Pubdate: Wed, 26 Feb 2014
Source: City Pulse (Lansing, MI)
Copyright: 2014 City Pulse
Contact:  http://www.lansingcitypulse.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4532
Author: Charmie Gholson
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?275 (Cannabis - Michigan)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?253 (Cannabis - Medicinal - U.S.)

SENATE SHOULD MOVE QUICKLY ON LIFESAVING MARIJUANA BILLS

In December, the House Judiciary Committee heard testimony on three
medical marijuana-related bills.

HB 4271 allows local control and regulation of medical marijuana
provisioning centers; HB 5104 legalizes the medical use of non-smoked
forms of medical marijuana such as concentrated oils, liquids,
capsules and in food; and SB 660 created a new medical marijuana
registry, providing for "pharmaceutical-grade cannabis" and which is
contingent upon federal rescheduling of marijuana from a completely
banned substance to being allowed with a prescription.

Although Gov. Rick Snyder signed SB 660 into law, it does nothing to
quickly provide Michigan patients with safe access to medicine. What
it does do is force them to wait until the federal government
reschedules marijuana from Schedule 1 (completely prohibited) status.
Even though President Obama has raised eyebrows with recent statements
that marijuana is safer than alcohol, there is no indication from his
administration that rescheduling is a priority.

The other two bills passed with overwhelming support in the House from
both sides of the aisle. (A January story in City Pulse details how
House Republicans gathered to support the bills.) They were then
assigned to the Senate Government Operations Committee, chaired by
Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville. While these bills wait in
committee, the medicine needed by patients who use non-smokeable forms
of medical marijuana, including pediatric patients, is illegal in
Michigan. Still. Five years after we passed the Michigan Medical
Marihuana Act, those who need our protection the most are still at
risk.

A Feb. 3 Detroit Free Press feature quotes Grand Ledge Republican Sen.
Rick Jones on the bills. "Lansing had 38 licensed dispensaries. They
were in stores, next to schools and next to churches that had rehab
programs. I do not favor the wild, wild west of dispensaries coming
back."

Not only does HB 4271 solve the problem of unregulated provisioning
centers (yes, by regulating them), but also a Michigan State Police
representative testified in the Judiciary Committee hearing that it
would bring clarity to the Medical Marihuana Act, which is huge. Jones
said on Tuesday, "I don't have a problem at all" with the edibles
bill, but he is more hesitant about dispensaries. "I'm willing to look
at the issue. I'm not ready to sign on yet."

Robin Schneider, legislative liaison for the National Patients Rights
Association, supports both bills.

"Medical marijuana patients have been attacked from every direction,"
she said. "They shut down safe access points. They raid their
caregivers and even raid patients growing their own medicine. Then
they try to take their children. We didn't vote for escalated police
encounters against sick people, but that is exactly what is happening."

On the smoking alternative bill, Rebecca Brown testified at the
Judiciary hearings in December. Brown is the founder of Pediatric
Cannabis Therapy, a support group for parents of very ill children who
respond to cannabis therapy. Her son Cooper experienced
life-threatening seizures "day and night," due to Dravet syndrome.
Then Brown found that concentrated cannabis oil calmed the seizures,
something the prescribed pharmaceutical drugs weren't able to achieve.

She and other parents of very ill children approached Schneider's
organization after the Michigan Court of Appeals outlawed all forms of
medical marijuana except plant material.

"In the Dravet community alone we lost five kids in December. Our kids
need this medicine. What good would it do to put parents of sick kids
in jail? Just give us the law so we have this protection.

"We're the people the law was written for. Why are they making this so
difficult? As parents of sick kids, we don't have the energy at the
end of the day to grow our own medicine. Sick kids require a lot of
time, attention and money. Why is it so difficult to understand that
sick kids need medicine?" Charmie Gholson is a co-founder of The
American Rights Conference.
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MAP posted-by: Matt