Michigan Senate Judiciary Takes Up Medical Marijuana

[bobandtorey]

LANSING- Senator Jones takes up the highly controversial package of bills seeking to establish a framework for Michigan’s medical marijuana distribution centers on October 20.

The bills- HB 4209, 4210 and 4827- passed the House of Representatives earlier this year and were assigned for Senate debate in the Judiciary Committee. The bills are

 

controversial not because they propose to regulate dispensaries and growing facilities, but because they do so in a way that excludes registered caregivers, puts barriers to

 

entry at levels unattainable for small business and leaves many of the program’s most critical elements undefined. Those elements will be decided by a government-appointed

 

review board that does not easily take citizen input.

 

Michigan has an estimated 250-300 medical marijuana distribution centers already operating despite the absence of state regulation. A recent report by Loveland Technologies 

 

revealed that Detroit has at least 148 identifiable centers, although city officials called that number into question during a Zoning Commission meeting on October 15. In some

 

cities ordinances protect the centers, and in others they exist at the whim of the local prosecutors and Councils.

 

The Senate Hearing on Oct. 20 won’t actually be taking up the three bills, and there may not be an opportunity for citizens to speak. Sen Jones has scheduled three

 

presentations from corporations seeking to sell services to the state: BioTrack THC, Beacon Information Designs, LLC., and Blue Health and Wellness Center, LLC.

 

Rep. Michael Callton introduced an industry-written dispensary bill in 2011 and he’s altered it many times since then. His dispensary bill was nearly made law in December of

 

2014; after passing the House and a Senate Committee, the state’s law enforcement community lobbied to stop passage of a two-bill package on the very last day of the

 

legislative session.

 

Rep. Klint Kesto hijacked HB 4209 from Callton after the inferior Republican brought it back into the legislature in January 2015. What began this year as Callton’s ‘Provisioning

 

Centers Act’ is now Judiciary Committee Chairman Kesto’s ‘Medical Marihuana Facilities Licensing Act’. Kesto sponsored HB 4827 and even held a hearing on the bill before it

 

was introduced to the House or assigned to his Committee. That bill, the Seed-To-Sale Tracking bill, was industry inspired (cough, cough) by a Colorado company who wants to

 

sell services to the state. It was rushed to print and to a vote so quickly there are no other sponsors or co-sponsors listed on HB 4827; Kesto’s name stands alone.

 

The new version of HB 4209 is so controversial that attendance is grand for the Committee Hearings. There was standing room only in the House chambers when Kesto’s

 

House Judiciary hearings were held and overflow rooms were used each time. On the final day of hearings for the now three-bill package, Kesto, fearing what might be said by

 

the citizens, called for a vote on the bills BEFORE allowing those taxpaying voters in attendance the opportunity to speak.

 

Fellow Judiciary Committee member Rep. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor) confirmed that Kesto ‘gotchya’ ploy was bizarre. Irwin told the Planet Green Trees Radio Show that it was the

 

first time in his 5 1/2 years of sitting on the Judiciary that he had seen the Committee vote on a bill before taking testimony on the language in that session.

 

More of the same treatment can be expected from Jones in his Senate Committee, as he is a former Sheriff who has belittled and denied speaking rights to medical marijuana

 

patients in past Committee hearings.

 

Below is the official notice of the Judiciary Committee meeting:

 

 

 

http://thecompassionchronicles.com/2015/10/16/michigan-senate-judiciary-takes-up-medical-marijuana/

Edited October 16, 2015 by bobandtorey

[AmishRnot4ganja]

Keep votin those Republicans in! They are good people who have the little guy's interest at heart.

 

Yeah, right. The slimy bass turds.

[bobandtorey]

Tax and regulate pot

 

 

 

http://lansingcitypulse.com/article-12228-tax-and-regulate-pot.html

[Wild Bill]

HB 4209 also places a $10,000 cap on licenses for the lowest level of commercial growers. That helps resolve concerns Irwin had about caregivers who are growing for up to five patients but would have no legal mechanism for selling their overages to dispensaries, he said.

 

“Even though we didn’t allow those caregivers in by providing a legal output for overages, we provided them a smaller barrier for entry so if they want to take their caregiver activity to the next level, at least there’s a cap on that so they’re not priced out of it,” Irwin said.

 

What a swell guy! He has the caregivers best interest at heart! 

[shishka]

Well caregivers can keep on like nothing happened so...

 

I would think this really only changes things for those who have been vending to dispensaries and for those people ten grand is not bad to get legal.

[matt79]

Yes except for some reason the bill states u cannot by a current caregiver when applying for a license.

Edited October 19, 2015 by matt79

[bobandtorey]

 the bill states u cannot be a current caregiver when applying for a license. ?

[shishka]

I believe it states you must have two years experience as a caregiver and if given a license you can no longer be a CG.

[shishka]

    (7) A grower shall comply with all of the following:

 

     (a) Until December 31, 2021, have, or have as an active

 

employee an individual who has, a minimum of 2 years' experience as

 

a registered primary caregiver.

 

     (b) While holding a license as a grower, not be a registered

 

primary caregiver and not employ an individual who is

 

simultaneously a registered primary caregiver.

[matt79]

So basically to apply for a license a caregiver has to ditch their patients. Thats real nice. Y would the authors of this law do this?

[shishka]

I totally agree, a real slap in the face for patients and I have no idea why they would include that language.

[matt79]

Imho its to get caregivers to stop growing, forcing patients to use provisioning centers. Then when droves of caregivers apply for their licenses to grow, they will be back logged and ultimatley denied. Then only the big businesses will be growing.

[AmishRnot4ganja]

Appealing to people's greed. Every good con man knows that a successful con relies on setting up the mark to believe that he is going to reap riches.

 

Big money is going to win this one just like they always do. Why? BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE MONEY TO SEE IT THROUGH!

[t-pain]

So basically to apply for a license a caregiver has to ditch their patients. Thats real nice. Y would the authors of this law do this?

i believe because of conflicting rules for mmma vs the dispensaries.

 

because caregivers under the mmma cannot be penalized for medical use

while dispensary employees must follow regulations and laws and seed to sale tracking and all this stuff that would go against the protections found in the act.

 

i could be wrong. i do not like the bill at all. just a simple guess.

[Restorium2]

Anyone who has been a REAL (not just on the internet) caregiver very long in Michigan is laughing at spending another $10,000 and taxes just to grow more plants with more restrictions than we already have. You pay to lose your anonymity and stick out like a a clown in one of those games where people throw baseballs at you all day. 

The anti home growers that push this bill are thinking that if you spend $10,000 you will need to go really big and FINALLY get the grow out of your house. They are counting on this source as the main source for everyone so they can totally kill legal medical home grows in Michigan. They will even tell you that is their goal. 

[bobandtorey]

http://w3.health.state.ny.us/dbspace/NYCRR10.nsf/56cf2e25d626f9f785256538006c3ed7/fa040aac098e387885257e26005e8b9c?OpenDocument

 

 

 this ?

[bobandtorey]

http://w3.health.state.ny.us/dbspace/NYCRR10.nsf/56cf2e25d626f9f785256538006c3ed7/fa040aac098e387885257e26005e8b9c?OpenDocument

 

 

 this ?

 

Sorry wrong State 

[Restorium2]

http://w3.health.state.ny.us/dbspace/NYCRR10.nsf/56cf2e25d626f9f785256538006c3ed7/fa040aac098e387885257e26005e8b9c?OpenDocument

 

 

 this ?

That is from New York.

[bobandtorey]

That is from New York.

 

 

Thanks you beet me too it

[bobandtorey]

Anyone who has been a REAL (not just on the internet) caregiver very long in Michigan is laughing at spending another $10,000 and taxes just to grow more plants with more restrictions than we already have. You pay to lose your anonymity and stick out like a a clown in one of those games where people throw baseballs at you all day. 

The anti home growers that push this bill are thinking that if you spend $10,000 you will need to go really big and FINALLY get the grow out of your house. They are counting on this source as the main source for everyone so they can totally kill legal medical home grows in Michigan. They will even tell you that is their goal. 

 

 

 so they can totally kill legal medical home grows in Michigan  Yes i agree it has been the plan all along  and for the ones that say they will keep growing no matter what please do not call me

[Restorium2]

 so they can totally kill legal medical home grows in Michigan  Yes i agree it has been the plan all along  and for the ones that say they will keep growing no matter what please do not call me

Not a problem. Thanks for the heads up.

[bobandtorey]

 Caregivers will be the next to face the hatchet after the police system is in place-- the right to farm and grow and have that choice is on the chopping block and that's why caregivers are

 

excluded from these bills because the conspiracy is to eliminate them once the police system is in place. 

 

Peace

[trichcycler]

anyone still believe its those bad ole dispensaries in Ann Arbor trying to take our growing rights away ?

[Wild Bill]

anyone still believe its those bad ole dispensaries in Ann Arbor trying to take our growing rights away ?

 

Not the dispensaries, their lobby.

[Restorium2]

anyone still believe its those bad ole dispensaries in Ann Arbor trying to take our growing rights away ?

Anyone who contributed financially to help the people behind the bills are responsible for what they do now. Yes, the dispensaries contributed heavily to make this mess happen. Anyone who doesn't know that hasn't been paying attention.