– Armada – Center Line – Chesterfield Township – Harrison Township – Macomb Township – Memphis – New Baltimore – New Haven – Ray Township – Richmond – Richmond Township – Shelby Township – St. Clair Shores – Sterling Heights – Washington Township
Manistee
– Manistee – Norman Township
Marquette
– Forsyth Township – Ishpeming – Powell Township
Mason
– Custer Township – Village of Custer – Grant Township – Meade Township – Pere Marquette Charter Township – Scottville – Sheridan Township – Victory Township
Mecosta
– Green Charter Township – Martiny Township – Morton Township
– Berlin Township – Frenchtown Township – Luna Pier – Monroe – Raisinville Township – Whiteford Township
Montcalm
– Carson City – Day Township – Eureka Township – Village of Lakeview – Montcalm Township – Sidney Township
Montmorency
– Avery Township – Hillman Township – Village of Hillman
Muskegon
– Blue Lake Township – Casanovia Township – Montague – North Muskegon – Norton Shores – Whitehall
Newaygo
– Ashland Township – Fremont – Newaygo
Oakland
– Addison Township – Bloomfield Township – Commerce Township – Franklin – Leonard – Milford – Northville – Novi – Orchard Lake – Oxford Township – Wolverine Lake – Rochester – Rochester Hills – West Bloomfield Township – Wixom
Oceana
– Grant Township – Rothbury – Shelby Township
Ogemaw
– Churchill Township
Ontonagon
– Stannard Township
Osceola
– Evart – Hersey Township – Reed City
Otsego
– Bagley Township – Corwith Township – Gaylord – Hayes Township – Otsego Lake Township – Vanderbilt
Ottawa
– Ferrysburg – Georgetown Township – Grand Haven – Grand Haven Charter Township – Hart – Holland – Holland Township – Jamestown Township – Olive Township – Spring Lake – Wright Township – Zeeland
The House of Representatives approved a measure to prevent the DOJ from interfering with individual state marijuana laws, including those allowing recreational use, cultivation and sales.
The amendment, would also shield cannabis laws in Washington, D.C. and U.S. territories, is attached to a large-scale appropriations bill to fund parts of the federal government for Fiscal Year 2020.
The inclusion of adult-use programs represents a significant expansion of an existing policy that protects only local medical cannabis laws from federal intervention which was first enacted in 2014.
The expansive attachment was approved in a floor vote of 267 to 165. The tally is considered by legalization supporters to be an signal of the depth of support there is in Congress for a more comprehensive change to federal marijuana policies.
“This is the most significant vote on marijuana reform policy that the House of Representatives has ever taken,” said NORML Political Director Justin Strekal. “Today’s action by Congress highlights the growing power of the marijuana law reform movement and the increasing awareness by political leaders that the policy of prohibition and criminalization has failed.”
“The historic nature of this vote cannot be overstated,” he said. “For the first time, a chamber of Congress has declared that the federal government should defer to state cannabis laws.”
The measure, sponsored by Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Tom McClintock (R-CA), would bar the Department of Justice from spending money to prevent states and territories from implementing their own laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession, or cultivation of marijuana.
“We’re watching the growth of this industry, a multibillion-dollar industry. We’re watching state after state move forward,” Blumenauer said in a floor debate on the state protection amendment on Wednesday evening. “Every one of us on the floor of the House who are here now represent areas that have taken action. We have had embedded in our legislation protections for medical marijuana. And this would simply extend that same protection to prevent the Department of Justice interfering with adult use. I strongly, strongly urge that we build on the legacy that we’ve had in the past, that we move this forward to allow the federal government to start catching up to where the rest of the states are.”
House Democratic leadership urged their conference to support the measure in a whip email on Thursday, and only eight members of the party voted against it.
Lobbying For The Whole Pie
The passage of the state protection amendment comes despite congressional offices receiving an 11th-hour email saying Greenwich Biosciences, maker of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved CBD-based medication Epidiolex, wanted lawmakers to defeat it.
Earlier on Thursday, the House approved an amendment from Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-CA) that directs the Food and Drug Administration to establish a process for regulating CBD in foods and dietary supplements.
Yes/No
Another measure passed in a voice vote, from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), shifts $5 million away from the Drug Enforcement Administration toward an opioid treatment program.
Another Ocasio-Cortez amendment aimed at removing barriers to research on psychedelic drugs such as psilocybin and MDMA (ecstasy) was soundly defeated on the House floor last week.
The House is set to consider another amendment on the spending legislation in the coming days that would allow military veterans to receive medical marijuana recommendations from Department of Veterans Affairs doctors.
Make Laws-Make Money
Another bill maneuvering through the House contains language to protect banks working with state-legal cannabis businesses and removes a longstanding rider that has prevented Washington, D.C. from spending its own local tax dollars to legalize and regulate marijuana sales.
A safe marijuana banking bill was cleared by the Financial Services Committee and is expected to receive a floor vote.
The Veterans’ Affairs Committee held a hearing on four separate pieces of legislation concerning cannabis and military veterans on Thursday. And the Small Business Committee hosted a Wednesday hearing on issues facing cannabis firms, with the panel’s chairwoman announcing she would soon file a bill on the issue.
The plan which went into effect at midnight on Monday, use and possession of marijuana in small amounts in personal homes is not an offense.
Possession in public of amounts for personal use will result in a fine of about $275 for a first time offense and double for the second offense. A third offense within seven years will trigger a criminal investigation, or loss of driver’s or gun license.
Personal use is defined by the country’ Anti-Drug Authority as about 15 grams, though the reform legislation does not name a specific amount. Those with permission to possess cannabis for medical use must be able to present their license to police if confronted in public.
The plan was adopted in 2017 by Knesset after the recommendations of a panel set up by Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan. The reform legislation is temporary and will last three years, at which point the Knesset can decide to make it permanent.
Israel had already increased the number of doctors who can write prescriptions for medical cannabis, removed limits on the number of marijuana growers, made cannabis available at public pharmacies, and made it possible to receive medical cannabis with just a doctor’s prescription.
The new marijuana reform does not apply to soldiers, minors, or those with a criminal record. Minors will, however, be directed to rehabilitation programs as opposed to entering the criminal justice system.
Is Alex Berenson Just Trolling Us With His Anti-Marijuana Book
From Rolling Stone
A former ‘New York Times’ journalist wrote about a “hidden epidemic” cause by pot — but it seems he got the science wrong
In the past week, there’s been a flurry of media coverage around a new book called Tell Your Children: The Truth About Marijuana, Mental Illness, and Violence. One of the main points is that legalization is a terrible idea, because legal pot is already causing more people to become schizophrenic and psychotic, and people who are schizophrenic and psychotic are more likely to commit violent crimes.
Alex Berenson, the book’s author — a former journalist who spent the past decade or so writing mysteries and thriller novels — landed plum op-eds in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. He appeared on Fox and Friends and Tucker Carlson Tonight. And the pop-psych theorist Malcolm Gladwell wrote an entire New Yorker article repeating and promoting the book’s thesis.
And yet, this theory is deeply flawed. After five years of extensive reporting on the cannabis industry, it seems pretty clear that weed itself isn’t that dangerous — sure, it can be abused like any drug, but it’s weed’s illegality, especially the illegality of the supply chain, that poses a far greater public safety threat. So hearing Berenson promote these distorted, dog-whistle conclusions, it left me with one question: is he trolling us? Does he genuinely believe that the full legalization of marijuana is going to cause a significant rise in murders, assaults and mental illness — or is he just assuming a contrarian position to scare people into buying his book?
Michigan Schools Still Zero Tolerance. This is the memorandum release by the Swan Valley School District in Livingston County Michigan.
Memorandum
To: Swan Valley School District (SVSD) Parents
From: Mat McRae, Superintendent
Date: December 6, 2018
RE: Michigan Marijuana Law
Legalization:
Michigan voters approved the legalization of recreational marijuana use on November 6, 2018. That does not mean Michiganders could start using immediately. The board of canvassers must certify the election results and then another ten (10) days must pass before the legalization takes effect. News sources dated 11.19.18 indicate that legalization is effective December 6, 2018, although further restrictions exist—including sale and possession.
Please note, marijuana remains an illegal substances as a Schedule I under the federal Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. § 811). Additionally, local municipalities may further regulate marijuana.
Arrested for or Charged with DUI or driving under the influence of “drugs”?… Contact Komorn Law 800-656-3557.
The Michigan Medical Marihuana Act of 2008 remains in effect. The SVSD is not endorsing or providing legal advice about personal use of marijuana.
The new law regulating personal possession and use of marijuana for recreational purposes in Michigan also specifically prohibits possessing marijuana accessories or possessing or consuming marijuana on the grounds of a public school and in a school bus.
Swan Valley School District:
SVSD Board of Education Policy (5350) maintains that marijuana or other THC or CBD substances are illegal substances and/or controlled substances.
The term illegal drug means drugs and controlled substances, the possession or use of which is unlawful, pursuant to Federal, State, and/or local laws and regulations.
As marijuana is still illegal under federal law, it remains an “illegal drug” under district policy and therefore is strictly prohibited in all forms from district facilities and grounds. The SVSD remains a drug, alcohol, and tobacco free zone.
Substances containing marijuana, THC, or CBD will remain prohibited for use, sale, manufacture, or possession on school grounds by staff, parents, or students. This prohibition includes edibles and topical substances, such as oils or lotions. There is no circumstance in which it will be acceptable to possess, use, or be under the influence of marijuana on district property or while attending the district. Possession includes storage in a personal vehicle.
.If you have any questions or wish to get into the cannabis business industry, call my office to get started or we can also consult existing businesses to maximize profits and minimize risk 800-656-3557.
Komorn Law has represented numerous clients through the legal chaos of starting up a business in the Michigan Medical Marihuana Industry as well as consulting and legal representation for Medical Maruhuana Patients and Caregivers.
If you or someone you know has been arrested as a result of Medical Marijuana, DUI, Drugs, Forfeiture, Criminal Enterprise or any other criminal charges please contact our office and ensure you’re defended by an experienced lawyer.
Attorney Michael Komorn is recognized as an expert on the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act. He is the President of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Association (MMMA), a nonprofit patient advocacy group which advocates for the rights of medical marijuana patients and their caregivers.
Contact us for a free no-obligation case evaluation 800-656-3557.
This page is for informational purposes only. Laws, regulations and the world change routinely, therefore we insist you consult an attorney for the most current legal information.
