TRAVERSE CITY - A medical marijuana collective in the heart of 
downtown could test uncharted waters of a new city ordinance. And 
city officials promise more vigilance after they discovered a man who 
launched the operation has a recent felony conviction.

Collective Inc. recently generated buzz when it installed a large 
marijuana-leaf-adorned sign outside its State Street storefront. The 
operation, set for a grand opening Monday, aims to be the city's 
first "full-service" marijuana collective, an off-shoot of a 
2-year-old, voter-approved state ballot initiative.

"We want to keep it high class," said Scott Selbig, one of Collective 
Inc.'s three co-owners. "We're going to keep it so that Traverse City 
likes us."

Marijuana won't be grown at the site, Selbig said, though certified 
patients will be able to meet with state-approved caregivers there to 
obtain the substance. Grow lamps, pipes and other supplies will be 
available for purchase, and Selbig expects a doctor will be on hand 
part-time to certify potential patients.

The Michigan Medical Marijuana act, approved in 2008, allows patients 
to possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana and 12 plants. It also 
allows designated caregivers to grow and distribute plants to up to 
five patients.

The act doesn't specify where or when patients and caregivers can 
grow or exchange marijuana, so municipalities across the state were 
left to decide for themselves. Traverse City in August adopted an 
ordinance patterned after similar measures approved in downstate cities.

The local ordinance, among other things, permits collectives in most 
commercial districts of the city. Marijuana can change hands at such 
locations, but can't be grown there.

Original Owner Is a Felon

Selbig and two other downstate residents recently purchased the 
collective from Lansing-area resident Damon Granger, who on Oct. 14 
pleaded guilty in Genesee County to a felony charge of manufacturing 
marijuana. The city's ordinance prevents convicted felons from owning 
or operating medical marijuana collectives.

Granger, when asked why he sold the collective, said it was 
"liability." None of the new owners -- Selbig, Angela Janovich and 
Nicole Martin -- have felony records, police said.

Traverse City police Capt. Brian Heffner said the city will try to 
keep a close eye on collectives.

"We will continue to investigate reports of individuals who are in 
violation of our ordinance," he said.

Granger approached the city about the collective in July, Heffner 
said. Genesee County Circuit Court records show the felony charge 
already was pending by that time.

David Weston, the city's zoning administrator, said the city will 
monitor Collective Inc. and other operations that open in city 
limits, especially in regards to ownership. The city in the future 
likely will ask prospective owners or operators to specify in writing 
whether or not they have felony convictions.

"Obviously, it's a new ordinance, and this is our first" collective, 
he said. "Our intent is to monitor them ... and make sure they're 
meeting the conditions of the ordinance."

Traverse City police Capt. Steve Morgan said his department will keep 
tabs on the new operation. Even though collectives are legitimate, he 
heard they sometimes attract unsavory activity.

"What we've heard from larger cities is that crime in the area around 
marijuana collectives goes up," he said. "We're concerned about that, 
and if we see that begin to occur it will be an issue for us."

Selbig said he hopes police will realize his operation doesn't pose a threat.

"I think that any of the police officers that want to come talk to 
us, I wish they would," he said. "We're family oriented people, and 
we want to bring the face of (medical marijuana) up, not down."

Backlash Prevention Needed

Michael E. Thue, a local medical marijuana patient, believes 
"discretion still has to be used" by medical marijuana users and 
advocates to avoid a community backlash. But he said local groups 
make a strong effort to police themselves so everything is done on 
the "up and up."

"I can understand the concern, because it happened in southern 
Michigan," he said of crime spikes near collectives. "But the clubs 
up here have been really good about security, checking all the 
appropriate documents."

The city's regulations also allow certified patients and caregivers 
to grow limited amounts of marijuana in residential districts across 
the city, despite opposition from those who were concerned such 
activity could degrade neighborhoods.

Morgan said he suspects there will be a "learning curve" once 
incidents start popping up in residential or commercial districts. 
His chief concern is determining whether people who say they are 
certified as patients truly are eligible to obtain and use marijuana.

"I think the main thing for us is going to be identifying them as 
being card-carrying" patients, he said.

Patients are issued ID cards, but such items can be forged. Some also 
contend that even asking a patient to show an ID card could be a 
violation of rights and protections afforded under the Health 
Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA.

City attorney Karrie Zeits said she's keeping an eye on developments 
with the medical marijuana act and how its applied across the state 
in an effort to prepare for local quarrels.

"I've been monitoring developments in the law that have occurred in 
regards to the act itself that are starting to put some meat on the 
bones of the act," she said. "If problems arise, certainly we'll take 
a look at it." 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake