CLIO (WJRT) – (04/25/16) – A Mid-Michigan marihuana dispensary is fighting the Genesee County Prosecutor’s office in court after FANG shut them down.
The owner of the Clio dispensary says warrants weren’t valid and he wants his business back open.
Attorneys from both sides were in Judge Hayman’s court Monday afternoon. The raid happened in January when the Genesee County Prosecutor’s office filed an emergency injunction to close down a facility called Clio Caregiver Connection.
A counter claim was filed against the Prosecutor’s Office, saying the county failed to meet legal requirements to participate with FANG.
The defense also argues that the recent dispensary raids and padlocking efforts by FANG were and are illegal.
“I don’t write the laws. I just enforce them. Dispensaries are not allowed. The word dispensary does not even appear in the medical marihuana act,” said Prosecuting Attorney David Leyton.
“There’s never been any complaints from anyone. He’s loved by all of the patients that’ve gone in there. They’re all unhappy that this was forced down. And it’s just an overreach by FANG,” said Clio Caregiver Connection Attorney Michael Komorn.
The case is in its early stages. Both sides will return to court to discuss it again on May 16.
Canada to introduce legislation in 2017 to legalize marijuana
OTTAWA — The Canadian government announced Wednesday that it will introduce legislation next year to decriminalize and legalize the sale of marijuana, making Canada the first G7 country to permit widespread use of the substance.
The announcement was made by Canada’s health minister, Jane Philpott, at a U.N. drug conference in New York. It follows through on a promise made during Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s successful election campaign last fall.
Philpott said details of the legislation are being worked out, but she vowed that the government “will keep marijuana out of the hands of children and profits out of the hands of criminals.”
With the Liberals holding a majority in the House of Commons, the marijuana legislation is likely to pass. The path toward the legalization of marijuana is the latest in a string of policy announcements from the 44-year-old Trudeau that have moved Canada to the left after a decade of Conservative Party rule, including last week’s unveiling of legislation to permit assisted suicide.
Trudeau, whose new government remains extremely popular, has long been associated with the marijuana legalization issue. While an opposition party member in Parliament, Trudeau admitted to occasional use of marijuana. “I think it’s five or six times that I’ve taken a puff. It’s not my thing,” he told reporters at the time.
The Conservative Party attempted to use that statement as proof that Trudeau was a political lightweight and a pothead. In the 2015 election, the Conservatives ran ads in ethnic newspapers falsely alleging that Trudeau backed the sale of marijuana to children.
The attack ads failed, in part because most Canadians no longer see the legalization of marijuana as a problem. A recent survey by Nanos Research, an Ottawa public opinion firm, showed that 68 percent of Canadians “support” or “somewhat support” legalizing marijuana and only 30 percent are opposed.
The population is more divided when it comes to allowing Canadians to grow marijuana at home, and about 50 percent of respondents said that they expect legalization to lead to more usage by those younger than 21.
Unlike in the United States, where marijuana regulation is shared by the states and the federal government, in Canada the issue falls almost solely under federal jurisdiction. Marijuana use has been expanding since a court ruling in 2000 allowed Canadians to possess and grow small amounts for medicinal reasons.
Full legalization will make pot available in a way similar to alcohol. That could encourage Americans, particularly those in border areas, to pop over for a puff or two.
Already, Ontario’s provincial premier, Kathleen Wynne, has volunteered that the provincially owned liquor monopoly would be happy to sell the drug. Canada’s major drugstore chains have said that they would like to get in on the business, too.
After several court rulings, commercial marijuana operations have sprouted across the country. Although currently limited to medicinal sales, the companies have been keenly anticipating legalization allowing for widespread use.
One study by a leading Canadian bank estimated that legalization could spark development of an annual marijuana trade worth about $10 billion Canadian (about $8 billion U.S.).
Brendan Kennedy, president of Privateer Holdings of Seattle, welcomed the Canadian announcement. His company owns Tilray, a medicinal marijuana facility in British Columbia, and he is looking to build a facility that would supply the market for recreational marijuana in Canada.
“The eyes of the world are on Canada as the medical marijuana program matures and the recreational program is being implemented,” he said in an interview. “Canada will be the first G7 country to have a national recreational program different from Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington,” where state laws allowing marijuana use still bump up against U.S. federal prohibition.
There is still a series of negotiations required between the national government and the provinces to figure out regulation, taxation and distribution. Trudeau’s point man on the issue is Bill Blair, a former Toronto police chief.
Blair said marijuana should be treated like such intoxicants as alcohol. “We control who it’s sold to, when it’s sold and how it’s used. And organized crime doesn’t have the opportunity to profit from it.”
Ginnifer Hency says that police raid led investigators to seize a couple of guns, a small amount of cash and cell phones with a lot of medical marijuana.
And also something very personal…
Michigan’s NORML chapter awarded some of the state’s most prominent and outspoken advocates for marijuana law reform during the organization’s Quarterly Meeting held on April 1.
MINORML issues these awards annually, and some are named for activists who have passed away.
Legislator of the Year Award went to Rep. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor). Rep. Irwin has advocated on behalf of sensible policies and has authored bills on forfeiture reform and marijuana law reform. The Renee Emery Wolfe Activist Award was given to Kevin McCaffery, a Board member of the MILegalize group and a steadfast ally in legalizing cannabis.
A new award, the Gaitwood Galbraith Attorney of the Year Award, was given to criminal defense attorney Michael Komorn. In addition to numerous courtroom victories, Komorn Law uncovered a scandal with scientific reporting of cannabis evidence by the Michigan State Police Crime Lab. Also new: the John Dewitte Evans Veterans Award, given for the very first time to Dakota Serna. Serna has traveled the country advocating for veterans and the use of medical marijuana.
The difficulties of starting a chapter in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula have seemingly been overcome by a group of diehards called the Marquette Work Group, and they were awarded the Gregory Scott Piasecki Work-Group/Chapter Award.
Activist and all-around great guy, Archie Kiel, was given the 420 Award. Outstanding Achievement Awards were given to MILegalize Chair Jeff Hank, Robin Puckett of Jackson NORML, and rising star Colin MacDougall.
The meeting was held at the Eagles Club in Ypsilanti on the afternoon before the Hash Bash and Monroe Street Fairs. Approx. 100 people attended the meeting, where the NORML chapter announces finances and allows anyone to address the Board with suggestions, praise or grievances. An auction held afterward featured a signed Detroit Tigers baseball, a magazine autographed by Tommy Chong, posters and clothing and artwork.
The big winner of the evening was Tom Gillies. A member of the Deaf Power Cannabis group, he won the ultimate High Times Medical Cannabis Cup prize package. Tom and a guest will be given VIP passes and a two-night stay at an area hotel during the annual Cup event in Clio on June 11 and 12. Michigan NORML provided a sign language interpreter for the meeting.
MINORML’s entire release is reproduced below.
The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
P.O. Box 2293 ~ Kalamazoo, MI 49003
Michigan NORML would like to take this opportunity to thank all the award winners for their outstanding service to the cannabis community in 2015!
We would also like to thank everyone who contributed or made extraordinary contributions to cannabis reform who were not recognized!
We could have given out a thousand awards this year because our community is very active and so many individuals have demonstrated dedication to this cause. We thank all of you and we hope that next year, one of our awards will have your name on it!
Rick Thompson was the Editor in Chief for the entire 2-year run of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine, was the spokesman for the Michigan Association of Compassion Centers and is the current Editor and Lead Blogger for The Compassion Chronicles. Rick has addressed committees in both the House and Senate, has authored over 200 articles on marijuana and is a professional photographer. He can be reached at: 4mrick@gmail.com
