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]
Is medical marijuana legal in Michigan today? Well, kinda ... but kinda not. Don't light up just yet. While the law approved by voters Nov. 4 took effect today ((Thursday)), no one can start smoking -- at least legally -- until spring, the deadline for the Michigan Department of Community Health to develop administrative rules. Even then, patients with a qualifying illness would need a doctor's permission and certification by the state to partake. In November, voters overwhelmingly approved the question of whether seriously ill patients should be able to possess marijuana. Michigan became the 13th state to legalize medical marijuana. [continues 728 words]
GRAND RAPIDS -- Despite her support for legalized medical marijuana, Debra Negen-Brink, a cancer survivor and registered nurse, has concerns about the law taking effect Thursday. Where would a senior citizen get the drug? How could a debilitated person be expected to cultivate his own plants or obtain seeds just to get started? Brink, 50, with children in high school and college, wouldn't think of asking them to score her weed. She doubted the elderly would turn to adult children or grandchildren, either. [continues 848 words]
LANSING -- Voters made it clear that Michigan can allow marijuana to relieve patients suffering from cancer, glaucoma and other debilitating medical conditions. Although the 63-37 percent ratio in favor of Proposal 1 makes the will of the public decisive, uncertainty reigns among state law enforcement agencies. The proposal takes effect Dec. 4. The Bureau of Health Professionals, under the Department of Community Health, will have 120 days after that date to draft and finalize rules for a medical marijuana program. The registry program will be complete by April 4. [continues 656 words]
FERNDALE -- Even though Carl Swanson won approval from city voters to dispense medical marijuana -- and state voters decriminalized the drug for registered patients last month -- he still won't be open for business anytime soon. The new state medical marijuana law is in conflict with the ordinance city voters passed for Swanson's National Organization for Positive Medicine, said City Attorney Dan Christ. "My opinion is that it is preempted by the state (law)," Christ said. Christ recently issued a legal opinion for city police and officials on the issue. [continues 480 words]
Unlike former president Bill Clinton, Charles H. Snyder III inhales. On bad days, he heats up marijuana three times a day. On good days, it's less. However, on bad days -- when the chronic pain from glaucoma and the rare genetic disorder Nail-patella syndrome becomes unbearable -- the 31-year-old Genesee County resident sniffs more marijuana through an electric vaporizer. "For seven years, doctors tried to find the right formula of pain pills to help me lead a more normal life," said the married father of a toddler daughter. "They never found the right combination or dosage amount that didn't make things worse. It's not about getting high. I'm not a thug. I'm trying to ease my suffering." [continues 769 words]
A law that lets people in pain use marijuana has left those procuring the illegal drug in a legal haze. The Michigan Medical Marijuana Act forces qualified patients and caregivers to get medical marijuana and seeds from illegal black-market dealers, proponents say. The 13th state to do so, Michigan voters sided this month almost 2-1 in favor of legalizing medical marijuana, allowing possession of up to 2.5 ounces and cultivation of 12 plants. A "primary caregiver" -- any person more than 21 without a drug-related felony identified to assist patients procure the drug -- may service 5 clients and maintain up to 60 plants and 12.5 ounces, a street value near $2,000. [continues 717 words]
There are several keys to understanding the new Michigan Marijuana Law. Enacted by voters in a landslide election with a 63% margin on November 4th, Michigan now joins twelve other states that have decriminalized marijuana for medical purposes. Prop 1 is now to be cited as the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act and for the first time in over 75-years, the 'criminal' element that has profiteered on this multi-billion dollar underground industry, along with the Pharmaceutical companies that also reap billions for creating synthetic pills that handle 'pain & suffering' are being opened to competition from providers and patients seeking treatment from the plant that George Washington and Thomas Jefferson harvested on a regular basis. [continues 1241 words]
After voters' approval on Nov. 4, Michigan now will have legalized marijuana for medical use. But despite its medical label and popular support, medical marijuana has drawn the ire of many critics. Supporters say the medical value of marijuana justifies its legality - -- weed is an effective tool for people trying to cope with serious diseases and pain -- and smoking the drug does not lead to abuse of other drugs, illicit, legal or prescription. Opponents claim the medical label is a ruse and there is an imminent danger of widespread abuse, especially by kids who may be confused by marijuana's medical status. [continues 1752 words]
LANSING -- Voters made it clear that Michigan can allow marijuana to relieve patients suffering from cancer, glaucoma and other debilitating medical conditions. Although the 63-37 percent ratio in favor of Proposal 1 makes the will of the public decisive, uncertainty reigns among state law enforcement agencies. The proposal takes effect Dec. 4. The Bureau of Health Professionals under the Department of Community Health will have 120 days after that date to draft and finalize rules for a medical marijuana program. The registry program will be complete by April 4. [continues 659 words]
Now that a 63 percent majority of the Michigan voting public has given the green light to the green leaves of medical marijuana, the question is: how will the program work? Forget the misleading images of California-like "potshops" that were pictured on the website opposing the bill. "The law says you can possess marijuana, you can grow marijuana, but doesn't tell you how you can acquire the drug legally," said James McCurtis, spokesperson for Michigan Department of Mental Health, which will administer the medical marijuana program. [continues 491 words]
Growing Plants for Medical Purposes Will Be Legal - but Having Seeds Won't Though medical marijuana soon will be legal in Michigan, patients and their caregivers still will have to break the law to get it, at least the first time. Proposal 1 will allow approved patients and their caretakers to possess and grow the drug, but there won't be a legal way to get marijuana seeds or seedlings. "How do you get from point A to point B? There is no law that protects you there," said James McCurtis, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of Community Health, "and we are not giving any advice on how you get your marijuana." [continues 829 words]
Although the details regarding Proposal 1 and Michigan's upcoming medical marijuana program still are being discussed, some people have concerns about the program's implications. The Board of State Canvassers must meet in the next two to three weeks to certify the 2008 election, after which the Michigan Department of Community Health must promulgate a series of rules to implement the constitutional amendment by Dec. 4. The administrative process must be ready to operate by April 4. Dianne Byrum, spokeswoman for the Michigan Coalition for Compassionate Care, said the remaining steps must be taken by the Department of Community Health and she is confident they will meet all deadlines. [continues 337 words]
Larry Myers was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1980, when he woke up to numbness in his limbs one morning while on his honeymoon in California. Since then, the 55-year-old Pinconning man has found relief in marijuana. The only thing that helps calm the spasms the disease causes is puffing on a pipeload of pot. He said his doctor is aware of his use and advised him to continue using it if it provides relief from his symptoms. Myers is glad the law legalizing marijuana for medical use has passed, but wishes it included provisions to get prescriptions written and filled. [continues 232 words]
Michigan voters said yes to medical marijuana by a ratio of nearly 2-1. And while the law takes effect Dec. 4, details of how it will play out remain hazy among doctors, law enforcement officials and state residents who want to use the drug for medicinal purposes. The state's Department of Community Health, through its county-level health departments, has been designated to maintain a registry and issue registration cards to patients and ''caregivers'' who will then be legally allowed to have up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana. The law also allows for patients and their caregivers to grow up to 12 plants, as long as they grown them in an ''enclosed, locked facility.'' The department has until April 4 to have the registry up and running. [continues 996 words]
Universities across Michigan may soon face trouble enforcing a newly passed proposal which legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes. Proposal 1, which passed in Michigan in the Nov. 4 election, legalized the possession of up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana with a valid prescription. Carl Holm, director of Housing and Residence Life, said NMU has not reached a decision on any campus policy towards medical marijuana. "I haven't given it any thought," he said. "I don't know how often we will deal with this. When I think of people who are (getting medical marijuana), I don't think of college-age students." [continues 408 words]
Downriver voters mirrored the state as a whole in overwhelmingly approving the use of medicinal marijuana. While the passage of Proposal 1 raised eyebrows from opponents, 12 other states have medical marijuana laws, indicating growing support nationwide. South Dakota is the only state that failed to OK a ballot attempt. In Michigan, 63 percent of voters approved it. Perhaps what is even more telling is that unofficial results show all 83 counties voted in favor of medical marijuana. [continues 1175 words]
The votes were clear: Michigan residents gave the green light Tuesday to legalize marijuana for the seriously ill and topple some barriers to using embryonic stem cells for medical research. But the implications of both may be anything but. One day after the ballot proposals passed by healthy margins -- 63-37 percent for marijuana and 53-47 for stem cells -- several questions remained Wednesday. Among them: Q: Will easing Michigan's law on embryonic stem cells lead to new jobs and find cures and therapies for juvenile diabetes, cancer, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injuries and other maladies? [continues 476 words]
Some Had Opposed Props 1 and 2 By Megha Satyanarayana, Free Press Staff Writer Tuesday's passage of new medical marijuana and embryonic stem-cell laws could pose interesting legal quandaries as the state tries to codify them in upcoming months. The Michigan Medical Marijuana Act, formerly Proposal 1, would legalize growth and possession of small quantities of marijuana for people with chronic and terminal illnesses to use for pain and nausea relief. The act will be written into law 10 days after the Board of Canvassers approves the November election results, at the latest by Nov. 24, according to Secretary of State officials. The Michigan Department of Community Health will then have 120 days to design the program, which includes identification cards and state oversight. [continues 299 words]
Michigan voters favored sanctioning the use of medical marijuana to treat debilitating illness Tuesday, apparently rejecting arguments that doing so would increase crime and juvenile drug use. The marijuana measure, Proposal 1, led 63% to 37%, with 87% precincts tallied early this morning. The vote was 2,566,783 in favor to 1,526,477 against. When it goes into effect -- 10 days after the vote is certified later this month -- patients suffering from cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS and other conditions can be authorized to cultivate, possess and use marijuana without fear of prosecution under state law. [continues 264 words]
I am much concerned about Proposal 1. I believe we are asking for trouble if it comes to legalizing marijuana. There will be no control of it. We already have abuse of prescription drugs. Do we need to ask for more problems? Besides, we already have meds to control pain. We are trying to discourage the use of tobacco. How is this any different? People would still be smoking. How about innocent people who have to be around the smokers? They would be taking in secondhand smoke. [continues 101 words]
Editor, The News: I'm deeply saddened to read that The Saginaw News has apparently bought the lies being spread by Proposal 1's opposition hook, line, and sinker ("Levin, yes; proposals, no," 10/24). The editors even go so far as to use the same language that these misguided critics have deployed. Let's be perfectly clear: Proposal 1 forbids medical marijuana dispensaries -- or so-called "pot shops" -- and it forbids the sale of medical marijuana in any fashion. Proposal 1 is nothing like California's law, despite the best efforts of Bill Schuette and others to invoke it as a scare tactic. [continues 120 words]
Editor, The News: Our November ballot contains two of the worst state proposals Michigan has seen in decades. Proposal 1 would legalize marijuana for "medical" use. But marijuana cannot be smoked in pre-approved "doses" and is not filtered to protect smokers from related complications. There's a reason no other prescription drugs are smoked. Once marijuana is legal, there will be no basis for preventing other harmful drugs from being made legal for people who find them "helpful." Proposal 1 would also open Michigan businesses to lawsuits if marijuana-smoking employees hurt someone while they are high. [continues 232 words]
ADRIAN, Mich. - Twenty years ago, Steven Butler was prescribed Marinol for pain relief from a variety of ailments. Butler, 43, said the medicine, which includes the active ingredient in marijuana, did what injectable narcotics such as morphine could not -- relieve the pain and allow him to live his life. "I didn't become a zombie," the retired corrections officer from Adrian said. The medication, he said, didn't affect his mental acuity. Now he wants Michigan voters on Tuesday to approve Proposal 1, which would legalize marijuana use and possession for certain medical purposes. He said smoking marijuana is a more effective means of ingesting THC than taking it in a pill like Marinol, such as when someone can't swallow a pill. He said it is easier to regulate the dosage by smoking marijuana. [continues 943 words]
Proposal 1 would allow people with serious or terminal illnesses to use marijuana for pain and nausea relief. It was put on Tuesday's ballot by the Michigan Coalition for Compassionate Care, funded in part by the Marijuana Policy Project, a national organization. If passed, the law would go into effect 10 days after the vote. The proposal would require users and their caregivers to register with the Department of Community Health, and would allow limited growth and possession of marijuana. [continues 388 words]
A first look at state Proposal 1 makes the request to make medical marijuana legal in Michigan, as it is in 12 other states, appear reasonable and humane. It has been credited with successfully relieving pain and nausea associated with cancer, chemotherapy, multiple sclerosis, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS and a host of other illnesses, often better than prescription drugs, its proponents say. And yet, we can't support Proposal 1. In a community like the Kalamazoo and Portage area, which recently was struck by a spate of deaths of young people from heroin overdoses, we can't support anything that might be considered a gateway drug for teens -- or anyone else. [continues 194 words]
Michigan voters like the idea of decriminalizing the use of marijuana for medical purposes, backing the measure 61%-30%, the Detroit Free Press/Local 4 Michigan Poll shows. Nine percent said they were undecided about allowing medical marijuana, designated as Proposal 1 on the ballot. Support for Proposal 1 comes from Michiganders of various backgrounds and parts of the state. But it was stronger among voters under age 45 (66%) than those 65 and older (47%), and among Democrats (76%) than Republicans (49%). [continues 287 words]
Colorado legalized medical cannabis (marijuana) use and it has worked properly, protecting sick citizens from confrontation with government. Amen. Colorado law enforcement groups alleged what Howell Police Chief George Basar ("Police chief critical of marijuana measure," Oct. 20) claims; however, the claims have proven false. Another reason to permit sick humans to use the relatively safe God-given plant cannabis (marijuana) that doesn't mentioned is because it's biblically correct since Christ. The Ecologician indicates he created all the seed-bearing plants, saying they are all good, on literally the very first page. [continues 72 words]
The use of marijuana for medical purposes is a bad idea in Macomb County, according to top law enforcement officials who joined Wednesday to denounce Proposition 1. The proposal would make Michigan the 13th state to legalize marijuana as a medical treatment if approved by voters on Tuesday. Saying Proposition 1 is unregulated and dangerous, Eastpointe Police Chief Michael Lauretti, Macomb County Sheriff Mark Hackel, Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith and Kathy Rager, executive director of the Macomb Community Assessment Referral & Education Center, joined with Court of Appeals Judge Bill Schuette to urge people to vote against it. [continues 304 words]
Why Bill Schuette? Why right now? Two months ago, it appeared the medical marijuana ballot initiative, Proposal 1, was going to slide past Election Day without any organized opposition stopping it. Then Schuette, an outgoing state appellate judge, emerged out of nowhere at the 11th hour to lead the charge against Proposal 1. He corralled all of the police groups (after all, more dope in Michigan allegedly means more dope in our children's hands, heavier drug use, which leads to more crime, etc.) and the Michigan Health and Hospital Association and other physician groups, whose officials say they don't necessarily have a problem with medical marijuana but think Proposal 1 isn't as lock-safe as it could be. (Despite the fact that the proposal was crafted after Rhode Island's law, where there doesn't appear to be much of a problem.) [continues 623 words]
Medical Marijuana, Stem Cell Research Supported by Majority in Polls DETROIT - The legalization of medical marijuana, Proposal 1, and stem cell research, Proposal 2, are the sole state-wide proposals on Michigan's ballot Nov. 4. While the chief excitement for voters will be the likely election of the nation's first Black president, Barack Obama, proponents of the amendments contend that they will aid many thousands of people in Michigan in very concrete ways. Detractors have their arguments as well, but so far polls show that they are in the minority. [continues 839 words]
Inside Michigan
