Blame government, not kids Why would we test our children? It is the government's fault that drugs are here. The Mexican border is open for the $2 billion dollars a year of dope to enter. Why blame the students or the adults for that matter? When there is money involved, there are NO rules. Bea Scalise New Smyrna Beach, Fla. [end]
Testing makes no sense We're going to institute random drug tests on students, which will cost a pretty penny in itself, not to mention the school district will possibly be defending itself in court over the inevitable legal challenges? The state is also mandating a curriculum that is going to force local districts to compete nationally to find and hire math and science teachers from an already depleted pool. Don Schmittdiel Clinton Township [end]
He remembers the beginning of the end, the long walk home from work that Halloween evening, the longest two blocks of his life. "Our neighborhood is a Norman Rockwell painting," Tom Gilbert says. "We've got front porches and kids and dogs and sidewalks. It's America, and everybody is getting ready for Halloween, and we're going to have 500 kids at our door, and Marsha loves Halloween and is dressed as a witch and there's chili on the stove. [continues 2268 words]
Initiative Would Give NOPM Chance to Dispense Pot to Sick Patients FERNDALE -- City voters will get a chance to decide whether a pro medical marijuana group should have a chance to distribute pot to sick patients if the group has a court order. Carl M. Swanson of the National Organization for Positive Medicine has already collected enough signatures to get the issue on the ballot in Ferndale. Swanson's Ferndale attorney, Thad McCullum, recently turned in petitions with 398 signatures to the City Clerk's office. Only 250 signatures are needed to get the issue on a ballot. [continues 509 words]
Bob Leppen wrote on May 11 that he believes marijuana should be legalized for medical reasons. He implied that many very sick patients need it, and their efforts to obtain it render them felons. He also advanced his view (with which I agree) that "weed" should be legal, and is probably less harmful than alcohol and tobacco. And, he noted, importantly (and correctly) that the jails would be less overcrowded. All sound points, but I disagree with the legalization of marijuana for medical uses for three reasons: [continues 205 words]
The Michigan Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 ruling released Wednesday, said police may use dogs to sniff outside a house for drugs without a search warrant. A Wayne County judge had suppressed evidence and dismissed marijuana charges against Detroiter Jeffrey Jones -- who had been convicted of previous drug charges -- because Jones argued the sniffing was an illegal search. The majority on the appeals panel agreed with prosecutors that police, acting on a tip, may use a trained dog to sniff the front door, and use that information to get a warrant to search inside the house. [end]
We definitely need to get marijuana legal in every town in every state for every kind of handicap that it helps, up to arthritis. I smoke marijuana myself and I have epilepsy. When I smoke, I will have one to two seizures that last from two to eight minutes every month. Whenever I have stopped smoking marijuana, I always started having two to three grand mal seizures that last from 15 to 35 minutes every week. It's bad enough having just minor seizures, let alone having that many grand mal seizures. When state officials say they have studied marijuana and it does not help anyone in any way, they are definitely lying. It is bad enough getting lied to from people on the streets, let alone from the government. Doug Garrison [end]
I believe marijuana should be legalized for medical reasons, but what sense does it make to have patients find their own dealers and then bust them with a felony? That is stupid. I think weed should be legal for anyone over 21, like alcohol. Alcohol is a legal drug which kills people. You never hear of someone who is high on marijuana killing someone else. The jails should be less overcrowded. Cigarettes are also a drug that is legal, and people die from lung cancer all the time because of cigarettes. So what is the difference between cigarettes and marijuana? There is no difference except marijuana affects the brain. Marijuana shouldn't be allowed in the workplace, or while driving, because it blurs your vision and also slows your reflexes. But if you are going to bust their dealers, then why legalize it? That doesn't make sense. Bob Leppen Kalamazoo [end]
KALAMAZOO -- Two teachers who lost their jobs for growing marijuana won't lose their home as part of a drug forfeiture. Brett and Keri Johnson paid $20,000 to the Southwest Enforcement Team before their April 30 deadline, Kalamazoo County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Steve McLaughlin said. An agreement between the multijurisdictional drug-enforcement unit and the Johnsons stated that if the money was paid, SWET would not seek to foreclose on the Courtlandt Avenue property in Kalamazoo and various liens would not be attached to the property, according to court documents filed in March. [continues 123 words]
I don't see many politicians willing to support this cause and risk their jobs. Even in those few states that have legalized medicinal marijuana, federal law still trumps their decision. Advocates certainly have every right to challenge that, make their case and try to change the laws. But the very real health concerns are what scare people about marijuana, and what other "unknowns" might still lurk behind the cloud of smoke. Don Schmittdiel Clinton Township [end]
I am not a marijuana user, and I truly believe its use should be legal, at least legal for medical purposes. How can alcohol be legal and medical marijuana not? Alcohol has destroyed more lives than can ever be counted. Cigarettes are the leading cause of cancer. I also keep hearing about the long-term effects of secondhand smoke, and yet no plan to ban either. You can drink all the alcohol you want, and puff cigarettes all day long, but one bag of marijuana can land you in jail. Bryan L. Moore Detroit [end]
Marijuana should be accessible to all who need it for medical purposes prescribed by your doctor ("Michigan to vote on legalizing marijuana for medical use," April 29). Marijuana is not as harmful as those drugs they advertise on TV, where the voice says "you shouldn't use this medication if you have blah blah, or side effects. Talk to your doctor immediately if you experience nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, tiredness, loss of appetite, dark urine, or yellowing of the skin." I haven't heard any side effects on marijuana yet. Samuel Allen Detroit [end]
Medical marijuana is bad medicine. There are many pain relievers available that are more effective with fewer side effects. Marijuana is a mind-altering substance. Do we, as a society, want people driving on our streets, teaching our children, building our homes and bridges, while under the influence of marijuana? I think not. David Clerebout Livonia [end]
As a conservative, I am against the legalization of any drug. Let's take a look at marijuana. From the seed to the smoke, it is not changed, manufactured or even laced with anything. It is not strong enough naturally to hurt you so how can that be a drug? It is a natural plant no different than tobacco and that has nicotine in it. Weed is not addicting, has no long-term effects and only contributes to crime because of its illegality. If marijuana were legal here, there wouldn't be drug lords running its supply from Venezuela and other communist countries. If we can regulate alcohol then we can regulate marijuana. Raymond Dubiel Lake Orion [end]
To paraphrase an old axiom, "Any patient who acts as his own physician has a fool for a physician." Marijuana should not be accessible to the general public for several reasons. First, it has not been studied thoroughly, yet, with respect to its efficacy and side effects. Second, the layperson without any medical training cannot be trusted to use it appropriately or effectively. Third, there are already on the market marijuana pills that can be prescribed by a physician on a case-by-case basis. Pradeep Srivastava Detroit [end]
Not studied thoroughly? Not one single active substance has been studied more. That is why there has never been a government panel that has recommended a continuation of restrictive laws: Shafer Commission, United States, 1972; LeDain Commission, Canada, 1972; National Commission on Ganja, Jamaica, 2001; Canadian Human Rights Commission, 2002; Consumers Union report, U.S., 2007; and others. How about the positions for the medical use of marijuana by the AIDS Action Council, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Bar Association, the American Public Health Association and over 200 other agencies and medical associations? Paul R Pearson Redford Township [end]
I would have to be really sick before I would consume marijuana. Though I am opposed to using it myself, I am all for legalization. To those who want to keep drugs illegal, do you really believe, even with all the laws we have, someone who wants drugs can't get them tonight? The laws are useless. They are only full-employment acts for the law enforcement industry. People who contaminate their bodies with drugs are foolhearty, but I believe the Constitution says something about the right to pursue happiness. David H. Lawrence Holly [end]
State Sen. Thomas George's statement that Michigan's medical marijuana ballot proposal is unnecessary, "because we already have medical marijuana in pill form" is incorrect ("Michigan to vote on legalizing marijuana for medical use," April 29). Marinol, the pill he's referring to, is a synthetic form of THC, one of more than 60 active compounds in marijuana. Like other medications, Marinol doesn't work for everyone. That's why there are many different drugs on the market to treat the same ailment. [continues 146 words]
Lloyd Johnston has studied teen drug abuse for more than 30 years, and said America's battle against drugs isn't lost, but it is still far from won. Johnston, a founder of the decades-long "Monitoring the Future" teen drug-use study, began monitoring the drug-use patterns of graduating high school seniors under President Richard Nixon's administration. It was the Nixon administration that coined the phrase "War on Drugs." "It's a metaphor that doesn't work very well. It's an ongoing struggle," Johnston said from his lakeside Hamburg Township home. [continues 614 words]
Mich. to Vote on Legalizing Pot for Medical Use Rochelle Lampkin is a 49-year-old grandmother of 10 who used to picket in front of dope houses in her Detroit neighborhood, chanting "this is wrong, shut it down." Today, she knowingly breaks the law by using marijuana to ease searing eye pain -- a side-effect of the multiple sclerosis that struck her more than 20 years ago. She must use a cane or walker to get around. Lampkin is among the enthusiastic supporters of a proposal that will be on Michigan's fall ballot to legalize marijuana use by the terminally and seriously ill. [continues 1642 words]
Dear Editor, As a retired Michigan police officer, I saw firsthand how public safety was dramatically reduced by the prohibition of marijuana. While I focused my night shift on the deadly DUI driver, colleagues like Ben Sizemore would spend their 12 hours searching for a baggie of pot. As detectives spent time busting dealers and looking for a marijuana garden, child molesters were able to meet our 13-year-olds online without a problem. I would give marijuana the same rules and regulations as alcohol and tobacco, our two deadliest drugs. Ben Sizemore was just silly talking about allowing a bus driver to smoke and drive or a pilot smoke and fly an airplane. He was also factually wrong that hard drug users started with marijuana. Almost every crack head I arrested started their illegal drug use by smoking cigarettes at 12 or 13. Later, they tried alcohol and then they tried pot. If I could wave a magic wand and rid the world of only one drug, it would be alcohol. I bet my pension Mr. Sizemore would agree. Officer Howard J. Wooldridge (retired) Bath Township P.D. [end]
Dear Editor, I read with interest Mr. Sizemore's letter entitled 'I ran a drug enforcement team,' 19 April 2008. America is ever so slowly waking up to the folly of drug prohibition, especially marijuana, and may one day come to know they have been propagandized into a $42B/year "Blackwater" operation that is never supposed to end complete with asset forfeiture, corruption, expanding prisons and drug testing. It tears us apart as a country and we must fix it. The internecine relationship of guns, money and drugs worldwide can only be reined in through regulation and treatment. [continues 70 words]
MT. MORRIS - Vicki McVay said it wasn't too long ago that she felt safe enough to walk to her job at a Saginaw Street gas station. Now, as police say the drug trade in the 1.2-square-mile city is skyrocketing, McVay's car is never far away. "I live three blocks away and would love to walk to work at 3:30 a.m.," she said. "But it's not gonna happen." The more than mile-long main road through town is becoming a haven for small-time drug dealers, said Mt. Morris Police Chief Keith Beaker. [continues 667 words]
Dear Editor, Recently, there have been some letters to our citizens of this county and state by some writers who think that drugs, in particular, marijuana, should be legalized. I would like to ask them if they would like to have their children's school bus driver kick back and smoke a joint just before he or she starts their bus route. While they are thinking about that, maybe those same people who are for legalization would like to have the pilot of the jetliner that they may be flying on their vacation to Disney World kick back and smoke a couple of joints to help them relax. We know how hectic it can be for the pilot to fly in bad weather that may pop up at any time. I mean, what the heck, don't other people have a right to do that in their own home, are they bothering anyone? [continues 310 words]
Dear Editor, What good has the hundreds of billions of U.S. tax dollars that we have paid to foreign governments like Columbia done to ebb the flow of drugs into our country? Nothing; drugs are more powerful and more plentiful than ever before. Over the past 20 years, 300,000 Columbians have lost their lives due to drug war violence, including four presidential candidates, some 200 court justices, 2,000 police officers and prosecutors, and 150 journalists have been assassinated. In Columbia's municipal elections just a few months ago, 36 candidates for mayor were assassinated and 50 more were kidnapped. Elected officials, judges, police officers and entire military units are corrupted with cash from the drug cartels. The drug war created and continues to fuel civil war in Columbia and many other countries at U.S. taxpayer expense. [continues 210 words]
In early March, the Michigan State Police and Michigan's multijurisdictional drug teams participated in "Operation Byrne Blitz," a statewide drug sweep that led to 223 arrests and the seizure of more than 460 pounds of marijuana. It was publicized as part of a national effort to interrupt drug trafficking. Personally, I believe it was part of a sensationalistic media ploy, meant to scare citizens and prevent Congress from cutting the federal Byrne grant money - federal money used to fight our U.S.-style war on drugs. [continues 729 words]
It is tragic that the "drug war," which has been such a colossal failure, has become the equivalent of a holy war. Any politician who voices doubt about its effectiveness, let alone the wisdom of continuing our current policies, risks the end of their career. But refusing to allow patients to ease their suffering with marijuana is truly immoral. Let's face it, when someone argues against this and other issues with "it sends the wrong message," it means they really don't have a valid argument based on logic or reason. This is a natural and cost-effective solution for thousands of people who are suffering needlessly or who are forced to become criminals to get relief. How about a little compassion. Mark Kinsey Kalamazoo [end]
I have been a psychologist and addiction counselor for 20 years. When I started in this field, I believed marijuana was a drug of limited danger or impact on the user. My clients taught me quickly the consequences this drug brought into their lives, including damaged health, lost potential, memory difficulties and addiction. The National Institute on Drug Abuse is currently initiating a $4 million research study to examine these impacts. Having said that, it's vital the medical and pharmaceutical fields actively pursue all potential medications from this powerfully psychoactive plant just as they have the opium poppy. Marijuana unquestionably has medical and psychoactive qualities as evidenced by the responses from the Kalamazoo Gazette's respondents, including reducing pressure in the eyes, pain relief, reduced nausea and improved appetite. The problem with either legalization or decriminalization of marijuana is its addiction potential, delivery mechanism, toxicity and varied strength (with accompanied unstable dosage). [continues 88 words]
Putting medical use of marijuana on the ballot for a public vote is both bad medicine and bad public policy. Voting to permit such use is even worse. We require every other medicine to go through safety and efficacy testing before approval for use. How can we exempt marijuana from such testing? Some supporters believe their own experience is proof enough that it relieves pain but there is plenty of evidence that even a placebo can relieve pain in some people. The difference between marijuana and a placebo is we have better evidence about the harmful effects of marijuana than we do about its potentially beneficial effects. [continues 68 words]
The medical marijuana decriminalization initiative is going to be extremely valuable to Michiganians when passed. Not only is marijuana extremely helpful in treating multiple debilitating symptoms, but it's also economically viable. I have been following the Kalamazoo Gazette's series for the past few weeks and noticed it mentioned the drug Marinol (synthetic THC) and also the price, which is upward of $1,100 for a single bottle. This is outrageous and should not be suggested as a suitable option in lieu of marijuana. Marijuana's overhead to grow is extremely low and the benefits are extremely high. Imagine the amount of money that potentially could be saved by sick patients not having to rely solely on prescription drugs. This initiative in turn will lower insurance premiums across the board and also curb our spending on health care. Let's do Michigan a favor and vote "yes" on the medical marijuana initiative. Brad Bishop Plainwell [end]
"DEA" is like "Cops," but 35 miles east of Ann Arbor. Spike TV has strayed from its path of visual beauties and dudes beating the crap out of each other with its new reality show, which focuses on the Detroit division of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Cameras follow the officers through stings and busts, giving the public - and possibly other drug dealers - inside information on the drug enforcement system. Sadly, though, there are no drunken car chases involving hillbillies and police officers, making the show more than a little boring. Despite the tense techno music and grainy film effects, "DEA" is nothing more than one hour of waiting in cars, chattering on walkie-talkies and more scenes of officers arming themselves than the "Iliad." [continues 399 words]
Poet John Sinclair Returns for 37th Annual Celebration of Cannabis Culture Even hip-hop music blasting from three-foot speakers couldn't stop the accordion player. Though most of his lyrics were incomprehensible, the people who clustered around him on the Diag could easily understand the chorus. "Free the weed!" he sang raucously, accompanied by two men on miniature guitars. The trio stopped its music only when John Sinclair, a bearded man wearing an old jacket, Birkenstocks and high white socks stepped before a microphone on the steps of the Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library. [continues 714 words]
To the editor: Rep. Dave Camp's 03/12/08 letter concerning tax and spend tells us that we are about to get hit with the largest federal tax increase in American history. With property values going down our property taxes continue to rise along with every other kind of tax that you can name. Our exploding drug war costs and corrections costs are the cause of it. We imprison more people than any other county in the world. We are over filling our jails and prisons with prohibited drug offenders. Last month Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear stated that the crime rate had increased 3% in the past 30 years, while the state's inmate population has increased by 600%. Those figures are probably similar for all of our states. Spending for the drug war and imprisoning our citizens is not worth the money spent on it. The drug war created the largest criminal and most lucrative industry in the world with the black market drug trade. It has created a drug abuse epidemic in all of our communities. [continues 101 words]
Looks like voters here in Michigan will get a chance to voice their opinions on this issue next November, thanks to some amazing activists. Thank you to everybody who has helped out in this campaign. I sure hope the voters take advantage of this golden opportunity to help others and vote with compassion and common sense this coming fall. If you have ever been close to someone with a terminal illness or someone who is constantly in excruciating pain, you know how tough it is for them to function and live life normally. Sometimes, the medicine prescribed to them helps, other times it doesn't. But when a seriously ill person finally finds a medication that works for them, they should feel encouraged, not fearful of arrest. [continues 143 words]
Annual Event Finds Common Ground The Hash Bash survived Saturday, as its organizers say it always will. Pushed out of its traditional spot on the Diag by a University of Michigan student group called FOKUS, a modified 30-minute Hash Bash took place in what organizers of both parties said was in the spirit of getting along. A crowd filled the U-M Diag on a sunny day with temperatures in the high 50s. The people crowded on steps, many expecting to hear speakers for the Hash Bash, a pro-marijuana rally held on campus since 1972. [continues 370 words]
Regardless of whether Hash Bash is held this year on the Diag, every U.S. citizen should critically evaluate the continuation of America's failed drug policy, exemplified by the War on Drugs. Michigan and our country as a whole are facing economic and fiscal problems with no clear solutions in sight. But we continue to spend billions of tax dollars on policies that are proven failures. The War on Drugs is nothing but a financial blackhole. In fact, America's War on Drugs under the reign of George W. Bush has actually led to a two-fold increase in cocaine production worldwide. [continues 612 words]
Tomorrow's Hash Bash Needs a Student Revival Even though it is now dominated by aging hippies and stunted by underwhelming turnout, Hash Bash is one of Ann Arbor's most recognizable traditions with one of its most important messages. Instead of a half-baked celebration of marijuana culture, the event is supposed to be a protest against America's unnecessary and counterproductive marijuana laws. In this 37th year, students and activists should seize this opportunity to return Hash Bash to its roots - potentially with help of one of the event's key figures. [continues 460 words]
IONIA - An initiative to vote on whether to legalize marijuana for medical purposes in Michigan is drawing a response from law enforcement officials and medical experts alike. "We would look at it like other prescription drugs," said Dwain Dennis, Ionia County Sheriff. He said people caught with the drug and not properly prescribed would be dealt with accordingly. "You would be in possession of a controlled substance," he said. If approved, Michigan would join 14 other states legalizing the drug for medicinal use. [continues 347 words]
I am a church-going American with Midwestern family values. As a hobbyist, I have studied herbal medicine for 13 years. As a professional, I am a forester, with a strong background in the dynamic relationships between plants and animals in nature. I believe I was formed by a loving creator who planned out every cell in my body and yours. This creator gave me cannabinoid receptors throughout my mammalian body. They were specially designed to receive cannabinoids from the cannabis (marijuana) plant. There is no other reason for them to exist. They are strongest in the brain, the immune system, and -- in women -- the uterus. When these receptors receive cannabinoids, they are soothed and healed. [continues 220 words]
I support the initiative to permit the use of marijuana in Michigan for medical purposes. Yes, there would need to be guidelines and restrictions, like other methods of dealing with human disorders. The issue should be approved by our Legislature. It seems to be a no-brainer to me. Marlin Gerber Kalamazoo [end]
We have all heard the statistic. Most of us have tried it. A lot of people use it, even though it is illegal. The one point I have as a non-user is, since so many people are doing it, why doesn't the government just legalize it and tax it like alcohol and tobacco? I have read most of the studies and personally tried marijuana with no ill effects. Most of the bad things I have heard are when other drugs are added to the marijuana and the government could stop this by legalizing weed. The question is not why marijuana should be made legal, but why it was ever made illegal in the first place? Justin Wiley Allegan [end]
The Kalamazoo Gazette's report that seven out of 10 southwestern Michigan legislators oppose the Michigan Medical Marijuana ballot initiative was informative. I wonder, though, if you didn't miss the forest for the trees. The real story is how, once again, the Michigan Legislature is completely out of touch with the people who put them there. Seventy percent of our representatives oppose the initiative, which allows a small number of terminally and seriously ill people to use marijuana in private if it helps treat the symptoms of their disease. Yet more than 60 percent of voters are in favor of protecting patients and their caregivers from being dragged through the muck of the criminal justice system for choosing to use a natural plant when other pharmaceuticals have failed. [continues 71 words]
I am the daughter of a mother who vomited more than 15 times daily after having chemotherapy treatments. With the use of marijuana, she stopped vomiting. She died 27 years ago and I witnessed the salvation marijuana offered. I am now married and my husband suffers from severe eye pain, spasms and body pain from multiple sclerosis. With the use of marijuana this pain dissipates and it helps take away unexpected spasms throughout his body. I have seen firsthand the significant relief marijuana offers. For those who have not seen the pain and humiliation one suffers during illnesses, please open your eyes and allow dignity into the lives of these people. Please vote "yes" to legalize medical marijuana. Elizabeth Gilmore Bystrycki Otsego [end]
Marijuana contains impurities, chemicals besides tetrahydocannibinol (THC). The impurities are inhaled along with the active THC. This is little different from the impurities inhaled when smoking tobacco. The inhaled impurities from marijuana dissolve in the body fat and are stored there. The impurities from a single smoked joint can be detected in the blood after a week. The Upjohn Co. saw this when screening volunteers. The storage of the impurities from marijuana is cumulative because it stays in the fat and accumulates to very large amounts. [continues 105 words]
Thanks for publishing Robert P. Wood's outstanding letter, "Insane Drug War" (People's Forum, March 23). The drug war is a huge bureaucracy and industry. Victory is not the goal in the drug war. Victory in the drug war would mean that the bureaucracy and industry are out of business. The notorious gangster Al Capone made most of his illegal money from alcohol prohibition. Capone had hundreds of politicians on his payroll. Is it unreasonable to suspect that the drug lords are following Capone's business model? What type of politicians would the drug lords have on their payroll? Politicians who urge the status quo of drug prohibition, or politicians who suggest that we re-legalize drugs to put the drug lords out of business? Kirk Muse, Mesa, Ariz. [end]
I am extremely excited about the possibility of marijuana being legalized for medical purposes. While alcohol-related deaths continue to climb and pharmaceuticals (even common aspirin) can be lethal if used incorrectly, it is a breath of fresh air to know there could potentially be an organic alternative. Some members of the Legislature have said they are not in favor of passing the medical marijuana initiative for a number of reasons, but I believe they need to look at the other 12 states that have gone forward with the initiative. [continues 54 words]
My wife and I both live with chronic pain every day. When needed, we take an over-the-counter pain medicine that does not alter our mind and allows us to make rational decisions, unlike marijuana, a dangerous controlled substance. It merely kills brain cells and makes it difficult to function in everyday life, plus it is very addictive and dangerous. If you legalize marijuana, what's next? Take away all speed limits, seat belts in all automobiles, allow teachers to carry weapons into their classrooms, or allow bus drivers to smoke cigarettes while carrying passengers? Stop the legalization of medical marijuana! Bill Kaminga Kalamazoo [end]
Get Big Country on the phone, you can pick up pretty quickly from his Southern drawl that he's not from around these parts. But four years into a career as a federal agent for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Country, who hails from Texas and has a real first name of Justin, says he loves working in Detroit. He and some of his DEA buddies are to be featured Wednesday on the Spike cable network as part of a six-installment series on DEA efforts to fight drugs in metro Detroit. [continues 640 words]
Even Legal Users Could Be Tangled in Criminal World of Drug Sales KALAMAZOO -- Even if Michigan voters this fall approve the use of marijuana for medical purposes, sick people will have to get friendly with their neighborhood dope dealers to buy it. There's no provision in the ballot proposal to provide access to the drug through the state or pharmacies, and sale of the drug would remain a felony, even to legal users. Supporters hope users would grow their own plants, but in the interim until harvest, the marijuana would have to be bought off the street. [continues 1187 words]
KALAMAZOO -- The use and sale of marijuana is illegal, but the pipes, papers and other paraphernalia used to smoke the drug are available - -- and legal. The debate rages about the propriety of allowing seriously ill people to legally use the drug. But no one has batted an eye at the array of drug paraphernalia available and on prominent display at gas stations, convenience stores and neighborhood mom-and-pop operations. The On The Rocks store on Portage Road, for instance, started selling glass pipes and hookahs last November, employee Dawn Fassett said. [continues 461 words]
Inside Michigan
