Michigan Marijuana Patients and Caregivers Become Political Targets

By: Ben Horner

Michigan Cannabis Cancer Project Robbed by St. Clair County Drug Task Force

The St Clair County Drug Task Force raided the founders of the Michigan Cannabis Cancer Project, on the 26th of August. The officers confiscated approximently 47 plants, medicine, and firearms. John Roberts and the man known as “Monkey Paw” have been using cannabis to treat cancer and other serious medical conditions, often at no cost to their patients. They as caregivers, contend that they where within their limits for their medical marijuana patients and caregivers. Attorney Michael Komorn grilled the officers to expose the misuse of police force, and is preparing to take the case to jury trial in the charges are not dropped. Cannabis oil was being produced for cancer patients and this case could test the courts resolve on concentrates.  

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHN SINCLAIR

FREE BREE: State officials remove 7 month old Bree Green from her home.

By Charmie Gholson

The Michigan Medical Marihuana Act was passed with overwhelming support in 2008. Specific protections were written into that voter-initiated law to protect families from removing children from the homes of caregivers and patients who register with the State.

Five years after the enactment of our law, Michigan Child Protective Services  (CPS) continues to unjustly remove children from the homes of state sanctioned medical marijuana patients and caregivers.

VGIP- Up Coming Elections, Cannabis Camp and Michigan’s State of Flux

By Ben Horner

This November, voters in Lansing, Ferndale and Jackson will decide on removing penalties for possession or transfer of an ounce or less of marijuana, despite numerous attacks from state and local authorities.

CANNABIS HAS “TURNED THE CORNER” NEW HOLDER/GUPTA OPINIONS ARE “GAMECHANGERS”

Chuck Ream

We knew that we would win in the end - but it often seemed like “the end” was far away. Now we feel victory coming. The center of gravity has shifted; developments come fast.

With the newly altered opinion of United States Attorney General Eric Holder and the conversion (with apology) by CNN correspondent and neurologist Dr. Sanjay Gupta the forces of cannabis law reform can see “light at the end of the tunnel” for the first time.

As “icing on the cake” we have:

* Republican leader John McCain saying “Maybe we should just legalize. I respect the will of the people”. And, 

*U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy held hearings of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept 10 about marijuana and said pot law enforcement is a “bad use of our limited law enforcement dollars” and “The federal government ought to respect” state marijuana laws.

United States Attorney General Eric Holder informed the governors of Washington and Colorado that the Department of Justice would take a "trust but verify approach" to the state laws, (and is reserving its right to file a preemption lawsuit at a later date).

October Book Report by Chuck Ream

“Marijuana: The Forbidden Medicine” by Lester Grinspoon and James Bakalar, (1993), (sixth in a series on the most important books about cannabis).  By Chuck Ream

The great doctor Lester Grinspoon; associate professor of Psychiatry at Harvard University (retired) has done more than any other physician to publicize the value of medical marijuana.

 The agony of his young son taught Dr. Grinspoon about cannabis.

“Danny was first given the diagnosis of acute lymphatic Leukemia in July 1967; he was ten years old”.  Side effects from the chemotherapy that Dr. Grinspoon’s son received were uncontrollable. “He would start to vomit shortly after treatment and continue retching for up to eight hours. He vomited in the car as we drove home, and on arriving he had to lie in bed with his head over a bucket on the floor. Still I was shocked when Betsy (his wife) suggested that we find cannabis for Danny.” “I dismissed the idea.”

Oooohhhhh Canada

By: Erikush Growski

There has been some bad winds blowing across the stinky Detroit River. Canada’s Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, and his conservative right-winged agenda, has now pushed through new restrictions on Canada’s medical marijuana patients. They will not be allowed to grow for themselves anymore. In addition, the current government licensed facility in Manitoba which supplied patients who could not grow for themselves, is being closed. This new change is to be in effect April 1, 2014.

Canada, as small as it’s population is, has more than 30,000 medical marijuana patients who are now left with few options to obtain the much needed medication. Apparently, the plan of the administration is to license local facilities to grow and dispense marijuana. Very little has been said as to where these will be and how accessible.

It is ascertained by Canadians that marijuana for medical use will become much to expensive to obtain and use as a treatment for the average/lower income Canadian. The concern stated by the government is that too much overage is being sold on the black market and patients are growing more than needed and selling it to non-patients. So the government’s solution is to take growing rights away and make it too expensive to obtain for those in need?

I am saddened by this as Canada, in many ways, is more progressive than the U.S. A movement in this direction is a win for law enforcement agencies (more money in fees, fines, and arrests!), but a blow for the average bloke caught up in this political mess. The newly-licensed facilities will supposedly be highly monitored and regulated. However, instead of using tax dollars for that, just require any grower to submit to inspections and pay for them; which in turn would require them to be within proper limits and in compliance with all fire safety codes. That must be too simple a solution than to deny patients medication and develop a new sector of government. Poor Canadians. Your bacon is really ham and your medical marijuana program is really bullshit.

 

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