The Planet Green Trees Radio team was delighted to have Michigan Senator and Senate Democratic Leader Gretchen Whitmer on the show this past Thursday. We discussed the recent passage of Senate Bill 660, which would authorize Pharmacies to dispense prescription cannabis if the Federal Government removes the drug from its current Schedule I status.
To listen to the Interview, please visit: http://youtu.be/KfLP4Rc2reA
A summary of the interview is also written below.
Related: SENATE PASSES BILL ALLOWING PHARMACIES TO DISPENSE MEDICAL MARIJUANA
Interview with Senator Gretchen Whitmer
Michael Komorn: Do you think that the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act has been implemented as fully as it should have been?
Gretchen Whitmer: No. The 2008 law was very clear. Voters approved medical marijuana, we have patients and advocates, people who can benefit. It was a mandate, a lot of politicians have gone out of there way to make the law murky. It’s a travesty, and we should clear it up and make it accessible to people who need it most.
K: Is it odd to see a Bill move so quickly from the committee to the floor, as SB 660 did?
W: It is. When you see a rushed bill, as we did with Right to Work during the lame duck session, the governor rushes through bills to hide all the litigation that surrounds them when people file suits; there is an ulterior motive and they’re trying to hide it. but why? SB 660 seeks to streamline corporate citizens and ignores the taxpayers, its a waste of time and resources (since SB 660 relies on the rescheduling of Cannabis).
K: Is there a movement toward regulation? Do you think Michigan’s system can work as it is or does it need to be more regulated
W: It definitely needs to be regulated and we need to decriminalize (the possession) of smaller amounts. We should regulate it, make sure its safe, and maybe even tax it. Let’s talk about it (regulation/decriminalization/legalization) for real, make it transparent, and let the voters tell us what they want. We should (honor the will of the people).
K: Do you think an economic based Medical Marijuana system would benefit the state?
W: It is a conversation that should take place. Legislators should be eager to discuss it. Look at the mood of the voters, it’s something we have to debate. We can’t continue to be hamstrung by old notions of marijuana and look at the reality (of the situation today). patients say the system isn’t working. My mother died of Brain Cancer. I would have given her anything to ease her pain or help her fight. It’s a real concern, and the legislature has turned a deaf ear to it. Not just to Medical Marijuana, but to decriminalization overall.
K: Some argued that SB 660 was needed for doctors and to control wild home grows. do you think there should be regulation of home grows?
W: There are a lot of issues about whether we are ready to decriminalize (marijuana). Senator Jones comes from law enforcement stand point which colors his thinking. We owe it to the public to investigate and debate every potential issue that could crop up if we moved toward decrim and regulation. I think we would find its not the picture that Senator Jones paints (of the consequences of moving law enforcement toward a more lax position toward marijuana). We should discuss it in a transparent way
K: The law enforcement view of marijuana has not changed much at all since the Act passed in 2008. there is a disconnect between the medical marijuana community and law enforcement, a lack of trust driven by the Attorney General (Bill Schuette) and his policies, as well as a lack of information.
W: If we could get everyone to start with an open mind, we could learn a lot from one another. The legislature is made up of smart people, we could figure out how to make this right. (With regards to law enforcement staunchly opposed to marijuana) there was a high ranking officer in Kalamazoo who wanted to lessen the penalties, because there is a practical issue when we have police spending time on petty crimes, when there are much bigger issues/crimes to deal with. If we had a true honest dialogue, we’d find that not all law enforcement sees marijuana as Senator Jones does.
K: City after city has been voting for reform, the trend is nationally to want to legalize, but these limited institutions receive tremendous amount of authority and seem to ignore these trends.
W: Michigan’s current Attorney General and former Attorney General score political points for their stance on medical marijuana, and that scares legislators to act upon the will of the people. Whether it’s same sex marriage or decriminalization, its a matter of time, and current office holders are digging in and trying to keep the status-quo, but its a matter of time until that changes.
K: The Mayor of Berkley gave a speech and reiterated that if she was going to purchase marijuana, she’d want to go to a store and to have it labeled the same as any other drug. She doesn’t want it coming from someone’s basement. Is SB 660 going to create a large number of people entering in (to the medical marijuana program) because of the label (that would accompany pharmaceutical marijuana)?
W: Maybe, “pharmaceutical grade” might comfort some. But that is the opposite feeling of current patients and caregivers. The modelfor SB 660 comes from Canada where patients can’t grow. That’s the concern. A lot of people who could benefit from using medical marijuana are in the hospital, hospice, or are children. But if they rely on pharmaceutical grade (cannabis), which is only a smokable type, those people can’t benefit, and that’s a concern.
K: Do you think the bill could work side by side with the MMMA of 2008? Or do you think one will rub the other out?
W: There is potential for them to work side by side. I also think that the concern that one will obviate the need of the other is real. Clearly, we can move forward on two tracks, but we have not solved the problem that current residents are facing. We owe it to those people to solve the problem before we streamline them for an out of state corporation (Prairie Plant Systems) with a contingency (the rescheduling of cannabis).
K: Have they run this by the Federal Government? Senate Bill 660?
W: (laughs) How can you figure that it’s likely marijuana will be rescheduled? Those in favor of SB 660 say, “oh, well we have the inside scoop that its likely.” But they are going on faith that one man, Attorney General Eric Holder has decided not to prosecute (marijuana, medical or not) Federally. Why would we go forward with such haste on a law with a contingency rather than help the current residents who are suffering?
K: Anything else that comes to mind?
W: It was powerful to listen to and see the patients and patient advocates at the hearing. It’s a powerful voice that patients and advocates possess, but only if they use it. They need to put the pressure on their representatives. Representative Mike Callton’s Bill will be up after Thanksgiving, and there is an opportunity to see some productive legislation go forward with dispensaries. (Members of the MM community need to) raise awareness, and put the pressure on the legislature to do something.
K: What’s the word with how the courts are viewing these minor infractions with the current Medical Marijuana Act?
W: Legislators don’t really have a handle on that I don’t think. But because there are so many grey areas which have been created by law makers, there are a lot of ambiguities and things are left to individual interpretations. We’ve left it so unclear, so the Judge’s have a lot of power to interpret based on their own beliefs and their own interpretation of the law.
Videos of Gretchen Whitmer fighting for patients on the floor are available on YouTube under the compassion chronicles.
