There’s little debate that the state’s Medical Marijuana Act needs to be clarified. It has been two years since Michigan voters approved the use of medical marijuana by patients with severe illnesses, police raids on marijuana dispensaries and lawsuits over medical marijuana are regularly making the news.
Just Wednesday, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against the cities of Livonia, Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills on behalf of a couple who want to use or grow marijuana for medical uses in those three cities.
The debate revolves around where patients can access and use medical marijuana, boiling down to the question: Should marijuana dispensaries be legal in Michigan?
YES
State should set up a system of dispensaries to better serve and protect patients
From a legal standpoint, the Michigan act does not speak to dispensaries directly. It also does not specify how patients or caregivers may acquire or grow marijuana. Instead, it provides protection for those assisting patients and caregivers in obtaining cannabis. Let’s stop using law enforcement resources to arrest and prosecute patients and focus on establishing an expanded, safer distribution system, said Michael Komorn, board member of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Association.
NO
Michigan’s act needs stronger protections for communities, minors, public safety
In Michigan, the Medical Marijuana Act does not authorize dispensaries or cooperatives. We constantly read about townships and cities agonizing over how to zone medical marijuana dispensaries. The answer is simple. No dispensaries are allowed under Michigan law, and they are clearly prohibited under federal law. The passage of the Michigan act was done in the spirit of compassion, because the public believed it would provide relief to those suffering certain severe and debilitating diseases. The Michigan Medical Marijuana Act, as it stands today, does not adequately protect the people it was designed to help, said Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper.
Source: Detroit Free Press (MI)
Published: December 2, 2010
Copyright: 2010 Detroit Free Press
Website: http://www.freep.com/
Contact: letters@freepress.com
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