The City of Rochester recently passed a medical marijuana ordinance to regulate the activity in the city of nearly 4 square miles. City Council unanimously adopted the measure at its Dec. 15 meeting after roughly three months of drafting. The measure designates industrial areas on the south side of the city for any potential licensed medical marijuana growing operations. "We're required to provide a place for the legal use of medical marijuana," City Manager Jaymes Vettraino said. "We've been diligent to make sure it's the right place and the right use for our community." The ordinance was modeled after other communities' efforts to regulate medicinal marijuana, such as nearby Auburn Hills and a handful of other municipalities, Vettraino added. [continues 120 words]
It's the 100th anniversary of Drug Prohibition and the drug black market courtesies of the Harrison Act of 1914. Bring those hard drugs back into a doctor's care and let's save around $75 billion to $95 billion for enforcement and incarceration of nonviolent drug offenders. Drug prohibition's purpose should be to save lives. It's turned into something else, the War on Drugs. As with any war on its own people, it can't be won. Let's stop burning witches (addicts) and save their lives through a doctor's care. [continues 100 words]
How long-term marijuana use effects the human brain is a pivotal question before any legalization can occur nationally. Although alcohol remains legal despite the massive evidence on the dangers associated with long-term use, the fight to make marijuana available, both for its medical properties (especially important in selectively killing cancer cells) and for non-medical/recreational use, is hinged on claims made about marijuana's effects on the individual user. The University of Texas recently published research on the long-term effects of marijuana. This research helps dispel the dying myth that marijuana use lowers the IQ and actually provides even more evidence about marijuana's potential role in fighting Alzheimer's disease. [continues 75 words]
Lansing - Officials representing law enforcement and health workers urged Wednesday that lawmakers not pass bills that would permit medical marijuana dispensaries and "edible" forms of cannabis during the lame-duck session. The legislation, which has passed the House and is among many bills pending on the Senate floor, contains too many risks to be adequately addressed during the two days remaining before the Legislature adjourns for the year, they argued at a press conference. "We're concerned they're rushing this through in lame duck when it should be vetted more thoroughly," said Terrence Jungel, executive director of the Michigan Sheriff 's Association. [continues 310 words]
Looking back on 2014, it was a tremendous year for marijuana activists with two more states legalizing, California lowering penalties for low level crime, New York City decriminalizing possession of small amounts, eight cities in Michigan legalizing, Guam voting for medical use, and generally the public opinion numbers kept moving in the right direction. Washington, D.C., legalized, but since the city is a federal district Congress has to approve. However, hardline anti-marijuana Republicans are making that look iffy at the moment. [continues 1129 words]
Test the Legislature first Legislators sometimes make fun of a law by calling it "a solution in search of a problem." More often than not, these are proposals fueled by ideological bias rather than the facts, such as the "voter ID" bills intended to battle "voter fraud" - an almost nonexistent problem. (But if it should happen to stop even a small percentage7 of voters who support the Democratic Party, so much the better for the GOP.) Same goes with the idea of drug-testing welfare recipients, which Lansing's lame-duck session approved last week. You remember welfare recipients, of course. They're those single mothers driving around next year's Cadillacs and pooping out another baby every 10 months to fill up with Faygo on their Bridge cards. Or at least that's what many opposed to welfare would have you believe. Welfare costs money, dammit. And that money should be going to tax breaks for our job creators, or something like that. Any measure that can be dreamed up that might harass welfare recipients, in this context, is worth considering. Even if it costs more money to do so. And even if the problem it purports to solve doesn't appear to exist! [continues 567 words]
Two bills to watch Big things are afoot for medical marijuana in Michigan right now. At least that's what most activists who have their eyes on Lansing believe. House Bills 4271 and 5104 are widely expected to be passed during the lame duck session before Dec. 18. I'm not a big fan of lame duck legislation in recent years when such things as a Right-to Work bill and anti-abortion legislation have been pushed through. These bills are, however, welcome for the majority of medical marijuana patients. [continues 1118 words]
How Many of Our Brothers and Sisters Will Get Busted for Pot This Holiday Season? I remember a Thanksgiving, nearly 20 years ago. At the time I lived in a very low-income neighborhood. Most white people would call it a "bad" neighborhood. Back then, it was almost entirely black and Hispanic people living there. I loved that neighborhood. It was filled with families, good music, and delicious food. The neighbors were always friendly to me. Even the drug dealers were nice. They sold marijuana back then, nickel and dime bags ($5 or $10 sizes). [continues 494 words]
Both Sides Look to Hand Off Responsibility The Controlled Substances Act, which set up the drug schedules in the early 1970s, explicitly places drug scheduling authority in the hands of the attorney general, and even instructs him or her to "remove any drug or other substance fromthe schedules if he finds that the drug or other substance does not meet the requirements for inclusion in any schedule." The crowning inconsistency of the federal drug control system has always been the classification of marijuana as a Schedule 1 substance under federal law, which makes it among the Worst of the Worst drugs as far as the DEA is concerned - literally as bad as heroin, and worse than cocaine! Drug reform advocates have pushed the DEA to change its position for years, citing decades of research on the relative harmlessness of weed compared with other drugs - including alcohol -- but the agency hasn't budged, even as public opinion has rapidly evolved. [continues 410 words]
In the underground world of heroin, there is a legend of an African root called iboga, or ibogaine, that can cure addiction. Those in the depths of heroin use, often as a last resort, seek out the root, which can be dangerous to use. Some go to Mexico or to Europe to take it, as it is illegal here in the United States. It can be an expensive trip for the user, and often one made in a moment of final desperation. [continues 2893 words]
Both Sides Look to Hand Off Responsibility The Controlled Substances Act, which set up the drug schedules in the early 1970s, explicitly places drug scheduling authority in the hands of the attorney general, and even instructs him or her to "remove any drug or other substance from the schedules if he finds that the drug or other substance does not meet the requirements for inclusion in any schedule." The crowning inconsistency of the federal drug control system has always been the classification of marijuana as a Schedule 1 substance under federal law, which makes it among the Worst of the Worst drugs as far as the DEA is concerned - literally as bad as heroin, and worse than cocaine! Drug reform advocates have pushed the DEA to change its position for years, citing decades of research on the relative harmlessness of weed compared with other drugs - including alcohol -- but the agency hasn't budged, even as public opinion has rapidly evolved. [continues 411 words]
Crunching the Numbers in Marijuana's March to Legalization Let's play a little numbers game today. This is not the kind of numbers they played in an illegal lottery that flourished for decades before states started taking over the gambling business. Back in the 1940s, my uncle was a numbers runner who walked down alleys collecting nickel and dime bets in an illegal lottery that flourished for decades in poor neighborhoods. He couldn't write down the numbers that people wagered on because that was evidence if the police caught him. He had to memorize each number, who bet it, and the amount wagered. It was a tricky and intricate situation where a good memory came in handy. [continues 1225 words]
We interviewed Jude Angelini, aka "Rude Jude," for our Face Time column in this issue. One thing that struck us about Angelini was his honesty about drugs. People who use drugs are often not publicly honest about it. They bullshit, they make excuses, they carry shame, or they talk about being "clean" - which insinuates that when they did drugs, they were dirty. But are drug users really dirty? After all, you can be brilliant and still use drugs - just look at Philip Seymour Hoffman. Or Heath Ledger. Or Robin Williams. Or ... fill in the blank. [continues 665 words]
Mt. Pleasant residents have overwhelmingly voted in favor of decriminalizing marijuana. With a vote of 62-percent to 38-percent, the mid-Michigan city residents voted Tuesday to amend the city ordinance so that nothing in the city's code would apply to the use, possession or transfer of "small amounts" of marijuana on private property by those 21 and over. Mt. Pleasant's ordinance defines "small amounts" as less than one ounce. "This is a significant statement in Michigan politics," Ian Elliott said. [continues 271 words]
How to Get Involved in the Marijuana Business Without Getting Your Hands Dirty The tide of change in marijuana is pretty much in evidence across the country - even the most anti-drug states are going for CBD-only or hemp farming laws - and all kinds of businesses are involved in the booming marketplace. A recent national economic analysis on nerdwallet.com estimates that Michigan would gain $122 million a year in taxes on legal recreational marijuana. That's just the taxes; the overall market in the United States was estimated at $14 billion. [continues 1131 words]
Marijuana decriminalization proposals are on the ballot in three south Oakland County communities on Nov. 4 and pro-pot organizers have yet to lose such an election. Election Day in Huntington Woods, Pleasant Ridge and Berkley will show whether the activists' winning streak will continue in Oakland County and elsewhere. "The poll numbers are somuch in our favor all we have to do is put the issue on the ballot," said Tim Beck, a retired health insurance executive and co-founder of the Safer Michigan Coalition, a statewide marijuana legalization group. "The closest election we've had was in Oak Park in August when we won (with) 53 percent. In Michigan, polls show 65 percent of people support decriminalization." [continues 471 words]
In a breakthrough decision for those who say marijuana is medicine and not a dangerous drug, the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled Friday that workers who are state-approved users of medical marijuana should get unemployment compensation if fired solely for testing positive for drugs. "It's a very favorable decision for the civil rights of employees in Michigan," said Matt Abel, a Detroit lawyer and senior partner of Cannabis Counsel, a law firm that focuses on marijuana cases. But Rich Studley, president of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, said the ruling -- and the use of medical marijuana in general -- present "a real dilemma" for employers. [continues 432 words]
Despite the fact that medical marijuana is legal in 23 states and the District of Columbia and is legal recreationally in Colorado and Washington state, the stigma of marijuana use sticks to patients and users like the tar and feathers of bygone days. It sticks despite the fact that medical patients clearly benefit from it. It sticks despite the fact that nearly 90 percent of Americans support medical marijuana, and support for recreational marijuana is nearing 60 percent in recent polls. [continues 1140 words]
Many years ago, I heard a story that the CIA purposefully allowed the funneling of crack cocaine into Los Angeles and other inner cities across the country in order to fund a war in Nicaragua. It was told to me on the street. I didn't read it. As a young woman living in the Bronx, I heard the story again and again, as matter-of-fact as the sun rises each morning in the east. The CIA, everyone said, knew where the crack was, who it came from, and despite the War on Drugs, the flow was never impeded, rather the lowest level of addict or poorest and most desperate of the pushers were the ones targeted for incarceration. [continues 915 words]
If you can't beat 'em at the ballot box, do it with administrative and quasi-legal shenanigans. That seems to be the way East Lansing City Clerk Marie Wicks and Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum have managed to keep a vote on legalizing marijuana off the East Lansing ballot this fall. "In 11 other cities the same thing will be voted on," says attorney Jeffrey Hank, chair of the Coalition for a Safer East Lansing, which ran the petition initiative. "They're playing games with democracy. We are pissed off." [continues 1122 words]
Chief Steve Pego of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe declared war on substance abuse to an at-capacity audience at the Celebration of Healing, Recovery and Hope event last week at the Eagle's Nest Tribal Gym on the reservation. In a historic move, Steve Pego signed a birch bark document of community standards declaring war, something he said the tribe hasn't done since 1763, during the Sept. 24 community meeting. Steve Pego said troubling increases in car and home break-ins on the reservation in combination with a rise in heroin abuse led to tribal leaders meeting to discuss how to come together as a tribe to fight substance abuse. [continues 1152 words]
"Michigan State Police bust marijuana growing operation" reads the headline in the Freep. "Marijuana smell on Michigan kindergartener leads cops to dad's homegrown pot" announces another. And from The Washington Post's editorial board recently: "D.C. voters should reject the rush to legalize marijuana." Every day stories like these bombard our nation, and we are sick of it. Tired. How long does this insane prohibition need to continue? "... reject the rush to legalize"? The RUSH? How long do publications considered reputable need to continue to spew falsehoods as facts? (Such as the Post's claim that since legalizing and regulating marijuana, Colorado has seen "increased use by youth." It hasn't.) [continues 509 words]
A change is gonna come Christeen Landino remembers attending her first marijuana protest in downtown Detroit back in 1974. She still has a card from then that she paid $1 for in support of the Michigan Marijuana Initiative, an unsuccessful petition drive to get decriminalization on the ballot that year. It didn't happen then, but we know that a whole lot of water has passed under the Ambassador Bridge since then. President Nixon had recently declared his war on drugs, and had marijuana designated a Schedule 1 drug, despite having been advised to decriminalize it. Today Nixon's drug war is pretty well considered a failure, and the majority of Americans support legalization of marijuana. [continues 1115 words]
Marijuana has become pretty normal in America. That doesn't mean that people aren't still getting dragged off to jail for possession. According to FBI estimates, about 750,000 people were arrested for marijuana-related offenses in 2012. The vast majority of them were for simple possession, and although marijuana use is approximately equal among both groups, young African-Americans and Latinos are arrested at rates much higher than whites. Those arrest numbers speak to a whole different set of social issues other than marijuana use, and as soon as this marijuana thing gets untangled, it will give law enforcement one less way to ensnare people of color in the legal system. [continues 1160 words]
UM Study Also Finds Use of Cocaine Down, ADHD Drugs Up, Alcohol Mixed Daily use of marijuana by college students is at its highest rate in more than three decades and stimulant use has almost doubled, a study released Monday by the University of Michigan shows. But some drugs, such as synthetic marijuana and cocaine, are on the decline while the use of alcohol is mixed, according to the Monitoring the Future study - a national, federally funded survey of college students conducted by UM researchers for four decades. [continues 412 words]
Last week, The Washington Post asked, Is medical marijuana the answer to America's prescription painkiller epidemic? The article looked at a recent study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, titled "Medical Cannabis Laws and Opioid Analgesic Overdose Mortality in the United States, 1999-2010." The study began with the reasoning that because painkiller overdose deaths continue to skyrocket in the U.S., and because medical marijuana is considered a treatment for chronic pain in states where it's legal, medical marijuana states might have lower prescription painkiller overdose rates. [continues 544 words]
I first wrote about Alysa Erwin in December 2013. At the time, she had been cancer-free for 11 months. Alysa's and her family's ordeal started in January 2011 when she was 14 years old. She started having debilitating headaches, and in the spring was diagnosed with Grade 3 anaplastic astrocytoma - brain cancer - at the University of Michigan hospital. Her parents were told she might live 18 to 24 months with chemotherapy treatments. After one round of chemo, Alysa was so sick her family decided to forgo conventional treatments and try treating her with Rick Simpson Hemp Oil. [continues 1168 words]
Marijuana decriminalization in Mount Pleasant just got two more voices of opposition in the form of Michigan's governor and attorney general. Both Gov. Rick Snyder and Attorney General Bill Schuette sent letters to Mount Pleasant's city commissioners care of City Clerk Jeremy Howard denouncing the proposal, which is slated to be on the Nov. 4 ballot. The proposal, spearheaded by marijuana advocacy groups on and off campus, would effectively make the use, possession and transfer of less than one ounce of marijuana legal in the city. [continues 282 words]
La PORTE - La Porte's success, or lack thereof, in fighting drug abuse in the community was an issue of some contention during the La Porte Board of Public Works meeting this week. There, city Councilman Roger Galloway said the city's police department needed a new direction in combating the prevalent heroin abuse and other illegal drug problems swarming the streets. He said the department was too reactive, and needed to start doing something to saturate these problem areas with law enforcers to handle the drug issue. He suggested paying for more off-duty officers to work shifts, and obtaining a second K-9 officer, among other changes, which he believed could be handled with the department's current budget. [continues 456 words]
CADILLAC -- The days of seeing marijuana dispensaries in Haring Township may be going up in smoke. Haring Township board members approved a decision for Zirnhelt, Bowron and Wiggins, P.L.C. to prepare a marijuana moratorium for the township at a special meeting Monday at the township hall. Earlier this month, the township board agreed to work with township attorney Corey Wiggins in the drafting of an updated version of its 2011 marijuana moratorium. In 2011, the township voted to impose a moratorium on the use of any land and the issuance of any permits, licenses and approvals related to the medical marijuana business within the township. The township adopted the ordinance although the planning commission recommended the "no action" alternative with regard to regulation related to the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act. The planning commission noted numerous, diverse and possibly conflicting legal interpretations of the act and pending lawsuits regarding aspects of the act as a basis for its recommendation. [continues 170 words]
Last week, there was a disturbance in the Force: The world lost a great giver of light, Robin Williams. The sky above metro Detroit, where Williams spent his childhood, seemed to know this loss intimately, and flooded the region. The wake of the event still ripples throughout the world, and there are tributes to Williams around the globe. From the theaters on Broadway to Syrian rebels to planning the next Emmy awards, people are honoring the actor ... fans are even demanding a character be created in the video game "Legend of Zelda." [continues 510 words]
Livingston County Sees 22 Percent Drop in Patients Over Two-Year Period While Colorado is smoking pot -- medical and recreational -- by the ton, according to a recent report, the number of medical marijuana patients in Livingston County has decreased. Proponents of medical marijuana say this is due to intimidation by law enforcement. "Individual communities within each county are permissive or restrictive based on their own beliefs," said Rick Thompson, editor and blogger for The Compassion Chronicles. "Howell is not pleasant toward medical marijuana patients, but Livingston County rural areas are not quite as difficult." [continues 803 words]
Over the past 10 years, Michigan citizens have voted in favor of pro-marijuana ordinances and state laws every time they have been given the opportunity, and the Committee to Reform Onaway, CRO, is hoping the streak continues in Onaway when its citizen-initiated ballot amendment proposal goes to voters in November. The proposed amendment to the Onaway city charter, which will be placed on the November ballot, reads, "Nothing in the code of ordinances shall apply to the use, possession, or transfer of less than one ounce of marijuana, by a person who has attained the age of 21 years." [continues 1029 words]
CADILLAC -- Protesters who gathered at the Wexford County Courthouse expressed different reasons for being there but had one thing in common: support for medical marijuana. Voters passed a law allowing limited use of medical marijuana in 2008. It requires individuals to receive a doctor's certification and have a card identifying themselves as patients. Approximately a dozen activists visited the courthouse Thursday, Aug. 14 carrying signs with messages such as "No victim, no crime" and "My rights, my choice" as they congregated in the courthouse parking lot and circled the building on the sidewalk. [continues 245 words]
Port Huron residents will vote Nov. 4 on whether to amend the Port Huron city charter to decriminalize marijuana. Port Huron City Manager James Freed said the initiatory petition submitted by Laura Rigby on July 29 had enough signatures to get on the ballot. Five percent of registered voters, or 1,054 people, were needed to approve the peition. City Clerk Sue Child said 1,095 of the signatures were valid. Rigby turned in more than 1,600 signatures. The petition seeks to legalize the possession and use of less than 1 ounce of marijuana by anyone 21 or older. [continues 327 words]
Tragedy always reminds us of how precious life is, how important people are to us, but it is also a time to take a closer look at ourselves and face our own demons. The recent loss of actor and comedian Robin Williams brings increased attention to an illness that far too many people suffer from - substance use disorder and depression. Williams battled an addiction to drugs and alcohol for decades. Williams was quoted in an ABC News interview as saying that "drinking presents another side of yourself that even you don't know." [continues 810 words]
Chuck Ream takes his cannabis religiously. In fact he's evangelistic about it. "When you get out past your own ego, the teaching plants carry the message of right and wrong just like the Bible," says Ream. "That teaching from the magical plants could be the impetus to save our civilization, to move beyond absolute materialism. It's the only real religion." It's that kind of zeal that led to Ream receiving the High Times Lester Grinspoon Lifetime Achievement Award at the recent Michigan Medical Marijuana Cannabis Cup. It's a great honor, but Ream has bigger ambitions. [continues 1091 words]
Last week, The New York Times published an editorial calling for the federal legalization of marijuana but suggested it should be left to individual states about whether it should be legal within their individual boundaries. The Times made a number of logical arguments, including comparing the criminalization of marijuana with the outlawing of alcohol in the Prohibition era. The Times said marijuana should be legal for recreational and medical use. It noted that arrests for marijuana far outstrip the number of arrests for more serious and more dangerous substances, including heroin and cocaine, and the enforcement tends to waste law enforcement resources that could be spent better on more serious crimes. [continues 809 words]
When Colorado legalized marijuana in 2012, nobody knew exactly how would it affect the state's economy. But when the numbers starting coming in, it turned out that pot legalization proved to be a good source of revenue for the state. One report said Colorado expected about $184 million in tax revenues in the first 18 months since the law passed. The Colorado story encouraged many Michigan communities to legalize or decriminalize pot in their areas and the recent cities being added to the list are Oak Park and Hazel Park. [continues 385 words]
6 Suspended After Evidence Taken in Raid Not Logged Detroit - Six members of a Detroit police narcotics unit that raided a suspected drug house have been suspended after a surveillance video captured them taking away a box they never logged as evidence. The investigation is part of a larger Internal Affairs probe into the now-disbanded Narcotics Section, which was retooled last month after allegations surfaced claiming major problems in the unit. One sergeant and five officers have been suspended with pay while Internal Affairs investigators try to determine what was inside the box taken from the raid, said Detroit Police Chief James Craig. [continues 483 words]
Novi District Judge Advances to Nov. Election in Tight Race Voters in Hazel Park and Oak Park approved legalizing possession of marijuana for personal use Tuesday, while a controversial Novi district judge advanced to November's general election. Clarence Tabb Jr. / The Detroit News Debra Young of the Safer Michigan Coalition, which backed allowing small-time marijuana possession in Oak Park. The measure passed. The marijuana proposal won with 62 percent voting yes in Hazel Park and 53 percent approving in Oak Park. Hazel Park voters also approved an operating millage for the school district. [continues 507 words]
Advocate: 'I Just Think Voters Spoke on It. I Figured It Was Going to Pass.' Hazel Park and Oak Park voters who expected legalized marijuana after Tuesday's vote may face some disappointment. The two marijuana decriminalization ballot measures passed by voters are most likely a statement rather than a full-on legalization. Hazel Park Police Chief Martin Barner said the way his department handles marijuana will not change. "I'm going to continue to enforce the laws of the state and federal laws," Barner said. "And until the city council, mayor, city attorney and other administration tell me to do otherwise, (we will enforce it)." [continues 324 words]
Voters in the cities of Hazel Park and Oak Park passed similar ordinance amendments that will allow for individuals ages 21 and older to legally use, possess or transfer less than one ounce of marijuana on private property. The Hazel Park ballot measure passed with 763 "yes" votes and 460 "no" votes with all precincts reporting. The Oak Park ballot measure passed with 2,161 "yes" votes and 1,913 "no" votes with all precincts reporting. Both cities join Ferndale, where voters approved a similar decriminalization amendment in November 2013 by a nearly 2-to-1 margin. Hazel Park Schools Millage YES: 57.75% (909) NO: 42.25% (665) Oakland County SMART Bus Millage YES: 73.66% (73,253) NO: 26.34% (26,195) [end]
Voters in the cities of Hazel Park and Oak Park passed similar ordinance amendments that will allow for individuals ages 21 and older to legally use, possess or transfer less than 1-ounce of marijuana on private property. The Hazel Park ballot measure passed with 763 "yes" votes and 460 "no" votes with all precincts reporting. The Oak Park ballot measure passed with 2,161 "yes" votes and 1,913 "no" votes with all precincts reporting. Both cities join Ferndale, where voters approved a similar decriminalization amendment in November 2013 by a nearly 2-to-1 margin. [end]
Voters said yes to decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana in Hazel Park and Oak Park today, according to unofficial election results. The measure would allow the use, possession or transfer of less than 1 ounce of marijuana on private property not used by the public by a person who is at least 21 years old. It passed 62% to 38% with all precincts reporting in Hazel Park. The unofficial win was more narrow in Oak Park with 53% to 47% passage with all precincts reporting. [continues 92 words]
There is much talk these days, on a local and national level, of what to do with the 40,000-plus children at the U.S.-Mexican border. Like it or not, some of those kids are being placed with their family members or social service organizations right here in southeast Michigan. The United Nations calls them refugees, and some locals call them an invasion. The truth is that these children are indeed refugees - refugees of our War on Drugs. Sonia Nazario, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book Enrique's Journey, a story about a boy from Honduras on his quest to reunite with his mother in the United States, embarked on a four-country journey with him 10 years ago, and recently went back to see how things had changed. She discussed it on a recent episode of The Daily Show With Jon Stewart. [continues 574 words]
TRAVERSE CITY Daniel Reid's life changed more than a decade after he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a neurological disease that can lead to vision problems, pain and paralysis. An MS researcher told Reid about using Cannabidiol, a compound in marijuana, to treat the disease. "Within a few days it had an enormous effect on me," Reid said. "Over time I weaned myself off of other medications I was using, and now that's how I am treating my MS. I've had it since 1997, and I'm perfectly healthy. It's not progressing." [continues 330 words]
Michigan's 27th District House seat is turning out to be a hotly-contested primary race with five Democratic candidates and two Republicans aiming for victory. The district covers areas of Berkley, Ferndale, Hazel Park, Huntington Woods, Oak Park, Pleasant Ridge and Royal Oak Township. Marijuana seems to be one of the hottest topics for the voters in the district in recent months as civil right groups have managed to put the pot legalization on the ballot in these communities. Andrew Robert Cissell, a Democrat, has been personally involved in submitting the required petitions for the ballot. [continues 363 words]
Chuck Ream knows that a few cities in mid-Michigan can't change the world, or the country. But he and others hope that ballot initiatives in Mt. Pleasant and Harrison in the November election to legalize small amounts of marijuana will at the very least get people thinking about decriminalizing cannabis on a larger scale. Ream is part of an effort in to legalize the use, possession or transfer of less than 2.5 ounces of marijuana on private property among people 21 and older. [continues 401 words]
The Ferndale City Council has given its unanimous approval to a medical marijuana center similar to one that county authorities raided with a SWAT team and padlocked in 2010. But city officials said the Meridian Wellness Center, which is to occupy a former liquor store on East 9 Mile near I-75, will operate within state law as it provides medical marijuana to state-approved patients. "I'd like there to be more state guidelines for us to follow," but the city found no reason to block the center from opening after those who proposed it met a list of conditions, Ferndale Mayor Dave Coulter said. [continues 542 words]
Inside Michigan
