Council: Change Medical Pot Law

[Zerocool]

Council: Change medical pot law

 

October 19, 2012

 

By Jenny Lancour , Daily Press

 

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ESCANABA - In an effort to safeguard the community as well as protect patients' access to medical marijuana, the Escanaba Council approved a resolution Thursday supporting changes to the act which legalized the drug for health purposes in 2008.

 

The medical marijuana law allows eligible patients and caregivers to grow pot for specific medical conditions. Each patient can grow up to 12 plants at a time. Caregivers can grow 12 plants for each patient up to five patients. If caregivers are patients themselves, they can grow 12 plants for themselves in addition to the plants for patients.

 

Mayor Pro Tem Brady Nelson has been spearheading local efforts to make changes in the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act because he's concerned about marijuana use in Escanaba and its contribution to the local drug problem.

 

Nelson is concerned about public safety and the affects of drug abuse such as violence, property damage and break-ins. Also, local police do not have knowledge of legal pot growing operations because of medical confidentiality; officers need to be aware of legal marijuana grows so they can enforce the law where needed, he said.

 

Local marijuana concerns include break-ins at legal grows and pot smoke going into others' airspace including a day care, according to Public Safety.

 

Nelson stated, he understands the law allows pot for medical needs, but he is also concerned about the state approving marijuana grows and not inspecting if operations are meeting requirements.

 

"Council has an opportunity here to say, 'Enough is enough,'" Nelson said. "We have an opportunity and an obligation to fix something."

 

The city is responsible for public safety and needs to take a leadership role in correcting"serious problems" in the state law, said Nelson, reminding council that marijuana is still illegal at the federal level.

 

Individual council discussion included empathy for patients, the need for more public input on the issue, the difficulty in obtaining names of growers because of medical privacy laws, and increasing concerns for public safety.

 

In the end, council unanimously approved sending the resolution to Governor Rick Snyder, Sen. Tom Casperson, and Rep. Ed McBroom for consideration.

 

Council's resolution specifically addresses where the law needs to be clarified "to protect not only a qualifying patient's safe and legal access to medical marijuana but the community in general."

 

The resolution requests police have access to nonpublic information on legal marijuana grows so laws can be enforced appropriately and not at a waste of "valuable and limited resources."

 

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Jenny Lancour, (906) 786-2021, ext. 143, jlancour@dailypress.net

 

[Zerocool]

Escanaba's medical marijuana resolution

 

October 19, 2012

 

Daily Press

 

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The Escanaba City Council adopted this resolution on the state's medical marijuana law at its Thursday night meeting.

 

ESCANABA CITY 10-18-12 MMMA RESOLUTION

 

A resolution which supports changes to the State of Michigan Medical Marijuana Act (MMMA) and related regulations which will add clarity and certainty to protect qualifying patient's safe and legal access to medical marijuana and safeguard the interest of the local community.

 

WHEREAS, On November 4, 2009, by 63 percent of votes, Michigan voters affirmatively voted yes to Proposal No. 1, the Medical Marijuana Act.

 

WHEREAS, On November 4, 2009, by 56 percent of votes, Delta County voters affirmatively voted YES to Proposal No. 1, the Medical Marijuana Act.

 

WHEREAS, On November 4, 2009, by 56 percent of votes, City of Escanaba voters affirmatively voted YES to Proposal No. 1, the Medical Marijuana Act.

 

WHEREAS, The Escanaba City Council supports the voter approved right for those with certain terminal or debilitating chronic conditions to obtain medical marijuana for personal use.

 

WHEREAS, Ever since the passage of the law, numerous questions have arisen about the enforcement of the law, its impact and unintended consequences on local communities and the regulation of medical marijuana dispensaries.

 

WHEREAS, It is the position of the Escanaba City Council that portions of the law, regulations and its administrative rules are vague and confusing for patients, providers, local units of government and law enforcement agencies.

 

WHEREAS, It is the belief of the Escanaba City Council that the State of Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, has opined that the MMMA does not codify a right to use marijuana; instead, it merely provides a procedure through which seriously ill individuals using marijuana for its palliative effects can be identified and protected from persecution under state law.

 

WHEREAS, The Escanaba City Council supports changes to the law and regulations which add clarity and certainty to protect not only a qualifying patient's safe and legal access to medical marijuana but the community in general by:

 

1)Providing greater insulation from the production, processing, and dispensing of medical marijuana in residential neighborhoods.

 

2)Providing greater insulation from the production, processing, and dispensing of medical marijuana near schools, daycares, playgrounds and other similar uses that are frequented by children.

 

3)Providing rules which prohibit the discharge of noxious smoke and odors directly upon abutting or adjacent to public or private property or that of another tenant or building occupant.

 

4)Providing measures which allows law enforcement access to nonpublic information so as to streamline law enforcement response to marijuana complaints, which will assist in both the safety of citizens and law enforcement, by: 1) insuring unnecessary processing of search warrants, 2) insuring that law enforcement is not wasting valuable and limited resources investigating an "allowed" and bona fide marijuana grow operation, 3) establishing who the bona fide users are and locations where marijuana is being manufactured.

 

5)Insuring a bona fide physician-patient relationship exists by having doctors more involved in a patients need for the treatment.

 

6)Insuring that an enclosed locked facility means a closet, room, or other comparable stationary and fully enclosed area equipped with secured locks or other functioning security devices that permit access only to the registered primary caregiver or registered qualifying patient.

 

7)Requiring a primary caregiver to be a Michigan resident who is at least 21 years old and has never been convicted of a felony.

 

8)Requiring a qualifying patient to be a Michigan resident who has been diagnosed by a physician as having a debilitating medical condition.

 

9)Requiring the State of Michigan to process primary caregiver and qualifying patient registry identification cards in a more timely fashion as specified by the law.

 

WHEREAS, The City of Escanaba asks that Governor Rick Snyder create a Statewide Medical Marijuana Task Force, consisting of representatives from local units of government, law enforcement, the physician/medical profession, business community, Non-profit organizations serving patients with chronic illness and patients with a chronic illness to study and review the law and regulations and provide the Governor's Office with written feedback and recommendations for changes to the Medical Marijuana Act which uniformly resolves the conflicts and disputes found in the Act.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, IT BE RESOLVED, by the City Council of the City of Escanaba this resolution is forwarded to Governor Rick Snyder, Senator Tom Casperson, and Representative Ed McBroom for immediate consideration and action.

 

[+Malamute]

Well, that was a huge waste of time...

 

hahaha...

 

We declare " We no Likey this law" because "it is Yucky".

 

And that little piggy cried weee weee weeee all the way home.

 

 

:-)

 

 

edit: I figured i would add that Escanaba, and Delta County generally, have been the worst pertaining to medical cannabis in the U.P.

Edited October 20, 2012 by Malamute

[+Malamute]

It's typical(grammar) and they sought guidance from our Rep, Ed McBroom and our Senator, Tom Casperson. Both of these guys are VERY AGAINST our law. I give McBroom credit for being willing to come say it to our face at the compassion club though. Casperson is a typical weasel fruk. So, to any people out there in Da Yooper, vote against those twatz. Well Casperson runs in 2 years, so vote against him then. :-)

 

They are also getting help through the drug task force U.P.S.E.T.. I know they have been being lobbied by the police chief as well.

 

They have agendas, and with the latest proposed amendments, i assume they are on offense now.

 

Fortunately, this language doesnt make a sheet beet of difference in the long run. I am more concerned with step 2 of their plan.

[Timmahh]

How Presumptuous of them. Here we have a case of another slopeheaded Government Employees that clearly do not understand the Basic Premise of how Government Operates.

 

They think sending Snyder a please help us bust honest citizens plea like he can just sign it into law, the hell with the voice of the people, and they can go back to business as Usual. I can see some new Seats being filled in that area in Nov. Or at least I hope many lose their current government positions over this fiascle.

[cristinew]

Recall the Mayor , for not upholding the voters of Michigan

[Spartyon]

Did they forget to add a patient or two on there task force, I forgot our input/opion dont matter.

[t-pain]

its interesting they know the overall results and the county results on this act.

but ignore the 56% or 63% and just steamroll it.

[Ms Chocolate]

“WHEREAS, On November 4, 2009, by 63 percent of votes, Michigan voters affirmatively voted yes to Proposal No. 1, the Medical Marijuana Act. WHEREAS, On November 4, 2009, by 56 percent of votes, Delta County voters affirmatively voted YES to Proposal No. 1, the Medical Marijuana Act. WHEREAS, On November 4, 2009, by 56 percent of votes, City of Escanaba voters affirmatively voted YES to Proposal No. 1, the Medical Marijuana Act”. Funny, I thought all this happened in 2008.

 

The Escanaba City Council supports the voter approved right for those with certain terminal or debilitating chronic conditions to obtain medical marijuana for personal use. I don’t recall the term “terminal” in the MMMA.

 

Sounds like somebody as no idea what they were even talking about.

Edited February 9, 2013 by Ms Chocolate