John Sinclair Turns 80 Years Young
Flint- Celebrated by his friends and coconspirators, Michigan icon John Sinclair became an octogenarian last month. The Genesee County Compassion Club hosted a birthday party, in John’s hometown of Flint. Many cannabis activists and enthusiasts came to join him.
Steve “The Fly”, who is the executive director of the John Sinclair Foundation and director of John’s online Radio Free Amsterdam, teamed up with Jamie Lowell from Jazz cabbage radio to connect people who could not attend in person via an “Intergalactic Broadcast.” MC Adam Brooke, aka Mr. Hash Bash, tied everything together pointing out how mentally acute John is which was proved by John’s riveting performance of spoken word poetry with the blues styling of guitar legend Jeff Grand.
The following day, Mr. Sinclair, performed again in Detroit at the Ralston Village with Jeff Grand
and the Jeff Mayln’s Blues Band. Professor Mike Whitty, aka Dr. Detroit, describes the event as
a day of appreciation for cannabis consciousness and the life and times of John Sinclair. “John
devoted his life to music culture, poetry, radical politics and defending the right to smoke cannabis. Truly a prophet in his own time.”
Safermich Listserv Hits 400 Subscribers
Michigan- The Safermich List service is an email service that has grown to 400 subscribers.Administered by the “Godfather of Cannabis Law Reform”, Tim Beck with help from Chuck Ream and Justin Soffa, this service has been instrumental in spreading awareness of cannabis law reform and developing the cannabis industry in Michigan.
When the Safer listserv was founded in 2009, the goal was to create a propaganda free cannabis news source in Michigan. It would be a place where everyone who had an interest in cannabis reform could belong to, regardless of partisan affiliation. The founders pledged zero tolerance for infighting and abusive postings and that such
activity would be dealt with in a strong, proactive way.
Safermich is an invite only group that includes, activists, cannabis professionals, regulators, lobbyists, lawmakers and others. The service is free for its members and includes much inside information, such as cannabis related news content from MIRS, which Beck is a subscriber. Moderating the passions of the cannabis community is not always easy, as this platform includes a wide background of political persuasions and ideals. However, this service is cherished by all of its members, who understand and grow from being part of the increasingly large and diverse network.
Committee Hears Testimony on Bills
Michigan- The Regulatory Reform Committee took testimony on HB 5300-5302 last month. These bills seek to greatly reduce the number of plants and corresponding patients a caregiver can be licensed under the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act of 2008 (MMMA). Michigan NORML, Michigan ASA and the MICIA are working together to have a lobby day on
November 4 th to oppose the bills. A potential vote to move the bills was subsequently rescheduled after news of a previously unannounced committee meeting was released to the cannabis activist community. If passed out of committee, the bills would return to the house where it could be passed and sent to the Michigan Senate. A three-quarter majority is required to amend the MMMA, because it was a people-initiated state law. This would make it veto-proof from the Governor.
MCMA, which has purportedly pushed for this legislation, has vowed to make medical marijuana available for free or at low cost, for poor and severely sick patients.
MRA Drops Massive Bulletin
Michigan- On October 7th the Michigan Marijuana Regulatory agency released an email bulletin announcing the anticipated changes to Delta-8 regulations, the addition of new legal responsibilities and financial costs to licensed facilities, and the permanent inclusion of telemedicine as an option for medical marijuana patients.
The primary focus being the October 11th deadline, when it became illegal for anyone other than facilities licensed under MRA authority to deal in Delta-8 THC and “all THC products derived from the cannabis plant.” The announcement explains that all intoxicating substances must be reviewed and tested for safety, following MRA guidelines and rules. This decision was not made by popular vote with ballots. The MRA offers a “narc” email where one can report those not following these new regulations, enforcement@michigan.gov.
The bulletin continued by adding additional changes that began October 11th that now hold marijuana provisioning centers legally responsible for the actions of their customers if they are sold marijuana while “visibly intoxicated”, much like bars. Intoxicated individuals who cause harm may now place responsibility on the retail location that sold them the pot. Attached to this new rule comes mandatory liability insurance. Retailers and microbusinesses must now carry liability insurance of $50,000 in order to ensure they are covered from the effects of the new rule regarding liability.
Finally, the bulletin ends by officially stating that “telemedicine is allowed for Michigan residents participating in the Michigan Medical Marijuana Program." This no-contact process for patient and caregiver registration had been temporarily permitted due to Coronavirus restrictions, but will now be available for the foreseeable future.
