June 25, 2021 – Michigan’s Marijuana Regulatory Agency – in conjunction with the Michigan Public Service Commission, the Bureau of Fire Services, the Dept. of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, and electric providers in the state of Michigan – today produced and distributed materials to inform Michigan residents growing marijuana in their homes about the best ways to keep themselves, their neighbors, and their community safe while continuing to protect Michigan’s electric grid.
Michigan residents with medical marijuana patient and caregiver registration cards have been able to grow a limited number of marijuana plants in their homes since 2008. After Michigan voters legalized marijuana in 2018, Michigan residents over the age of 21 have also been able to grow up to 12 plants at their home. These developments have resulted in an influx of new residential marijuana grows that have a major impact on Michigan’s electric grid.
Since the energy demand for growing marijuana plants is so intensive – often requiring nonstop grow lights, ventilation systems, and other high-demand equipment – it is essential residential marijuana growers understand the impact the increased energy usage in their homes may have on their safety, the safety of their communities, and the safety of electrical workers and first responders.
A Michigan resident growing 12 plants in a home can increase that home’s energy demand by 2.75 times. Maximizing the 72-plant limit for a medical marijuana caregiver’s residential grow operation could result in energy usage equivalent to the average use of 10.75 houses.
Residential marijuana growers should understand the proper steps to take while planning their grow operation to ensure their safety, as well as the protection of their home and utility equipment. Overloading electrical equipment can create fire hazards and damage electrical equipment, which can also lead to extended power outages in your community.
Growing marijuana in a home is a legal right and it must be done safely and responsibly. Before starting a home grow, individuals should:
become familiar with local rules and ordinances
hire a licensed electrical contractor
contact their local utility to ensure their electrical service is sized appropriately to serve the increased energy demand
When residential growers work together with their electric company, significant damage can be avoided, including:
Unanticipated significant overloading can lead to catastrophic failure of utility and customer-owned equipment. If a significant customer load is added before the energy provider has an opportunity to review and utility equipment is damaged as a result, the customer causing the issue may be held responsible for associated costs of repair. There could be lengthy delays in the restoration of service. The utility must determine what caused the issue, find out what the true load sizes are, and upgrade its equipment to serve it.
In addition to damaging the equipment of the customer that added the significant load, there could be possible damage to property of other customers receiving service from the same transformer. This damage can range from appliances to sensitive electronics, smart TVs, computers and more.
Structural fire dangers are by far the worst-case scenario for marijuana home grows. When circuits are overloaded beyond their rating, it becomes a hazard and the cost associated with this kind of incident is immeasurable as it has the potential to cause death in addition to widespread damage to the electrical system and people’s property.
The Michigan Public Service Commission’s website has important information available for Michigan residents, including:
DISCLAIMER This post may contain re-posted content, opinions, comments, ads, third party posts, outdated information, posts from disgruntled persons, posts from those with agendas and general internet BS. Therefore…Before you believe anything on the internet regarding anything – do your research on Official Government and State Sites, Call the Michigan State Police, Check the State Attorney General Website and Consult an Attorney – Use Your Brain.
“This opinion says the law is the law,” said Komorm, who represented the appellant in the case, “and we’re going to make the ruling that the Medical Marijuana Act and the card associated with the patient protect them from … penalty of any kind.”
It’s taken 13 years, but Michigan courts are finally fully recognizing the rights instilled by the 2008 voter-passed Medical Marijuana Act, said Farmington Hills-based defense attorney.
In Komorn’s opinion, although the ruling doesn’t address the issue, the precedent should also apply to parolees or defendants on bond with release conditions that prohibit legal medical marijuana use.
The unanimous ruling issued in writing Thursday by Court of Appeals judges Mark J. Kavanaugh, Deborah A. Servitto and Thomas C. Cameron determined Medical marijuana law “supersedes” contradicting laws empowering judges to limit a wide array legal activity, such as alcohol consumption.
And that’s because of “specific language” in the ballot initiative voters passed prohibits any penalty for compliant use of medical marijuana, Komorn said. Despite that, Komorn said judges frequently, especially in Grand Traverse County where the case arose, impose marijuana probation restrictions on registered patients.
DISCLAIMER This post may contain re-posted content, opinions, comments, ads, third party posts, outdated information, posts from disgruntled persons, posts from those with agendas and general internet BS. Therefore…Before you believe anything on the internet regarding anything – do your research on Official Government and State Sites, Call the Michigan State Police, Check the State Attorney General Website and Consult an Attorney – Use Your Brain.
May 19, 2020 – The Marijuana Regulatory Agency (MRA) announced today an expansion of the eligibility criteria to its social equity program, as well as increased benefits, further reduced fees, and enhanced eligibility for certain applicants. Beginning June 1, 2020, this expansion will increase the number of disproportionately impacted communities from 41 to 184 and will make it easier for individuals from those communities to qualify to participate in the program.
Expanded Communities
Section 8 of the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana Act (MRTMA) requires the Marijuana Regulatory Agency (MRA) to develop a plan to promote and encourage participation in the marijuana industry by people from communities that have been disproportionately impacted by marijuana prohibition and enforcement and to positively impact those communities.
From the results of last year’s survey and workgroups, the MRA developed a Social Equity Program that identifies communities as eligible using two criteria: marijuana-related convictions and poverty rate.
Currently, communities which have marijuana-related convictions greater than the state median and have 30% or more of the population living below the federal poverty level are identified as disproportionately impacted communities. On June 1, 2020, communities with 20% or more of the population living below the federal poverty level will now qualify. This expansion will result in 184 disproportionately impacted communities. The complete list is available at the end of this document.
Fee Reduction: Eligibility Changes and Expansion
Effective June 1, 2020, applicants will no longer be required to live in a disproportionately impacted community to be eligible for a marijuana-related conviction fee reduction or a caregiver fee reduction. In addition, a 40% fee reduction has been added for applicants who have been convicted of a marijuana-related felony. Below are available fee reductions, effective June 1, 2020: ___________________________________________________________
Residency – 25% fee reduction for residency in a disproportionately impacted community for at least 5 cumulative years of the last 10 years.
Marijuana-Related Conviction – 25% fee reduction for having been convicted of a marijuana-related misdemeanor** OR 40% fee reduction or having been convicted of a marijuana-related felony**
**Excluding distribution of a controlled substance to a minor
Caregiver – 10% fee reduction for registration as a primary caregiver under the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act for at least 2 years between 2008-2017 _______________________________________________________________
Effective June 1, 2020, applicants/licensees who qualify for the maximum fee reduction will now receive a 75% reduction in their application and annual licensing fees. An applicant can meet any of the above criteria and be eligible for the associated fee reduction, regardless of where they reside in Michigan.
Currently, fee reductions last indefinitely so long as the applicant/licensee remains eligible for the fee reductions and operates within a disproportionately impacted community. Beginning June 1, 2020, applicants/licenses may now operate outside of a disproportionately impacted community; if they choose to do so, the fee reductions will expire after the first two years of operation.
Application Assistance, Resources, Employment, and Training
The MRA’s social equity representatives will continue to assist individuals with completing the social equity application, which will allow the MRA to determine if the individual qualifies for participation in the program.
At this time, the social equity team will be providing remote application assistance to qualifying applicants applying for adult-use licenses. This will be available on a one-on-one basis as plans are made for a safe return to in-person sessions.
Later this year the MRA will host a job fair. We are preparing to post job listings on our website and connect qualifying applicants with training resources that will help them develop the skills necessary for employment in the marijuana industry.
List of Communities by County
Allegan: Fennville, Lee Township
Arenac: Alger, Sterling
Barry: Nashville
Bay: Bay City, Midland, Pinconning
Berrien: Benton Harbor, Berrien Spring, Coloma, Eau Claire, Niles, Oronoko Township, Sodus Township, Watervliet
Branch: Bronson, Butler Township, Coldwater, Gilead Township, Quincy, Sherwood, Sherwood Township, Union City
Calhoun: Albion, Battle Creek, Springfield, Tekonsha, Tekonsha Township, Union City
Cass: Cassopolis, Dowagiac, Edwardsburg, Lagrange Township, Marcellus, Vandalia
Eaton: Charlotte, Vermontville
Emmet: McKinley Township, Wawatam Township
Genesee: Clio, Flint, Flint Township, Mt. Morris, Mt. Morris Township
Gratiot: Alma, Bethany Township, Breckenridge, Fulton Township, Perrinton, Seville Township, Wheeler Township
Hillsdale: Montgomery
Ingham: East Lansing, Lansing
Ionia: Ionia, Muir, Orleans Township, Ronald Township
Isabella: Coldwater Township, Fremont Township, Mt. Pleasant, Shepherd
Jackson: Hanover, Jackson, Springport
Kalamazoo: Galesburg, Kalamazoo
Kent: Cedar Springs, Grand Rapids
Lapeer: Clifford, Columbiaville, Imlay City, Lapeer
Lenawee: Adrian, Morenci
Macomb: Center Line, Mt. Clemens
Mecosta: Aetna Township, Barryton, Big Rapids, Deerfield Township, Fork Township, Mecosta, Millbrook Township, Morley, Sheridan Township, Stanwood, Wheatland Township
Monroe: Luna Pier
Montcalm: Carson City, Crystal Township, Edmore, Greenville, Home Township, Howard City, Lakeview, McBride, Pierson, Stanton
Muskegon: Holton Township, Muskegon, Muskegon Heights, Twin Lake
Newaygo: Beaver Township, Big Prairie Township, Bridgeton Township, Denver Township, Fremont, Grant, Hesperia, Lilley Township, Merrill Township, Newaygo, Troy Township, White Cloud, Wilcox Township
Oakland: Hazel Park, Pontiac, Royal Oak Township
Ogemaw: Horton Township, Prescott, Richland Township, Rose City, West Branch
Ottawa: Allendale Township
Roscommon: Higgins Township, Richfield Township, Roscommon, Roscommon Township, St. Helen
Saginaw: Bridgeport Township, Carrollton Township, Chapin Township, Chesaning, Kochville Township, Marion Township, Saginaw, Spaulding Township
Shiawassee: Owosso
St. Clair: Port Huron
St. Joseph: Sturgis, Sturgis Township, Three Rivers, White Pigeon Township
Tuscola: Akron, Caro, Dayton Township, Gagetown, Gilford Township, Kingston, Koylton Township, Mayville, Vassar, Vassar Township
Van Buren: Arlington Township, Bangor Township, Bloomingdale, Breedsville, Columbia Township, Covert Township, Decatur, Decatur Township, Hartford, Keeler Township, Lawrence, Mattawan, Paw Paw, South Haven
Washtenaw: Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti
Wayne: Dearborn, Detroit, Ecorse, Hamtramck, Highland Park, Inkster, Melvindale, River Rouge, Wayne
Wexford: Antioch Township, Cadillac, Colfax Township, Mesick, Slagle Township
Driving a snowmobile without a registration and other low-level misdemeanors would become civil infractions under a “decriminalization” package the House Judiciary Committee started work on this week.
Failing to put plates on a vehicle when buying a new car, driving farm equipment on the road without proper registration, and failing to show a safety certificate when driving a boat would also be moved into civil infraction territory under the 19 bills.
Chair Graham FILLER (R-DeWitt) called the bills a “good continuation of the reforms that this committee has worked on.”
“If an individual from, say, Southfield is Up North snowmobiling and has the wrong registration and is given a misdemeanor ticket, he or she will have to come back Up North, show up to court and take the court’s time,” Filler said.
“Every misdemeanor has to go through a prosecutor and then it has to go through district court. Police officers have to come in. They have to testify. So on their days off, they have to come in and sit through the docket at a district court,” Rep. Mike MUELLER (R-Linden) explained.
Filler contended that such charges are likely to be pled down to civil infractions anyway.
“Far too often we have too many people who are serving time in jails for simple, non-violent offenses, such as operating without a license,” Yancey said. Her bill would make operating without a license a civil infraction.
The most controversial bill in the package was Mueller’s HB 5802, which would decriminalize “driving while license suspended” (DWLS), but not in all cases.
“If your license is suspended for drunk driving, reckless driving or any driving offense causing injury or death, it is still a misdemeanor offense. If your license is suspended for not paying child support or other crimes or not paying fines and costs, it would be a civil infraction,” Mueller explained .”It doesn’t tie the hands of law enforcement, because even if it is a civil infraction, the police officer can still impound the car.”
Mueller said it would reduce the number of people going to jail.
“I found, as a police officer, a lot of people get into a financial situation and they can’t drive. How are they supposed to get to work to pay their fines and costs if they can’t drive? If you take their license away for things that aren’t related to that, it just kind of puts them in a never-ending circle of not being able to pay off anything,” Mueller said.
Thomas BOYD, of the State Court Administrative Office, said he supports the bill in concept. Separating issues important to public safety from those issues that aren’t is the key, and he said he believes the package does that.
Boyd said data shows “jails are just clogged” with people coming in for DWLS and related issues.
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“What we need to do is stop taking away people’s licenses,” Boyd told the committee. “So we need to go into the public health code and when you’re a dentist who’s giving away too many prescriptions and you are convicted of prescription fraud, you shouldn’t lose your drivers license. That’s got nothing to do with driving. When you don’t pay a court fine, we should just not take away your drivers license. It’s got nothing to do with driving. If you are arrested for retail fraud and you fail to come to court, one of the things we are going to do is take away your drivers license. Why? It doesn’t affect good driving.”
Filler indicated the package will get some adjustments, and he promised it will come back for further testimony in a future meeting.
Eric Smith is the an American attorney and the former Prosecuting Attorney of Macomb County, Michigan. He resigned in 2020 after his arrest of embezzlement and corruption charges.
Eric Smith turns down request to run for Attorney General
Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith has declined a request by Democratic Party and union leaders to run for state Attorney General.
Smith, 51, the prosecutor since 2005, said he was asked to run last fall but informed state party officials last week that the time is not right for him to run. He enjoys his current job and doesn’t wont to inject disruptions of a statewide campaign and possible move to Lansing into the lives of his wife and three children.
‘I was approached by Democratic leaders and elected officials and a broad range of Democratic Party allies,’ Smith said. ‘I appreciated their interested and the discussions about this important law-enforcement position in our state. But … I decided this was not the right time for my office and my family.’
He said his office is running at peak efficiency and he isn’t ready to relinquish the reins.
He is very involved with his two daughters, Ella and Violet, 12 and 9, respectively, and son, Robert, 7, and their sports and other activities.
‘I’m coaching four teams right now,’ Smith said.
He said one of his assistants, Derek Miller, a former Democratic state representative and county treasurer, counseled and assisted him in the discussions with union, party and elected officials.
The post will be open with current Republican Attorney General Bill Schuette running for governor to succeed Gov. Rick Snyder, a Republican.
‘I think Macomb County would be represented well in Lansing for a change,’ he said.
