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County Beefing Up Medical Marijuana Enforcement


bobandtorey

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Caregivers and cardholders in Livingston County could find a sheriff's deputy at the door doing spot checks to make sure they are in compliance with Michigan's medical marijuana laws. Local law enforcement is preparing to beef up enforcement.

The county's sheriff department plans to establish a new medical marijuana oversight program after being awarded a state grant that will reimburse up to $47,438 of the cost through September. It will be spent on enforcement, equipment and education.

"We already enforce the state laws, but this will allow for a targeted response for compliance checks," Lt. Eric Sanborn of the Livingston County Sheriff's Office said.

"It would be spot checks. There doesn't necessarily have to be a problem, it's just to make sure people are in compliance," he said.

Officers can show up unannounced.

"It does us no good to let them know we are coming," he said.

Ingham County: Medical marijuana grant to pay for 23 stun guns, trailers, overtime

It was unsettling news to Howell-area attorney and founder of the Michigan Cannabis Development Association Denise Pollicella, who said compliance checks are "incredibly invasive."

"My reaction as an attorney is that it is wildly unconstitutional to show up to make sure people are complying with the law, in terms of due process," Pollicella said. "That hasn't been well-defined enough in the courts."

Pollicella helped draft legislation to revise medical marijuana laws in Michigan, and the state Senate last fall passed a package of bills that, in part, create a licensing system for commercial marijuana businesses. The bills — HB 4209-4210, HB 4827, SB 141 and SB 1014 — build upon the constitutional amendment passed by voters to legalize medical marijuana in 2008.

"I have no problem with law enforcement enforcing the law. But I don't think it's necessary for them to get additional funding to target medical marijuana," she said.

There are 1,812 medical marijuana patients with state-issued cards residing in Livingston County, according to state data supplied by the sheriff's department. There are about 184,000 people in the county.

READ MORE: Local medical pot advocate thrilled about new laws

The grant money is part of about $3 million pulled from medical marijuana patient fees that the state distributes to counties throughout Michigan for “education, communication and enforcement” of state medical marijuana laws, according to Michael Loepp, a spokesman for the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.

The county's share of the grant money would pay for equipment, like additional portable radios and mobile computers, and also cover personnel costs and overtime.

"A lot of it is about education," which the grant money will help fund, Sanborn said. "I can tell you right now, there are a lot of cardholders and caregivers out there that don't understand what the rules are and what is required of them by law. We also anticipate holding a public forum to educate the general public."

Although there are currently no dispensary store fronts in the county, there are smoke shops that sell paraphernalia.

Sanborn said officers will check up on stores that sell things like pipes and other equipment used to consume medical marijuana, but are not allowed to dispense medical marijuana.

"There might not be any true dispensaries in the county, but there are certainly stores that sell (related items), and we want to make sure these shops are not overstepping their bounds," he said.

The finance committee of the Livingston County Board of Trustees, which is comprised of the county's nine commissioners, voted unanimously Wednesday in favor of allowing the sheriff's department to accept the grant money. They are expected to give it a final stamp of approval at the board's March 6 meeting, which will be held at 7:30 p.m.in the boardroom of the county administration building at 304 E Grand River Ave. in Howell

 

http://www.livingstondaily.com/story/news/local/community/livingston-county/2017/03/02/county-beefing-up-medical-marijuana-enforcement/98584296/

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How in the heck do they know the addresses?

 

Caregivers and cardholders in Livingston County could find a sheriff's deputy at the door doing spot checks to make sure they are in compliance with Michigan's medical marijuana laws. 

 

 

Thanks

 

I think we all know how but just can't prove any of it

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Yup Wow!

 

Lot of people have no clue of how things are and will be soon Imho arrest will jump even more then they are today

 

This is Just my own opinion 

Hold on there Hoss. We don't need to add hysteria on top of fake news. If Livingston has a list of caregiver addresses we will know how they got it and they will be prosecuted. 

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I hope. But it still is scary. If your patients have ever shown their card to Leo its on a list, if your CG has had to show their cards its on a list.

They still can't legally just demand to inspect your home. They have to make the case you are growing presently and show that to a judge and get a specific warrant. They can't just go down a list and inspect. List searches like that are writs of assistance just like we fought against when our country was first starting out. They are unconstitutional. 

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I was under the impression that the police need a search warrant to enter your home without permission and to get a search warrant they need probable cause that a crime has been committed. Am I wrong?

They could use odor of marijuana. They would have to go through the legal motions each time. And it would be up to the judge. Not just keep going to some list and search. That's total bs. 

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So all of this was really about dispensaries being inspected;

 

The county's sheriff department plans to establish a new medical marijuana oversight program after being awarded a state grant that will reimburse up to $47,438 of the cost through September. It will be spent on enforcement, equipment and education.

"We already enforce the state laws, but this will allow for a targeted response for compliance checks," Lt. Eric Sanborn of the Livingston County Sheriff's Office said.

"It would be spot checks. There doesn't necessarily have to be a problem, it's just to make sure people are in compliance," he said.

Officers can show up unannounced.

"It does us no good to let them know we are coming," he said.

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Personally, what I think is the writer of the story intentionally made it sound that way to create hype like they always do. 

 

I think the Sheriff meant the same thing all along but had to of gotten some grins off how the reporter spun it. 

 

Either way, we are at the same destination now: Dispensaries will be inspected and home grows will not be, as the law dictates. 

 

Probable cause to search a dispensary is practically found in the definition of a dispensary. They leave themselves wide open to that. They have to maintain the lie that they are just a bunch of caregivers selling to their 5 patients at a building called a dispensary. A judge call easily see through that and sign a warrant. It would be a rubber stamp kind of thing after a while. 

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Well, there has been random knock and talk and searches in some areas on caregivers.  Forcing clarification is a good thing.

Random? How can it be random? Probably the ones supplying the dispensaries are getting these knock and talks. They probably will still be inspected if the cops can prove they take their overages there. We have heard just recently that growers that supply dispensaries are advertising that their products are at multiple dispensaries. That's getting your neck way way way out there and if you are doing that expect to be inspected. 

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