Senate Robs Marijuana Fund To Pay Police

[The Compassion Chronicles]

Hidden within the Senate version of the Fiscal Year 2014 proposed budget is a section that will allow Michigan’s medical marihuana fund to be used to pay for county-level law enforcement agencies to hunt down the very people that paid into the fund.

 

 

 

The allocation is officially known as Section 728 of the budget proposal contained within Senate Bill 190. It provides for an allocation of up to $3 million earmarked “for discretionary grants to county law enforcement departments for education about and enforcement of the Michigan medical marihuana program”. The medical marihuana program (MMP) is administered by the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), who refuses to release information on the amount of money in this fund without a Freedom of Information Act filing.

 

 

 

Section 728 was not included in the first version of SB 190 and the House version of the appropriations bill contains no similar language. According to the Senate Fiscal Agency, this section was inserted by Sen. Jansen, the bill’s sponsor, purportedly at the request of LARA’s administration. SB 190 has been passed out of the Appropriations Committee and now faces a vote of the full Senate on April 25. Both the House and Senate versions of the Appropriations Bill will be reconciled in Conference Committee, where sections can be debated and removed.

 

 

 

The medical marihuana program consists entirely of patients and caregivers who have paid a fee and registered with the state. By law, their identities are kept secret from local and state police out of a fear of selective enforcement, which makes it nearly impossible to assign officers to enforce the MPP. Typically, MMP participants become ensnared in the law due to normal drug interdiction actions that only accidentally reveals their legally registered status. Without any clear direction, patient advocates fear these grant monies would be turned over to NET raid teams to fund their general activities. Operating on a county level, these raid teams are infamous for their smash-style dynamic entry techniques, military weaponry and training.....

 

.... view the rest of the story at-

 

http://www.thecompassionchronicles.com/2013/04/25/senate-robs-marijuana-fund-to-pay-police/

[GanjaWarrior]

this is disturbing

 

“There is no worse tyranny than to force a man to pay for what he does not want merely because you think it would be good for him.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

[GregS]

Shall we put our lobbying hats on, much like we did with the amendments to the Act last summer?

[Celliach]

....and the money that the dispensaries are donating to Callton's PAC to get their bill passed is going to get these politicians re-elected.

[GregS]

sooooo

 

How would that money be better spent?

[phaquetoo]

Shall we put our lobbying hats on, much like we did with the amendments to the Act last summer?

Yes You should, and a few others who know how to rep pt's/c.g's, Thank you for putting yourself out there!

 

If they were actualy teaching leo how to realy act and the arrests stopped (the people who are truly legal arrests stop)  whats wrong with that, if it keeps pts that follow the law out of jail im all for it!

 

Who do you think we should let have that money, the ones that havent figured out the card system yet, I think they have had enough time to learn their jobs, no raises for them, teach leo when not to arrest pts and c.g's, get people off the court dockets who dont belong there, get people out of jail who dont belong there. Leo is gonna still have plenty of people to arrest, people just cant follow the law, its a fact, I was a law breaker before the law, I have no need to break our mm law, it fits me nicely!

 

Peace

Jim

[Chauncy Gardner]

Maybe use it to educate the police about the Medical Marijuana Law? Make it mandatory for every police officer to take the class and make each of them carry a copy of the law so they can refer to it when they are in doubt. Also, discipline each officer who disparages or makes fun of medical marijuana patients. It's no joke, officer. Wait till you or a loved one contracts a heinous disease and discover that marijuana relieves the hurt. We will see who is laughing then.

[+Malamute]

....and the money that the dispensaries are donating to Callton's PAC to get their bill passed is going to get these politicians re-elected.

 

 This is one of those circumstances that those donations "may" come in handy.

 

 We need to influence those that will be in the reconciliation and offer better ideas on how to implement the MMj fund.

 

 This is an all hands on deck issue.

[GregS]

i had thought to put that money toward some kind of study to clear things up; something like a neutral study on the effects of cannabis on driving, or its efficacy in treatment. Hell. Maybe even PB's oil. And yes, we are still brainstorming ideas. Keep them coming.

 

To give it to LEO to make our lives miserable is offensive and disgusting. It is our money, and I aim to have it used to our benefit.

[Dr. Bob]

The state is not going to study medical marijuana.  The money they collect has to be spent on the program.  It is not all printers and staff to process paperwork, it is also available for enforcement.  This, I fear, is only the opening salvo.  Police departments will try and get some of it, so too may we see 'inspections' from Lara at some time in the future.  They have to spend it somewhere and enforcement is the best way to eat up the fund in their eyes.

 

This is going to take a lot of political lobbying to mediate, much as the 4 bill package did.  Remember that in their original forms the registry was open and there were many other bad, and I mean really bad, provisions.  It took 2 years of work to get it settled to something that could be dealt with.  We are at June of 2011 with this latest round.  Maybe it can be modified as the first set was.

 

Dr. Bob

[Celliach]

sooooo

 

How would that money be better spent?

 

Anyway other than re-electing conservatives that are dissecting the law.  I can't believe you even asked that.  Hell it would be better off being used to fund dog-catchers, as far as I'm concerned.

[Chauncy Gardner]

Set up a fund to reimburse patients who have unjustifiably had their equipment and plants destroyed.

 

 

One would think that, after having spent billions in marijuana enforcement already to no avail, the government would want to try another approach. The prohibitionist lobby, along with the cartels, must be paying a lot of money to lawmakers in order to maintain the status quo.

[GregS]

The Michigan State Police educated its force with a memo. Perhaps other departments are too damm dense to read and understand. The money might be used to send them back to grade school to learn reading comprehension.

[mrd]

Well you could knock back the ssi folks costs to a stamp.

 

Or just have the money go into helping sick children. No shortage of suggestions.

 

I just did not think they would buy me a new Corvette or I would have asked for one. It could happen!

[+Malamute]

Colorado activists managed to get the money diverted to the building and upkeeping public schools in the state.

 

I have gone over many ideas myself. I am interested as to others ideas though not influenced by my leanings. :-)

 

 Fill me up...

[+Malamute]

Also,.. the total amount of funding(3 mil) they are asking for equals about $35,000 per county.  Adds a little perspective.

[solabeirtan]

This same subject was discussed here last mo. - mar 29. I remember now cause I was doing some math there on pg2.

[Celliach]

I still think we should stop giving Callton's PAC money to get these conservatives re-elected.  That's our own community using our own money against us. It's one thing if the conservatives running the state use our money against us, but us using it against us is just unfathomable to me.  The idea that the dispensaries would fund these guy's election campaigns is enough to make my head spin.

[+Malamute]

I would 100% agree the money could be better spent, should have been better spent and totally won't be better spent because of..... well.,.. yea wtvr.

[GregS]

For crissake, fixing roads would be better. Perhaps put it toward the Medicaid budget to bring back the dental benefits that were dropped. Maybe use it to get drug use right out of the criminal code, and instead under the Health Department.

[subpar]

Yes You should, and a few others who know how to rep pt's/c.g's, Thank you for putting yourself out there!

 

If they were actualy teaching leo how to realy act and the arrests stopped (the people who are truly legal arrests stop) whats wrong with that, if it keeps pts that follow the law out of jail im all for it!

 

Who do you think we should let have that money, the ones that havent figured out the card system yet, I think they have had enough time to learn their jobs, no raises for them, teach leo when not to arrest pts and c.g's, get people off the court dockets who dont belong there, get people out of jail who dont belong there. Leo is gonna still have plenty of people to arrest, people just cant follow the law, its a fact, I was a law breaker before the law, I have no need to break our mm law, it fits me nicely!

 

Peace

Jim

There ya go. That would/could have an immediate improvement in how the police interact with us. one has to admit that what we have going on is a paradigm shift for traditional leo. Really, they need a re-education, and if there were a sane, level headed person that could go around and give a neutral interpretation? It could work to lessen hostilities and impart a civil, respectful approach towards the people consuming mj.

 

I would personally like to think that if a local cop got a complaint about smell, they could look me up, see im a patient and have that be the end of it. Or, if they really felt pressed, knock on my door, politely explain the situation, show em my card and promise to try to lessen my nuissance upon my neighbors, thank you and have a nice day. Right now, i expect for them to come busting through the door in full raid gear, pointing automatic assault rifles at me while throwing me to the ground, putting their boot on my neck and shooting the dog. paradigm shift & re-education camp.

[phaquetoo]

Thank You!  The only part I dont agree with is they cant just look up my name and mmp# w/o me showing them my card, Id be willing to step out on the porch and have a nice chat with them, If my home smells like mj well I suppose I need to explain why if leo shows up because of a complaint.  but in no way should they be able to see if im a pt unless I tell them!

 

No open registry, that dont mean I wouldnt show leo my cards, but on my way out the door to talk to them the door is getting locked, I would have to say if they get in your home, most times your going to jail, why make it easy for them?  make them get a warrant whether your under your limits or not, dont let them see anything! you see and here about all the people losing their meds and equip, that needs to stop, it is not cheap to replace that stuff, and to me, id rather grow my own than support a despense, (that is just me, I dont need a despense but im not against them unless it takes away pt/cg rights)  If they have so much extra money knock the price of the card down so it can be non profit, ya only need what it takes to print them. check them and a few people playing solataire on there pc's! oh and maintenance of course!

 

Peace

Jim