State-registered user and Detroit attorney, Matt Abel, is one of the primary organizers of the petition campaign to be on the statewide November ballot with a proposal allowing Michiganders 21 and older to possess small amounts of marijuana.
(Not long ago, in 2008, Michigan Voters approved the state act to allow medical marijuana use with an overwhelming 63% votes.)
A continued restriction of access to medical marijuana has Michigan’s registered patients, supporters and lawyer heading in a new direction: a campaign to approve limited legalization of marijuana in Michigan for all uses.
Patients are growing tired of tightened access to the medical marijuana as a result of doctors refusing to sign the state forms to approve the state forms to approve the drug. Worse, dozens of communities — including Birmingham and Livonia — are enforcing total bans on the drug, while dispensaries that openly sold it for medicinal purposes have been raided and shut down by the police.
State-registered user and Detroit attorney, Matt Abel, is one of the primary organizers of the petition campaign to be on the statewide November ballot with a proposal allowing Michiganders 21 and older to possess small amounts of marijuana, he said.
“It would be for religious, medical and personal use, industrial use and agricultural use — we’re putting all that right in the wording,” said Abel, 53, of Detroit.
Not long ago, in 2008, Michigan Voters approved the state act to allow medical marijuana use with an overwhelming 63% votes. However, due to law enforcement authorities, including Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette and Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper, opinion that the state’s medical marijuana act has been abused and used a cover for drug dealers, patients have had their basic rights to medication tightened and in many cases denied!
In a ballot proposal passes for limited legalization of marijuana, both prosecutors and police claim the drug would still be illegal in Michigan under federal laws. However, those supporting the ballot proposal said if their proposal passes state and local courts could not prosecute small-time marijuana users.
The campaign for legalization is only evident as a result of “Schuette and his obsession with destroying the medical marijuana act,” said marijuana activist Tim Beck, who owns a Detroit-based health care benefits firm.
“People are getting desperate and saying, ‘We have to push ahead and get public opinion on our side,’ ” said Beck, 60, of Detroit, who was among the contributors to Michigan’s medical marijuana act in 2006.
A growing desperation loomed from those who needed medical marijuana but could no longer access it.
Infectious disease specialist Dr. Charles Craig at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ypsilanti wrote in a Nov. 29 letter to patients:
“The Michigan Attorney General has declared the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act to be illegal (and) instructed law enforcement officials in Michigan to arrest anyone possessing marijuana, even if they have a card.
“If I prescribed medical marijuana for you … I might be construed as being complicit in encouraging criminal behavior for prescribing what the AG has declared to be an illegal substance.”
Michigan doctors were issued tremendous cause for concern in June when Schuette issued an opinion in which he said:
“The possession of marijuana remains illegal under federal law, even if it is possessed for medicinal purposes in accordance with the state law.” Schuette continues to evade further questioning on the matter.
Other Michigan doctors are also fleeing from signing medical marijuana forms, resulting in a greater demand for approvals by doctors working in offices that do nothing but approve medical marijuana consumers, said Michael Komorn, the President of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Association.
“We’re hearing this from a number of patients, but their doctors don’t want to talk about it,” Komorn said.
The dwindling pool of cooperating doctors is one of the many reasons that Michigan voters must consider supporting limited legalization of the drug, said Rick Thompson, editor of the Chesterfield Township-based Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine.
“We’re seeing all kinds of ways that the authorities want to confuse the voters and contradict the intent of the state law, which was to provide safe use of this drug that has proven medicinal purposes,” Thompson said.
If you or someone you know is facing charges as a result of Medical Marijuana prescribed to you as a Medical Marijuana patient under the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act, contact Komorn Law and ensure your rights are protected.
Michael Komorn is recognized as a leading expert on the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act. He is the President of theMichigan Medical Marijuana Association (MMMA), a nonprofit patient advocacy group with over 26,000 members, which advocates for medical marijuana patients, and caregiver rights. Michael is also the host of Planet Green Trees Radio, a marijuana reform based show, which is broadcast every Thursday night 8-10 pm EST. Follow Komorn on Twitter.
Let us celebrate all of those who have won legal battles or are currently in the middle of a legal battle to protect their state-given, voter-approved right to use medical marijuana.
By Michael Komorn
Independence Day. Labor Day. Memorial Day. Flag Day. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Groundhog Day. Valentine’s Day. President’s Day. St Patrick’s Day. Tax Day… so why not Cannabis Defense Day?
Granted, some of these days of remembrance are more meaningful than others, but this country observes an absurd amount holidays without giving credence to all of those who have defended their right to use medical marijuana for ailments and diseases that have consumed their lifetimes with struggle.
Let us celebrate all of those who have won legal battles or are currently in the middle of a legal battle to protect their state-given, voter-approved right to use medical marijuana. It is time we raise awareness and hope for the growing masses that must struggle with not only accessing medicine that they need and have been given the right to but also defend that right in a court of law after being subject to misappropriation in the news and public eye.
We declare June 21st, the solstice and the longest day of the year Cannabis Defense Day. If you or someone you know has endured the struggle of defending their rights as patients to treat ailments or diseases with medical marijuana, let us raise our pipes, joints, bongs and blunts and fire one up and enjoy it together as Americans, human beings, and the growing majority of these United States that’s A-ok with our friend Mary Jane.
If you or someone you know is facing charges as a result of Medical Marijuana prescribed to you as a Medical Marijuana patient under the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act, contact Komorn Law and ensure your rights are protected.
Michael Komorn is recognized as a leading expert on the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act. He is the President of theMichigan Medical Marijuana Association (MMMA), a nonprofit patient advocacy group with over 26,000 members, which advocates for medical marijuana patients, and caregiver rights. Michael is also the host of Planet Green Trees Radio, a marijuana reform based show, which is broadcast every Thursday night 8-10 pm EST. Follow Komorn on Twitter.
It’s becoming more and more evident that Obama’s policy of marijuana prohibition is growing increasingly unpopular.
By Michael Komorn
Every year when April 20th rolls around, people across the nation celebrate the enigmatic 4/20 holiday by smoking, toking and eating marijuana. But according to federal law, they are all at risk of being arrested for using a Schedule I substance, a classification that puts marijuana in the same room as LSD, PCP and heroin.
Meanwhile, medical marijuana continues to be voted for and approved by State law, yet President Barack Obama hasn’t lifted a finger to reschedule marijuana out of Schedule I. Despite his past as a renowned ringleader of the pot-smoking “Choom Gang” while growing up in Hawaii, his administration’s current position offers little to no sympathy for marijuana, regardless of the drug’s legal status in a number of states.
The White House’s official position against legalization says, “marijuana use is harmful and should be discouraged.” Obama has dismissed legalization even after the recent pot legalization efforts in Washington and Colorado, giving no indication that he intends to scale back his aggressive enforcement policy.
In a nation evolving on the issue of outright legalization, Obama’s anti-pot policy is becoming more of an outlier by the day. A recent poll found that a majority of Americans support legalizing, taxing and regulating pot, while earlier surveys have strongly suggest even more support exists for decriminalization and legal medical marijuana. To browse the sea of people who disagree with Obama on the issue, click over to Marijuana Majority.
If you or someone you know is facing charges as a result of Medical Marijuana prescribed to you as a Medical Marijuana patient under the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act, contact Komorn Law and ensure your rights are protected.
Michael Komorn is recognized as a leading expert on the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act. He is the President of theMichigan Medical Marijuana Association (MMMA), a nonprofit patient advocacy group with over 26,000 members, which advocates for medical marijuana patients, and caregiver rights. Michael is also the host of Planet Green Trees Radio, a marijuana reform based show, which is broadcast every Thursday night 8-10 pm EST. Follow Komorn on Twitter.
For the few months, only established medical marijuana dispensaries will be able to offer marijuana to adults.
By Michael Komorn
Six marijuana regulatory bills were signed into law Tuesday by Colorado’s governor while the state awaits a federal response to recreational marijuana legalization. Without being strict to the point that marijuana sales remain on the black market, the new laws are an attempt to regulate legalized cannabis and keep it away from children.
If you are visiting Colorado and would like to purchase marijuana, you can still do so, but will be limited to a quarter-ounce in a single transaction. The law doesn’t bad adults over 21 from possessing a full ounce, residents or not. These purchasing limits are being perceived as an effort to reduce interstate trafficking and help persuade the federal government not to crack down on recreational sales.
THE POT BUSINESS ISN’T OPEN FOR BUSINESS, YET
For the first few months Colorado’s marijuana industry will be limited to people already licensed to sell or produce medical marijuana. Once the grandfathering period expires, licensees will still need to be Colorado residents for two years, and investors will face residency requirements as well. The residency requirements were added in an effort to prevent Colorado from becoming a production ground for criminal drug cartels.
Colorado tried and failed to establish constant video surveillance of medical marijuana, in what was hoped to be a seed-to-sale tracking system to keep the industry honest. A lack of funds is the primary reason for its failure thusfar, but the agency that oversees marijuana says it has learned its lesson and will have the necessary funds to follow through with seed-to-sale tracking next year.
NOT EVERY TOWN WILL SELL IT
The state’s marijuana infrastructure gives local and county governments broad power to ban retail marijuana sales if they desire, though home growing will still be permitted across the state. Advocates of legalization say the next Colorado political battle to watch will be which communities ban pot shops, prompting the possibility that marijuana sales will be predominantly concentrated in big cities that currently allow retail medical marijuana shops.
MARIJUANA CLUBS AREN’T SAFE
The new marijuana law has been tested in recent months by entrepreneurs in Colorado by opening private clubs that allow communal pot smoking, but no sales, for a membership fee. The legislation attempts to crack down on the spread of this type of cannabis clubs by stating that they’re not exempt from clean indoor air laws, unlike membership cigar clubs.
The state’s new laws aim to prevent youth marijuana use as much as they can. The laws create a new crime of sharing marijuana with someone under 21, an analogy to current delinquency laws and alcohol. In addition, the laws mandate child-proof packaging for marijuana sales and bans varieties of marketing that is thought to appeal to kids, like cartoon characters in ads and packaging. The new 10 percent marijuana sales tax will be used in part on educational campaigns telling people under 21 to avoid the drug.
DON’T SMOKE AND DRIVE
For the first time, following years of debate, Colorado now has a blood-level limit for marijuana and drivers. The law states that juries can presume drivers are too stoned to drive if their blood contains more than 5 nanograms per milliliter of THC. Washington state adopted the same driving standard on the ballot last year, but Colorado left the question to the state Legislature.
Source: House bills 1042, 1238, 1 317, 1318 and 1325, and Senate Bill 283
Michael Komorn is recognized as a leading expert on the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act. He is the President of theMichigan Medical Marijuana Association (MMMA), a nonprofit patient advocacy group with over 26,000 members, which advocates for medical marijuana patients, and caregiver rights. Michael is also the host of Planet Green Trees Radio, a marijuana reform based show, which is broadcast every Thursday night 8-10 pm EST. Follow Komorn onTwitter.
Retired Superior Court Judge James P. Gray testifies in favor of a marijuana legalization bill in the California Assembly on October 28, 2009
Retired Superior Court Judge James P. Gray testifies in favor of a marijuana legalization bill in the California Assembly on October 28, 2009. Judge Gray is a member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, which any citizen can join for free at http://www.CopsSayLegalizeDrugs.com.
Michael Komorn is recognized as a leading expert on the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act. He is the President of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Association (MMMA), a nonprofit patient advocacy group with over 26,000 members, which advocates for medical marijuana patients, and caregiver rights. Michael is also the host of Planet Green Trees Radio, a marijuana reform based show, which is broadcast every Thursday night 8-10 pm EST. Follow Komorn on Twitter.
Marijuana legalization would end the futile and perpetual war on drugs in the United States that wastes $2.4 billion each year.
By Michael Komorn
Retired Cincinnati police captain and former drug counselor, Howard Rahtz, holds a different perspective on America’s futile and perpetual war against drugs than your average law enforcer.
He believes it’s an ineffective waste of money that enhances black market drug dealing profits and has no impact on use. Rahtz is joining state Rep. Tom McMillion, R-Rochester, for a public town hall discussion on the topic at 7 p.m. Monday in the Rochester Hills Public Library, 500 Olde Towne.
“We have poured a tremendous amount of effort and money into the war on drugs during the past four decades, diverting resources that likely could have been better used toward preventing violent crimes,” McMillin said. “We have to ask ourselves: Is this a good return on our investment? Are our efforts having any impact?”
Rahtz is a member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, a group of 5,000 law enforcers who believe the current “war on drugs” is a detriment to public safety.
“The War on Drugs is basically a subsidization program for organized crime,” Rahtz said in a prepared statement. “State governments spend millions on law enforcement only to make selling drugs that much more profitable and ensure a wide range of people, including those who would sell to children and violently defend their market share, are interested in the job.”
Rahtz claims that money spent on operations like the DEA, as well as state and local drug task forces, is unwarranted in these frugal financial times for governments throughout the United States.
The Drug Policy Alliance is an organization that calls for drug law reforms and an increased focus on treatment and prevention; they estimate that taxpayers pay $51 billion annually between national, state and local drug enforcement and jailing of violators. Marijuana legalization is the obvious solution to a nation that continues to take on water in an effort to stay afloat.
“The national drug control budget for fiscal year 2012 allocated $25.2 billion to reduce drug use and its consequences in the United States. The Federal Bureau of Prison Systems reports that 47.2 percent of all its inmates are behind bars for drug-related offenses,” McMillin said. “Is this ‘war on drugs’ still worth fighting?”
Rahtz served the shield as a Cincinnati police officer for 18 years, was a SWAT negotiator; was a captain on the vice squad and previously managed a methadone treatment clinic.
