DETROIT - For Avonda Dowling, Christmas will not come until Friday afternoon. That's when the mother of Florida Atlantic's Jervonte Jackson will walk from her 10-by-10 cell to the "sports room," where the 27-inch television always is tuned to ESPN. There, Dowling will gather with about 25 inmates and cheer on the Owls. But the most special moments will be when her son, a first-team All-Sun Belt defensive tackle, flashes across the screen. "It's so hard. It's very emotional," Dowling said. "At the same time I am so excited." [continues 1314 words]
The state recently recognized a drug-treatment program in Van Buren and Cass counties for its innovation and collaboration. New Directions: Van Buren County Methamphetamine Treatment Program received a second-place Michigan Department of Community Health Director's Award to Local Public Health Departments. The program was started five years ago to treat the then-growing methamphetamine problem. Currently it is treating about 40 court clients who have a variety of addiction issues. Ninety-four people have graduated from the program. [continues 227 words]
I am writing to urge people to support the decriminalization of marijuana. Arrests for marijuana have set an all-time record for the past four years, despite the fact that public opinion of marijuana use grows increasingly tolerant. It's ridiculous to spend so much time and money prosecuting people for smoking marijuana when those resources could be used to prosecute dangerous criminals. Marijuana "offenders" are often punished very harshly -- existing laws deny more than 500 benefits to those convicted of marijuana offenses, including denial of small-business loans and professional licenses. In at least 20 states, "smoke a joint, lose your license" statutes suspend a person's driving license after conviction for any marijuana crime, regardless of whether the person was driving when busted; being caught with marijuana in your own home can lead to a harsher punishment than being arrested for driving drunk. [continues 61 words]
SOUTHFIELD -- The first medical marijuana clinic in the state of Michigan opened Dec. 4 in Southfield, following the controversial proposal voters approved last month making the drug legal in the state for medical purposes. Run by The Hemp and Cannabis Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Portland, Ore., the clinic currently has two licensed physicians on staff. The Southfield clinic joins 17 others in the country run by THCF: four in Oregon, four in Washington state, three in Colorado, three in Hawaii, one in Nevada, one in California and one in Montana. Thirteen states in the U.S. have legalized marijuana for medical purposes. [continues 884 words]
More than 4,200 Americans have been killed in Iraq since that country was invaded in 2003. More than 4,000 people have died this year alone in another war, this one much closer to home. Drug-related murders in Mexico - at more than 4,000 for the year - are a concern north of the border. They involve a bloody trade in illegal drugs flowing into the United States. Some killings by Mexican drug lords have involved Americans, and some have occurred on our soil. [continues 215 words]
A big "hurray" to Dr. Robert Shurmur for posting a sign in his office that reads, "I do not prescribe medical marijuana. Please do not ask!!" This is just another way to mask a medical problem and not try to cure or heal it. California has and is currently trying this and it is a problem, admittedly, that they cannot control. There are better ways to deal with medical problems and illness. And as the state of Michigan does so often, this newly enacted law will be undermanaged, create confusion and misunderstanding and leave open vast interpretation of what can and cannot be done with medical marijuana, leaving a big-time mess for state and local law enforcement to try and untangle. This is an open door for more abuse by those who will take full advantage of this act to feed their addiction. [continues 132 words]
As a Christian, who helped pass Proposal 1, I found myself shaking my head all through "Legalized marijuana stirs questions, concerns" (Dec. 10); it read like the sky was about to fall in. Colorado legalized medical cannabis (marijuana) use and it has worked properly, protecting sick citizens from confrontation with government. The questions I have for these skeptical physicians is, if a sick person is helped by using cannabis, should they be put in a cage? Is Dr. Corbett Amburgey certain smoking cannabis long term has been associated with the same diseases as cigarette smoking? Cigarettes are responsible for over 1,000 deaths daily while there are no dead bodies to show cannabis caused a single similar death in over 5,000 years of documented usage. That's safety on a biblical scale. [continues 80 words]
Dr. Timothy Cox said he is opposed to the new state law that allows people suffering from certain diseases to smoke marijuana. He said other medicine, such as Marinol, offers the same benefits as marijuana but with results that can be more easily controlled. "If they smoke (marijuana) we don't know how much are they actually getting and how much of it is going up in smoke," he said. Regardless, Cox said he will prescribe the drug to patients who request it as a way to stimulate hunger and fight nausea. [continues 638 words]
DETROIT -- Since 1970, residents seeking help with substance abuse have been able to rely on treatment and rehabilitation at the Herman Kiefer Health Clinic, including a methadone program. Employees at the City of Detroit Department of Human Services Drug Treatment Program say they've received notice that the division will close down in February. The closure will affect between 400 and 500 patients at the clinic -- releasing them into a community with few similar resources. According to Clinic Supervisor Kenneth D. Perry, staffers learned in November that they must stop servicing patients by Jan. 23. [continues 545 words]
TRAVERSE CITY -- Don't light up yet. Not all area doctors plan to begin writing prescriptions for medical marijuana just because Michigan voters said in November that they can. "I don't see myself prescribing this unless I saw a way that it was better implemented," said Karen Meyer, a pain specialist. Physicians cited dosing and distribution concerns, better familiarity with available pharmaceuticals and a lack of clear guidelines, so far, as reasons they may shy from recommending cannabis to their patients. Still, they acknowledge the popular recreational drug is likely useful for many who are seriously ill. [continues 726 words]
The day after Michigan voters approved marijuana for medical use, Dr. Robert Shurmur posted a sign on the door of his office, in psychedelic colors, that read, "I do not prescribe medical marijuana. Please do not ask!!" The local rheumatologist called it a form of protest against what he thinks is legislation that will allow greater abuse of the drug. The Michigan Medical Marijuana Act went into effect Thursday, but its enactment has produced more questions than answers for several local health care providers. Physicians say they are unsure how to proceed. [continues 680 words]
DETROIT - Medical marijuana became legal in Michigan yesterday, a month after being overwhelmingly approved by voters. But patients looking to relieve pain, nausea, and loss of appetite don't have the go-ahead to light up just yet. The new law allows patients with cancer, HIV, AIDS, glaucoma, and other diseases to use marijuana to relieve their symptoms on a doctor's recommendation. Qualifying patients can register with the state and receive ID cards allowing them to legally acquire, possess, grow, transport, and use a limited amount - no more than 2.5 ounces and 12 plants - of marijuana. [continues 344 words]
Going Beyond 'D.A.R.E.' Seventeen-year-old Junetta Brown has witnessed how quickly some of her peers fall into the hazy world of substance abuse. "I see a lot of kids get into drinking and drugs, because it's just easy," said Brown, a senior at Battle Creek Central High School. Brown said she has reasons for saying no to drugs, but she didn't get them from a classroom. "We all went through D.A.R.E. and learned about drugs in health class, but it really just focuses on telling us 'say no' or that it will hurt your body," Brown said. "That's not real life. We are out in real life and we need more than that to get us to not do drugs, because kids are still doing it." [continues 981 words]
America ended Prohibition 75 years ago this past week. The ban on the sale of alcohol unleashed a crime wave, as gangsters fought over the illicit booze trade. It sure didn't stop drinking. People turned to speakeasies and bathtub gin for their daily cocktail. Prohibition -- and the violence, corruption and health hazards that followed -- lives on in its modern version, the so-called War on Drugs. Former law-enforcement officers gathered in Washington to draw the parallels. Their group, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), has called for nothing less than the legalization of drugs. [continues 537 words]
DETROIT -- Medical marijuana became legal in Michigan on Thursday, but smoking a joint could still get a patient arrested because the regulations needed to protect them won't be ready for months. The law approved by voters in November allows patients with cancer, HIV, AIDS, glaucoma and other diseases to use marijuana to relieve their symptoms on a doctor's recommendation. Qualifying patients can register with the state and receive ID cards allowing them to legally acquire, possess, grow, transport and use a limited amount -- no more than 2.5 ounces and 12 plants -- of marijuana. They also can designate a primary caregiver to receive similar protection. [continues 307 words]
Effects of the use of medical marijuana remain to be seen in Mason County. Voters in Michigan approved Proposal 1 in November, which gives the Michigan Department of Health the duty to issue registry ID cards to qualifying patients. A registered qualifying patient or primary caregiver may possess 2.5 ounces of marijuana for medical use, and can cultivate 12 plants, kept in a locked facility. The law specifically bars arrest, prosecution, criminal or civil penalty, disciplinary action, and bars seizure or forfeiture of medical use marijuana, according to Qualifyingpatient.com, a site that calls itself a legal help desk for the Michigan Marijuana Act. [continues 358 words]
The Laws To Protect Medical Marijuana Users Aren't Ready DETROIT - Medical marijuana became legal in Michigan on Thursday, but smoking a joint could still get a patient arrested because the regulations needed to protect them won't be ready for months. The law approved by voters in November allows patients with cancer, HIV, AIDS, glaucoma and other diseases to use marijuana to relieve their symptoms on a doctor's recommendation. Qualifying patients can register with the state and receive ID cards allowing them to legally acquire, possess, grow, transport and use a limited amount, no more than 2.5 ounces and 12 plants, of marijuana. They also can designate a primary caregiver to receive similar protection. [continues 74 words]
DETROIT - Medical marijuana became legal in Michigan on Thursday, but smoking a joint could still get a patient arrested because the regulations needed to protect them won't be ready for months. The law approved by voters in November allows patients with cancer, HIV, AIDS, glaucoma and other diseases to use marijuana to relieve their symptoms on a doctor's recommendation. Qualifying patients can register with the state and receive ID cards allowing them to legally acquire, possess, grow, transport and use a limited amount, no more than 2.5 ounces and 12 plants, of marijuana. They also can designate a primary caregiver to receive similar protection. But those cards won't be issued until the Department of Community Health introduces guidelines addressing how applications will be handled, what fees will be charged and other issues. The rules must be finalized by April 4. [end]
I am so tired of seeing this statement: "There's no research that shows marijuana to be medically beneficial," from "Michigan voters roll in medical marijuana, causing discomfort for cops, doctors," The Bay City Times, Nov 16. Quoted from a statement by Dr. Michael Parmer but heard over and over from the anti-cannabis (marijuana) voices, it is an absolutely absurd thing for any educated person to say, especially a medical professional. The U.S. government is the nation's sole legal provider of medical cannabis. Grown at the University of Mississippi, this cannabis is provided to those few patients remaining in the 1976 Compassionate Investigational New Drug (CIND) program. The followup study of those patients has been the work of Dr. Ethan Russo in what is known as the Missoula Study (http://www.cannabismd.org/reports/russo2.php). [continues 122 words]
Getting high was the furthest thing from their minds as some of Michigan's first legal medical marijuana users lined a Southfield waiting room Thursday. But they all shared one thing: pain. "I pray it helps the pain like they say," said diabetic cancer patient Renee Collinsworth, 48, of Croswell. She is hoping to dull the pain from a 1986 motorcycle accident in Ferndale. "It's not all about smoking it, either." Michigan became the 13th state to allow the use of medical marijuana to treat debilitating illnesses after voters approved it in November. A licensed physician must grant approval before patients can use the otherwise illegal drug. [continues 334 words]
Inside Michigan
