Jul 16, 2019 | Blog
It was Nov 6th 2018… a date many will never forget…a date many never perceived marijuana would become legal in their lifetime… So many friends disappeared into the legal system, so many lives and families ruined…and so much potential suppressed.
The legal system made its money and had its glory days and surely they will find new ways to do it, but at this time…
A new bill, introduced in the Michigan legislature could possibly expunge criminal records of those convicted of possession or use of marijuana offenses.
Introduced
by Sen. Jeff Irwin, a Democrat from Ann Arbor, would clear the criminal records
for over 200,000 people without requiring them to apply to the court that
sentenced them.
“Automatic expungement for all of our
lowest-level cannabis offenders allows people to move on with their lives and
making it automatic is essential because many people can’t afford an attorney,
or the legal fees associated with an application,” Irwin said in a release.
“Cannabis is now legal in Michigan and petty offenses in the past should be no
barrier to getting back to work or school.”
No thought is needed…Approval should be automatic…but automatic with the legal system leaves too much room for error. One should hire an attorney…to make sure there are no errors.
According
to Irwin only 6 percent of people eligible for expungement apply because of the
process.
The
bill could also extend to people who were charged with growing or possession
with intent to distribute charges.
The bill will provide an opportunity for people to apply to a judge to expunge their records.
“This
is the next step in ending the unsuccessful prohibition of marijuana that
incarcerated and punished Michigan residents unfairly for decades,” Irwin added
in a release. “After last year’s mandate from voters, I am hopeful that a
majority of legislators will vote to give Michigan residents back the
opportunities that were unjustly taken from them.”
Michigan State Sen. Jeff Irwin, D-18th District has appeared on the Planet Green Trees radio show pre and post legalization and has openly discussed the topic of Cannabis. Irwin was a featured guest on the shows 420th episode along with John Sinclair, Adam L Brook (Hash Bash Organizer) many more guests.
Attorney Michael Komorn stated “Our firm has been fighting for this for many many years. We have fought in the front line trenches for our clients and have many victories. This is just one of the fronts we have been focused on”.
If you are looking to expunge your marijuana criminal record and make sure it is done correctly or maybe you have some other record you would like expunged. Don’t let the system tell you they “automatically” expunged it. You know how the system works you’ve been there…done that. Contact our office at 248-357-2550 for a free case evaluation
Recent Posts
[kl_posts posts_per_page=”10″ order=”desc”]
The Sheeple Can Have A Win…
Jul 15, 2019 | Blog
When Proposal 1 passed in 2018 in Michigan for the adult recreational use of cannabis many employers wondered as to how that would impact their drug policies.
An employer can refuse to hire an applicant and terminate an employee who tests positive for marijuana.
Employers can still follow a drug-free policy. That does not change.
In Eplee v. City of Lansing (MiLW No. 07-100073, 12 pages), the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled against the plaintiff (Eplee), who failed a drug test but had a medical marijuana card.
The court ruled the employer didn’t violate the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act by revoking a conditional offer of employment.
If you are looking for an attorney that will fight for you. You found him.
Michael Komorn – provides DUI, drugged driving and criminal defense passionately an aggressively.
Call The Office 248-357-2550 or visit KomornLaw.com
In an unpublished opinion, a state appellate court held the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act (MMMA) did not provide a cause of action for an applicant whose conditional job offer was rescinded after he tested positive for marijuana during a mandatory pre-employment drug test. Eplee v. City of Lansing, 2019 Mich. App. LEXIS 277 (Feb. 19, 2019).
Plaintiff’s claims against defendants essentially revolve around the following statutory language contained in MCL 333.26424(a):
The state appellate court decision focused on the following MMMA provision:
A qualifying patient who has been issued and possesses a registry identification card is not subject to arrest, prosecution, or penalty in any manner, or denied any right or privilege, including, but not limited to, civil penalty or disciplinary action by a business or occupational or professional licensing board or bureau, for the medical use of marihuana in accordance with this act . . . .
The court held the MMMA did not make medical marijuana users a protected class. It also did not “provide an independent right protecting the medical use of marijuana in all circumstances.”
This is at least the second decision involving failed drug tests, medical marijuana, and the MMMA; both were decided in the employer’s favor.
Read the Entire Court Opinion Here
Recent Posts
[kl_posts posts_per_page=”10″ order=”desc”]
Dec 13, 2018 | Blog, Legalization
The new Legalization law is for adults 21+, just like alcohol is for adults 21+ in Michigan. Treat marijuana like alcohol, by locking it up at home, not consuming it in public or in cars, not possessing it on school grounds and not giving it to people under 21.
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.
Note that the following is not legal advice, just common sense plain readings of the law. If you want legal advice on the new law, please call our office to schedule an appointment.
The Court of Appeals had made absurd results of plain readings of the MMMA law for years until the bad case law opinions were reversed by the Michigan Supreme Court. To err on the side of judiciary absurdity, we will be going with the most conservative reading in order to maximize your protections.
Said another way, “Don’t be the first person to end up in court testing the limits of the laws.”
-
What are the rules for driving/transporting legal marijuana?
An adult 21+ can transport 2.5 ounces of marijuana in public or in a car, but not on the “grounds of a public or private school where children attend classes in preschool programs, kindergarten programs, or grades 1 through 12, in a school bus, or on the grounds of any correctional facility” (prison, court?, jail).
-
Do the 2.5 ounces have to be dried? Wet?
There is no requirement in the act for the marijuana to be dried or wet. The MRTMA law has no difference between wet and dry marijuana weight either.
Prosecutors and Courts have gone to absurd results at the “usable marihuana” language in the MMMA. Using technical violations and wording logic, prosecutors have instructed police to arrest patients and caregivers, instead of giving them protections from the law. It remains to be seen what will happen in the future with the new MRTMA law.
-
What about transporting plants / clones?
The law is silent on this issue. However section 17 states “This act shall be broadly construed to accomplish its intent as stated in section 2 of this act.”
While section 2 states “Sec. 2. The purpose of this act is to make marihuana legal under state and local law for adults 21 years of age or older.” and “The intent is to prevent arrest and penalty for personal possession and cultivation of marihuana by adults 21 years of age or older”
What this means is that, hopefully, police and prosecutors will not bother adults 21+ who transport their 12 clones or seedlings around. But to be safe, you should consider transporting only seeds until the police, attorney general and prosecutors settle down. Will there be a fight or is marijuana legal legal? After seeing the fight against Medical Marijuana for the last 10 years, it is difficult to say.
-
I am a MMMA Patient and Caregiver, can I grow my 12 plants in the MMMA with my 12 plants in the new MRTMA law?
To be safe, you should either stick to the MMMA or the MRTMA law and not try to combine them until the new Attorney General and courts have made some opinions on it.
-
I am a patient, should I keep my card or use MRTMA protections instead?
The MMMA has 10 years of case law and absolute immunities upheld by the Michigan Supreme Court. MRTMA does not. While the language in MRTMA mirrors or is very similar to the MMMA, we cannot predict the future.
MMMA and MMFLA provisioning centers are open right now to sell marihuana to patients and caregivers. MRTMA businesses are not open and will not be open for at least 1 year.
This means that as a patient, you have the ability to buy from a provisioning center now, whereas an adult 21+ does not have that ability.
Also, caregivers are allowed to sell to their registered connected patients. Caregivers are not allowed to sell to adults 21+. This means as an adult 21+ you cannot get marihuana from a caregiver either.
A patient card will increase your ability to acquire marihuana, for at least the next year.
-
As an adult 21+, I can grow 12 plants?
Yes, per house can only have 12 plants. So if you have 4 adults 21+ at one house, you can still only have 12 plants at that house.
-
What are the rules on growing 12 plants?
Within the person’s residence … cultivating not more than 12 marihuana plants for personal use, provided that no more than 12 marihuana plants are possessed, cultivated, or processed on the premises at once.
Remember the laws are for personal use of marijuana, you are not growing for others.
You must not allow the public to see your plants, or drying / curing buds, or you trimming plants.
This act does not allow “Cultivating (propagate, breed, grow, harvest, dry, cure, or separate parts of the marihuana plant by manual or mechanical means) marihuana plants if the plants are visible from a public place without the use of binoculars, aircraft, or other optical aids.”
This means you should use crop cloth or privacy screen to make sure no one can see your plants growing, if outdoors.
Drying, curing, trimming, harvesting, growing or breeding plants must be done inside “an enclosed area equipped with locks or other functioning security devices that restrict access to the area”.
-
How much marijuana am I allowed to keep at home?
2.5 ounces of marijuana unlocked and “excess marihuana is stored in a container or area equipped with locks or other functioning security devices that restrict access to the contents of the container or area.”
Possibly, “excess marihuana” is “not more than 10 ounces of marihuana”. “excess marihuana” could be marijuana gifted by other adults 21+ or bought in MRTMA stores (not yet operational).
AND you are allowed to keep all marihuana produced by your 12 plants on your premises.
“any marihuana produced by marihuana plants cultivated on the premises and cultivating not more than 12 marihuana plants for personal use, provided that no more than 12 marihuana plants are possessed, cultivated, or processed on the premises at once;”
BUT “not more than 15 grams of marihuana may be in the form of marihuana concentrate”. “Marihuana concentrate” means the resin extracted from any part of the plant of the genus cannabis.
“Marihuana” means all parts of the plant of the genus cannabis, growing or not; the seeds of the plant; the resin extracted from any part of the plant; and every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of the plant or its seeds or resin, including marihuana concentrate and marihuana-infused products. For purposes of this act, marihuana does not include:
(1) the mature stalks of the plant, fiber produced from the stalks, oil or cake made from the seeds of the plant, any other compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of the mature stalks, except the resin extracted from those stalks, fiber, oil, or cake, or any sterilized seed of the plant that is incapable of germination;
(2) industrial hemp; or
(3) any other ingredient combined with marihuana to prepare topical or oral administrations, food, drink, or other products.
-
Will this MRTMA legalization law affect the MMMA?
No. the MRTMA law specifically says:
“This act does not limit any privileges, rights, immunities, or defenses of a person as provided in the Michigan medical marihuana act, 2008 IL 1, MCL 333.26421 to 333.26430, the medical marihuana facilities licensing act, 2016 PA 281, MCL 333.27101 to 333.27801, or any other law of this state allowing for or regulating marihuana for medical use.”
-
Where can I smoke marijuana?
Any private property where the owner of the property allows smoking.
Do not smoke in “a public place”, parking lots, parks, rivers, roads, sidewalks etc.
-
I can give marijuana to my friend?
Gifting of marijuana to other adults 21+ is allowed.
Adults 21+ can legally “giving away or otherwise transferring without remuneration up to 2.5 ounces of marihuana, except that not more than 15 grams of marihuana may be in the form of marihuana concentrate, to a person 21 years of age or older, as long as the transfer is not advertised or promoted to the public.”
-
Can my friend help me grow or trim my plants?
Adults 21+ can help other adults 21+ to grow, process, transport, possess, use, trim, extract or other conduct allowed in Section 5.
Sec 5.1 c “assisting another person who is 21 years of age or older in any of the acts described in this section”
-
Can I use butane to make extracts or wax?
MRTMA bans butane extractions in the “curtilage of any residential structure”.
Sec 4.1 (d) “separation of plant resin by butane extraction or another method that utilizes a substance with a flashpoint below 100 degrees Fahrenheit in any public place, motor vehicle, or within the curtilage of any residential structure”
-
I have a past conviction for marijuana, can I have my record expunged?
Yes! Even the new incoming governor has said she wants to expunge past marijuana convictions. Call my office today to get prepared and started for when the official expungements begin. 800-656-3557
-
I want to get a microbusiness license. What are the requirements?
The requirements for licensing have not yet been determined by the department. Since MRTMA was based on MMFLA language, it is speculated that the MMFLA rules will be used.
-
I am a landlord and do not want my renters smoking marijuana.
The MRTMA law allows you to prohibit smoking of marijuana in your property. “This act allows a person to prohibit or otherwise regulate the consumption, cultivation, distribution, processing, sale, or display of marihuana and marihuana accessories on property the person owns, occupies, or manages, except that a lease agreement may not prohibit a tenant from lawfully possessing and consuming marihuana by means other than smoking.”
-
My city banned marijuana businesses, the closest location would be 50 miles from me!
Sec 6.1 says in part “Individuals may petition to initiate an ordinance to provide for the number of marihuana establishments allowed within a municipality or to completely prohibit marihuana establishments within a municipality, and such ordinance shall be submitted to the electors of the municipality at the next regular election when a petition is signed by qualified electors in the municipality in a number greater than 5% of the votes cast for governor by qualified electors in the municipality at the last gubernatorial election. A petition under this subsection is subject to section 488 of the Michigan election law, 1954 PA 116, MCL 168.488.”
-
Can I take or mail my cannabis to Canada, from Canada, or to or from other states?
No, you really should not. The border crossing area to Canada is federal land and there are currently no protections for recreational marijuana laws in federal law. There is some MMMA protection in the DOJ appropriations blocking the Department of Justice from using funds against state-legal compliant medical marijuana patients.
If you are travelling to another medical or recreational marijuana state, just buy it there. No reason to make a federal case out of it.
-
Is it ok to leave my cannabis unlocked in my house?
Remember, if a person under 21 can access your marijuana, under current drug case law, he constructively possesses the drug. Which could land that young person in trouble with the law. If you have family in your house, make sure to lock up your marijuana and keep the key or combo to yourself.
-
What about my 2nd amendment right to own a firearm? Can I also possess marijuana?
The federal government has issued various open letters against people owning firearms with medical marijuana. This also applies to recreational and legalization of marijuana. The senate and house have introduced bills to make this not apply in legal states, however the bills have not been voted on yet.
https://www.atf.gov/firearms/docs/open-letter/all-ffls-sept2011-open-letter-marijuana-medicinal-purposes/download
May I purchase a gun if I am a medical marijuana patient in the database?
The medical marijuana authorization database is in no way connected to any other system and does not affect your right to purchase or carry a gun. However, under federal law, marijuana possession is illegal for both recreational and medical use. The federal law affects gun ownership. It is unlawful for a firearms dealer to sell or give a gun to a person who uses or is addicted to a controlled substance that is illegal under federal law.
https://www.doh.wa.gov/YouandYourFamily/Marijuana/MedicalMarijuana/AuthorizationDatabase/FrequentlyAskedQuestions#6
https://www.psp.pa.gov/firearms-information/Pages/Firearms-Information.aspx
Bonus Content
-
All of Michigan falls within the 100 mile international border area, does this mean federal agents can arrest me for possession and or cultivation?
Yes unfortunately. Again, having a patient card will protect you as long as the appropriation rider congress renews is in effect.
-
What about hemp?
Dec 6th, growing industrial hemp will be legal. LARA shall issue rules and regulations related to the growing and processing of industrial hemp. In order to stay legal and safe, it is advised to use the best practices utilized in other states hemp laws; Including using a known hemp seed source.
If you want to get involved with hemp, please contact Komorn Law.
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.
Follow Komorn Law
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.
