cannabisnews.com: Medical Marijuana Rules Called a Burden on Police





Medical Marijuana Rules Called a Burden on Police
Posted by CN Staff on January 05, 2009 at 12:42:39 PT
By Megha Satyanarayana, Free Press Staff Writer 
Source: Detroit Free Press
Michigan -- A spokesman for the Michigan State Police said the department does not want the responsibility of destroying excess medical marijuana, as written in the draft rules being discussed today in Lansing. Greg Zorotney of the State Police executive division said a better solution would be for users or caregivers to destroy excess supply or for the Michigan Department of Community Health to write rules allowing for the transfer of medical marijuana from a retired user to a new user.
"It's burdensome for law enforcement to have someone come in, asking to destroy 12 plants. Plants can grow quite big," he said to a panel of state health officials taking comments. The draft rules can be viewed at: http://www.michigan.gov/mmpAbout 100 people gathered at state offices to voice their concerns about the rules and regulations written by the Michigan Department of Community Health, which will oversee the medical marijuana program starting April 4. The law went into effect in December, but without identification cards, said Zorotney, a person could still be cited or arrested for possession. Voters approved Proposal 1, the medical marijuana initiative, by 63% on Nov. 4, with every county in Michigan voting in favor of the new law. The law would allow users with terminal or chronic illnesses such as HIV, glaucoma and neurological diseases, and their caregivers, to grow up to 12 marijuana plants and use marijuana to treat symptoms of pain and nausea. The law would prohibit users from using marijuana in public places, or to operate a vehicle under the influence. Zorotney also suggested that the ID card system be entered into the same law enforcement database as driver's licenses, to allow officers to be sure a registrant is legal. The draft rules make users renew their registration yearly. Zorotney said the state has no position on federal law enforcement being able to access medical marijuana users through their databases. Marijuana use of any sort is still illegal under federal law, giving federal law enforcement the ability to prosecute users in spite of the state law. Other concerns in the draft rules concern face-to-face interviews, what defines a public place and the need to store all marijuana, not just plants, as written in the proposal, under lock and key. Advocates are concerned that face-to-face requirement would be a burden on those with disabilities and in advanced stages of illness. They also fear a user would not be able to partake of medical marijuana in their homes with the shades open or on their porches, as both are visible to the public, even if neither are used by the public. "We need to change the law enforcement paradigm to a public health paradigm," said Melody Carr, on behalf of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Association.Source: Detroit Free Press (MI)Author:  Megha Satyanarayana, Free Press Staff Writer Published: January 5, 2009Copyright: 2009 Detroit Free PressWebsite: http://www.freep.com/Contact: letters freepress.comURL: http://drugsense.org/url/Gq5F7ROCRelated Articles:Public Questions Proposed Rules on Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread24405.shtmlGroup: Medical Marijuana Draft Rules Unfairhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread24404.shtml
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Comment #27 posted by FoM on January 06, 2009 at 11:35:40 PT
NORML Bulletin
A while ago the weekly bulletin started getting different (dates) and irregular. I didn't know why it changed and it was hard to understand. Usually every Thursday in the late afternoon or early evening it was posted and then I found myself having to check the link up to when I go to bed. I just decided to wait until it seems more organized again.
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Comment #26 posted by Hope on January 06, 2009 at 11:30:45 PT
Comment 25
That's right. What has happened to them?
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Comment #25 posted by josephlacerenza on January 06, 2009 at 11:18:52 PT
Just a quick question
FoM, what happened to the NORML weekly bulletins? I do miss them. 
 
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Comment #24 posted by Hope on January 06, 2009 at 11:04:49 PT
E_Johnson
Your thirst for knowledge amazes me.May I stand next to you?:0)
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Comment #23 posted by josephlacerenza on January 06, 2009 at 10:49:12 PT
Change.gov 
Please C-Newsers vote our issue to the top. I want an answer better then the one given to us last open for questions. Our issue encompasses more than the want to get high. We need this to be Known by all!!!! 
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Comment #22 posted by E_Johnson on January 06, 2009 at 10:21:47 PT
Thank you Hope, that information was hard to find
I had to buy about eight or ten books and spend several days of googling Afghan history to mine those precious nuggets of data.The story of cannabis prohibition and Afghan geopolitics during the Cold War is a very interesting one. That post of mine only scratched the surface.Basically, the decline of that country into chaos is due in large part to the toxic influence of Richard Nixon and the DEA back in 1973.
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Comment #21 posted by Hope on January 06, 2009 at 09:13:27 PT
Done, EJ.
It is a very good, recommendable, comment, with lots of interesting information.Thanks.
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Comment #20 posted by E_Johnson on January 06, 2009 at 08:55:47 PT
URL
http://tinyurl.com/9486rq
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Comment #19 posted by Hope on January 06, 2009 at 08:49:19 PT
E_Johnson Comment 16
Got a url for that?
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Comment #18 posted by E_Johnson on January 06, 2009 at 08:49:12 PT
What I say in my comment basically
Afghanistan started going downhill in 1973, the year the DEA formed and opened an office in Kabul, and, not coincidentally, the same year the Communists overthrew the King.We should legalize marijuana and turn Afghan farmers into certified and regulated suppliers.Please vote for me -- comment 41.
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Comment #17 posted by Hope on January 06, 2009 at 08:47:57 PT
Quarantined
I was reading some thread the other day at some newspaper about these new laws and it was stunning the people that thought you could get high from standing next to someone smoking. Apparently they've completely misunderstood the term "Contact High". "Contact high" doesn't mean you are actually affected physically, chemically, internally, by the actual cannabis being consumed. To get high, you have to purposely inhale or consume, somehow, and soak up a significant amount of actual substance. A true "Contact high" means you get caught up in the spirit of your fellows who have consumed and are really high. You see what they are laughing about. You get it. You have a contact high. I've gotten contact highs over the internet, for heaven's sake.
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Comment #16 posted by E_Johnson on January 06, 2009 at 08:36:24 PT
Please recommend my comments at the NYT
It's comment #41 in Bob Herbert's column about Afghanistan.It's about cannabis and the war.
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Comment #15 posted by tintala on January 06, 2009 at 08:36:03 PT:
MMJ users need to be quarantined
thats how this article seems to come off. I mean mmj users are contagious and need to be quarantined like the EBOLA virus. that's how i interprete this. What a crock.
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Comment #14 posted by runruff on January 06, 2009 at 08:30:28 PT
Betty Sempler, whatta joke!
Cannabis is the US largest cash crop. South America is building armies and toppling governments with drug profits.
It is all out war on the Mexican/Us boarder.D.A.R.E. alumni use drugs 20% more than non-Dare students.Great job there Brownie, uh, I mean Betty
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Comment #13 posted by Hope on January 06, 2009 at 08:08:31 PT
Comment 10 Observer
That is so disgusting and another kick in the faces of the children and young people who suffered at her behest. We, many of us, can see the Semblers for the monsters they really are. And I wonder so at those who are blind to the monstrosity. It's like a sci-fi movie when only some people can see that certain characters are vicious monsters disguised as "good" humans.Shame on the award givers. Shame on the Semblers and shame on their minions.
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Comment #12 posted by runruff on January 06, 2009 at 06:20:51 PT
Why so many cops and politians stink!
Paraphrased the headline reads: Cops too lazy to and greedy to observe rights of the sick and dying.
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Comment #11 posted by E_Johnson on January 05, 2009 at 23:40:03 PT
Ain't that the bitter truth Sam Adams
The two stages of marijuana reform:1. Pass the new law.2. Sue the police repeatedly and relentlessly until they obey it.
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Comment #10 posted by observer on January 05, 2009 at 22:54:49 PT
Infamous Straight Inc Perpetrator Sembler in news
Infamous Straight Inc Perpetrator Betty Sembler - an ugly stain on the Florida Hall of Fame. 
Betty Sembler will be inducted into the Florida Women's Hall of Fame, Gov. Charlie Crist said Monday.Crist selected inductees from a list of 10 finalists presented to him by the Florida Commission on the Status of Women. Florida Senator Gwen Margolis and Louise H. Courtelis, philanthropist and former educator, will also be inducted.Betty Sembler is the wife of Melvin Sembler, founder of The Sembler Co. in St. Petersburg. For more than three decades, she has contributed to fighting drug abuse.In 1976, Sembler and her husband were founding members of Straight Inc., a nonprofit drug treatment program. She was also vice chairwoman of DARE International and a member of the state's Governor's Drug Policy Task Force.Sembler is also founder and president of Save Our Society from Drugs and co-founder of the Drug Free America Foundation Inc. She currently serves on numerous boards, including those of the Florida Holocaust Museum, Florida's Governor's Mansion Foundation and the University of Florida Brain Addiction Research Advisory Council.In March 2008, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Drug Enforcement Agency Museum Foundation. 
http://tampabay.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2009/01/05/daily15.html
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Comment #9 posted by Sam Adams on January 05, 2009 at 18:28:57 PT
what a guy
"We're going to analyze all the different suggestions that were made and we're going to figure out if there's and additions or subtractions," said James McCurtis of the Michigan Department of Community Health. Great! Then we'll sue your butts until you're in compliance with the law passed by The People. As THEY see fit.
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on January 05, 2009 at 16:07:06 PT
Citizens Speak Out On Medical Marijuana Rules 
 
 
Dozens testify in front of the Michigan Department of Community Health against Medical Marijuana rules they say are too strict.January 5, 2009 
 Christopher Brunett and his caregiver Charles Vanlandeghem traveled from Davison, Michigan Monday to join dozens, testifying that the state's proposed Medical Marijuana Rules are simply too strict."This regulatory commission has just taken it upon themselves to make it as difficult as possible for legitimate users to stay within the bounds of the law," Brunett said.Brunett suffers from Cerebral Palsy and uses medical marijuana to relieve muscle spasms, he says rules that prohibit lighting up in public places it too broad and is not feasible."That I couldn't use marijuana on my front porch or even in my house if I'm next to a window, that's completely ludicrous," Brunett said.Brunett's caregiver says the state's proposed rules conflict with federal laws."I would be found guilty on federal laws, I would be providing evidence against myself," Vanlandeghem said.Even Michigan State Police weighed in with concerns over a rule that would require caregivers to turn all pot over to law enforcement if their patient dies or is no longer qualified."I know that our department, State Police, doesn't want anything to do with accepting any medical marijuana from anybody, and I would imagine that most law enforcement agencies would feel the same way," said Inspector Greg Zarotney.The Michigan Department of Community Health says the number of people at the hearing shows a passionate pursuit to get involved, now it's their turn to revise where they see fit. "We're going to analyze all the different suggestions that were made and we're going to figure out if there's and additions or subtractions," said James McCurtis of the Michigan Department of Community Health.
 
 Copyright: 2009 Gray Television, Inc. http://www.wilx.com/news/headlines/37110319.html
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on January 05, 2009 at 16:04:45 PT
Paul
Thank you. I never heard of change.org before recently. 
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Comment #6 posted by paul armentano on January 05, 2009 at 15:58:03 PT
FOM...
Change.org and change.gov are not affiliated with one another. Change.gov is the officials site of the Obama admin.BY contrast, change.org is an independent website. However, they will be presenting their top 10 ideas formally to the Obama administration, and they will be partnering with non-profits to campaign the administration in support of these ideas. They will also be holding a conference and the National Press Club on 1/16 ro announce the top 10 ideas. In my mind, this poll is every bit as significant, if not more so, than the Change.gov poll.
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on January 05, 2009 at 15:01:38 PT
Question
I haven't voted on Change.org but on Obama's change.gov. I don't understand the connection between the 2 web sites.http://www.change.org/info/about
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Comment #4 posted by paul armentano on January 05, 2009 at 14:42:57 PT
Final Round of Change.org Voting Starts Now!
http://blog.norml.org/2009/01/05/final-round-of-changeorg-voting-starts-now/Final Round of Change.org Voting Starts Now!January 5th, 2009 By: Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director 
Share this Article      Starting today, Change.org (not to be confused with the Obama administration’s website, Change.gov, which is also running a poll) has begun it’s final round of voting on public policy questions for the incoming administration.As many of you know, our issue was the top vote getter in the preliminary voting, so there’s a very good chance that — with your help — we will finish #1.And it is important that we do.According to the website:“The top 10 rated ideas from the final round will be presented to the Obama administration on January 16th at an event at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, co-hosted by the Case Foundation. At the event we will also announce the launch of a national advocacy campaign behind each idea in collaboration with our nonprofit partners to turn each idea into actual policy.“Change.org’s press conference will no doubt be covered by the mainstream media. Imagine the splash we will make when the public’s call to legalize marijuana is presented as the #1 idea for the new administration.Well, we won’t have to imagine if you get out and vote!Right now, the public’s call to “legalize the medicinal and recreational use of marijuana” is the most popular issue on the website. (A related question asking Obama to “end the war on drugs” is #4.) However, several other important issues are just a few votes behind, so it is vital that those of you reading this post take the time to log on to the Ideas for Change website and vote to make cannabis legalization the #1 issue in America!Voting ends at 5pm eastern time on Thursday, January 15.Help us put the new administration and the national press on notice on January 16, 2008. Please forward this post to your friends and colleagues, and most of all: vote!
http://blog.norml.org/2009/01/05/final-round-of-changeorg-voting-starts-now/
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on January 05, 2009 at 13:58:03 PT
Quote By Al Franken
Drug abuse isn't immoral; hypocrisy about it is. (Apr 2004)http://www.ontheissues.org/states/MN_Drugs.htm#Senate
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on January 05, 2009 at 13:06:28 PT
Al Franken Won!
"I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me." Seriously I am really happy he won. I've always liked him.Senator Al Franken (D) sounds great to me.
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Comment #1 posted by HempWorld on January 05, 2009 at 12:50:32 PT
Police: "Don't take away our easy money!"
We have arrived at a police state in Michigan!The proof is in the above article.
On a mission from God!
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