Free the Weed 81 - by John Sinclair

 Highest greetings from my roost just above downtown in the Motor City, about three blocks from the brand-new Little Caesar’s Arena where the Red Wings, the Pistons, and the top grossing of pop stars play almost nightly now.

     On top of hosting the Red Wings and the Pistons, LCA is projected to be the busiest concert venue in the Detroit Metropolitan Area. Plus which, the Ilitchorganization and its new partner, Tom Gores, owner of the Pistons, have formed an event promotion business that controls virtually every major concert venue above the size of a nightclub or bar for miles and miles around.
     When he bought the Pistons several years ago, Gores appointed a guy named ArnTellem as vice chairman of his organization and set him to work on ways the Pistons could be moved back into the city to the benefit of both the team and the local citizenry.

     Teller engineered the union of the Pistons and the Ilitch outfit to include a downtown Detroit home for the pro basketball team in the Red Wings’ new arena and a $50-60 million mid-town office building and practice facility for the Pistons in what we used to call the New Center area around Grand Boulevard and Woodward Avenue.

     Since partnering with the Ilitches in the Little Caesar’s Arena deal. Gores has hooked up with the gigantic downtown developer Dan Gilbert, also owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, to develop a huge plan for converting the abandoned county jail site just north of Greektown into a massive commercial-housing-retail complex crowned by a fifth downtown sports arena to house a new professional Detroit soccer team.

     You may know that I’m a fanatical Detroit Tigers fan, but other than my periodic trips to Tiger Stadium (I refuse to call it Comerica Park) I’m not a person who would ever attend a sporting event or even a concert in a sports arena. I don’t care what happens to the Pistons, the Red Wings, or the Lions, who last won a championship when I was a sophomore in high school (1957).

      But as a citizen of Detroit, I’m excited to see these things happen in the center of this beat-up city, long ago given up for lost and almost totally abandoned by the people with the money and the jobs and the tax base that had made Detroit the fifth largest city in America and the world center of the automobile industry.

     Their retreat from the city was followed by about a million white people, home-and business-owners who followed the job sites to the lily-white suburbs and ventured back into the cityproper only to attend Tigers and Red Wings games or concerts atCobo Hall, JoeLouis Arena and the few other remaining downtown venues.

     The Lions were moved to the Silverdome outside of Pontiac, the Pistons moved to Auburn Hills even farther north, and it was pretty much left to Mike Ilitch and his family organization to keep professional sports alive in the city. When they built the new Tiger Stadium, the Ford family wasinspired to build a new football stadium downtown and move the Lions back into the heart of the city.

  But the turning point for the redevelopment of downtown Detroit came when a guy named Peter Karamanos decided to build the headquarters for his giant Compuware company in the middle of downtown Detroit—the first such major commitment to downtown development since the opening of the Renaissance Center in 1975.

     The amazing thing was that building this one big commercial building off of Grand Circus Park served as a lever to move downtown into a whole new mode of business and industry. Dan Gilbert, founder of Quicken Loans and already an ambitious property developer in Cleveland, followed behind Karamanos and started buying up abandoned or under-used properties all over downtown and rehabilitating them.

     This kicked off major redevelopment efforts that saw stores and restaurants open in spaces that had been vacant for years. Several major hotels that had fallen into total disrepair were renovated and brought back into service, along with decrepit but once majestic office buildings that are now beginning to thrive again after 40 or 50 years of utter neglect.

     Downtown office buildings were converted into loft apartments and quickly rented to the legions of new white people who were brought into downtown by the jobs created at the worksites erected by Karamanos, Gilbert and their collaborators. New housing was built just north of I-75, across the street from where the new Little Caesar’s Arena now sits, and the redevelopment surged north along Woodward and Cass all the way to Grand Boulevard.

     This summer Dan Gilbert and his civic partners unveiled the QLine light rail system they had funded to run from Larned Street north just past Grand Boulevard and triggered a further round of development along Woodward that’s repopulating a great number of long-abandoned storefronts and apartment buildings and beginning to re-create the sort of street-level culture that once thrived in this vicinity.

     The redevelopment of the downtown area and what they now call Midtown (formerly the Cass Corridor) is an incredible thing and heralds a new era in this long godforsaken urban center. The sad part is that this rebuilding area represents only a tiny fraction of the vast City of Detroit, mostof which is still beat up, abandoned, run down, boarded up or reduced to blocks-long empty fields where there used to be contiguous housing and neighborhood retail spots.

      The boom in hiring to staff the downtown corporate entities doesn’t extend into the African-American neighborhoods of Detroit because for years these citizens were deprived of proper education and training in the sort of job skills that are required to work in the modern world of commerce and industry. So the corporations ship in thousands of young white people to fill those positions and get the big paychecks, while the citizens who have suffered through 50 years of decline continue to suffer.
      In the immortal words of the great tenor saxophonist Lester Young, I don’t want to be a repeater pencil, but this brings me once again to the question of the Insane Clown Posse posing as the Detroit City Council and their prime hatchetman, a guy called Butch.

     With all of the rebuilding activity downtown, essentially the result of enlightened private enterprise, the only positive thing happening in the decrepit neighborhoods of Detroit has been the spontaneous opening of almost 300 compassionate care centers serving medical marijuana patients in the city and from the suburbs since 2008.

     But, as I’ve reported so many times, the Detroit City Council is on a crusade driven by the former police officers and churchpersons who direct its operations to shut down as many compassion centers as possible and limit the licensed medical marijuana businesses to no more than 50. In the year since the licensing ordinance was passed by the City Council, the City has issued only eight operating licenses to marijuana dispensaries.

     Their idiotic crusade is being challenged by a ballot initiative in the city of Detroit this month and is also in conflict with the ridiculously strict State of Michigan licensing act that goes into effect in December. I’ll have more to report next month after the November elections, but I have to repeat that I’ve never witnessed a stupider or more backwards civic action than the closing of the marijuana care centers in the city of Detroit. What’s wrong with these people? Free The Weed!

—Detroit
October 24, 2017

© 2017 John Sinclair. All Rights Reserved,

Senator Rick Jones In the Here and Now - by Tim Beck - Chairman of the Safer Michigan Coalition

Senator Rick Jones In the Here and Now
In the March 2011 issue of the old "Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine" (which was de facto put out of business by Oakland County law enforcement at the end of that year) I wrote a column called "Senator Rick Jones--In the Eye of the Storm." That January, Senator Jones had just assumed control of the Senate Judiciary Committee upon his elevation to the State Senate in November. He had been an outspoken critic of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act when he was a State Representative. He was feared and hated by many in the medical cannabis community.

I stated in my column, "for all intents and purposes, Rick Jones (R) Grand Ledge will be the point man in the legislature on medical cannabis issues ... As Chairman of Judiciary and a leader of the  Republican Caucus ... the Senator will be cutting a wide swath...for the next eight years"
My predication could not have been more accurate.

 
Fast forwarding to today, I thought it was a good time to reminisce with the Senator, especially after he vigorously stepped up for cannabis patients, against "Michigan Responsibility Council" (MRC) lobbyist Steve Linder who, along with MMFLA  board members Donald Bailey and Rick Johnson want to shut down all existing dispensaries in Michigan until new licenses are issued sometime in the next nine months.

In an incident widely covered by media across the state, the Senator confronted Mr. Linder at a meeting of the Senate Health Policy Committee, which is considering a change in the law to keep existing dispensaries open until state licensed facilities are up and running.

With a sneer in his voice, the Senator asked Mr. Linder: "would you mind telling us what millionaire you work for, who you are lobbying for and who wants a monopoly in this business, because we can all see what's being said."

Mr Linder did not answer the question.

To some, the Senator's comment was surprising but to others, it was classic Rick Jones. No sugar coating and not a huge shock.

"I did not believe in medical marijuana and I did not vote for it. When the Majority Leader told me all marijuana bills were coming through me, I realized I needed to get to know the issue..I've been to Canada and may other places... Over time I got to know more and more about the subject... It (medical marijuana) is very helpful for persons with cancer, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and serious pain conditions. Over time my mind changed."

"When I saw this lobbyist sitting there saying all facilities must be shut down by December 15, I said what I said... this was not the intent of the law " when it passed in Sept 2016. "You cannot just cut off patients like that. You cant just go to a newspaper and find a caregiver. This was a lobbyist who did not care (about patients)."

The Senator essentially acknowledged he was the primary legislative deal maker, responsible for the passage of the MMFLA in 2016.

I can't take all the credit for this...but the first thing I did was start a work group with law enforcement, getting  everyone in the same room. That was key. We had meetings with prosecutors, sheriffs, and the state police. I didn't put anyone looking to make money in (the work group)"

What happened over time is a consensus developed. After intensive discussion, trial balloons and back and forth dialogue, key law enforcement players became either supportive or neutral on the subject of state licensed dispensaries, grow operations and ancillary businesses.


As to whether the bills sponsored by Representative Yousef Rabhi (D) in the House and Senators David Knezek (D) and Senator Jones in the Senate to keep dispensaries open will make it all the way to the Governors desk, is not totally certain as of this writing.

"We have the votes in Committee to report this to the floor" Senator Jones explained. "I think we can get it done faster in the Senate" then in the House.

As far as the situation in the House is concerned, Representative Rabhi is cautiously optimistic about ultimate passage of the bills.

"I believe the votes are there, if the bill can get a hearing" he explained.
Rep. Rabhi went on to say his bill has some Republican
co-sponsors, and the latest action in the more conservative State Senate is very encouraging.


As far as Rick Jones is concerned, Rep. Rabhi went on to say that he and the Senator "agree on a number of things and he (Jones) is phenomenal to work with."

In the final analysis, Senator Rick Jones will be in power until the end of 2018, when he will be term limited out after 14 eventful and fulfilling years in Lansing. His finger prints are on many, many laws passed during those years.



As far as medical cannabis patients are concerned, at the end of our interview, the Senator reiterated his unwavering support for protecting patients from persons and groups driven by self serving motives.

As far as the ultimate legalization of cannabis for everyone in Michigan is concerned, the Senator is just not there right now.

"I support medical. I'm solid on that" he said, "but not recreational. When I was a cop, I saw too much mayhem on the road. I just don't want to open this up...to more"

In any event, I will be so bold as to predict that Senator Rick Jones will be long remembered as a relentless, patient, successful power broker. A man who called things as he saw them and usually got what he wanted at the end of the day.
 

 

World news for November 2017 - by Kathy Hess

No Cannabis for German Hunters
Germany: Can you smoke cannabis and still have the right to hunt in Germany? The answer would appear to be “no,” currently.

Peter Jakobs a 52-year- old who ingests cannabis to relieve the symptoms of his Bechterew’s disease, successfully passed the hunter’s test last year, but his application for a hunting license was subsequently denied. The responsible county’s authority reasoning states that the applicant is intoxicated after consuming cannabis and is therefore not fit to carry a weapon.

Jakobs then turned to renowned psychotherapist Richard Tank for examination. The Trier psychologist confirmed Jakobs had not only the capability but the reliability to deal with weapons within the meaning of the weapons law.

“There are no performance deficiencies,” Tank concluded. The fact that Jakobs is allowed to drive in spite of his medical cannabis prescription is an additional indication
of his fitness and capacity to responsibly carry a firearm.
In the case of Peter Jakobs, it is much more about whether he is “high” after consuming cannabis. The stress-bearing, perception, and concentration test Jakobs carried out directly after consuming his cannabis medication, certified that he “shows no psychological or physical failure symptoms.”

Both laboratory and clinical research show that THC creates tolerance, which is when one becomes accustomed over time to the effects of the compound. This can take on average six weeks depending on potency and use patterns. Tolerance allows for those who are treating chronic pain to have less unwanted side effects and improved daily function. Jakobs believes that ignoring the expert’s report is “impudent” and accuses the county authorities of treating him “as a drug addict.” He has filed a lawsuit to appeal the decision.

The German Narcotics Act rescheduled cannabis from Appendix 3 to Appendix 1, officially recognizing the medical value of cannabis. Because of this, Jakobs’ complaint has a good chance of being heard and even reaching the highest federal court, if necessary. Jakobs is the first hunting cannabis patient in Germany to complain since the introduction of the cannabis law — the verdict will break ground for similar cases in the future.
                                                                                                                                                                  

Mr. Marijuagi
Japan: A 35-year old janitor living in Osaka was arrested at his home last month for growing and selling marijuana. It’s a fairly rare incident in Japan but what really caught the eye of horticulturists and officials alike were the unique techniques that the man used.

Police found 21 potted plants in the man’s house. Marijuana plants can easily grow to be over 3 ft high but these plants were only around 15 inches. When questioned by police, they learned that the janitor had used bonsai techniques to trim, prune and manicure the plants so that he could maximize his limited apartment space.

In a statement the man said – and I quote – “this is the first time I’ve produced such a great crop.” Yes, around the world, he is now considered the Mr. Miyagi of cannabis.

                                                                                                                                                                  

South of the US Border
Latin America: America is Getting Greener Peru has become the latest country in Latin America to allow the medicinal use of marijuana. The nation’s conservative congress voted 67-5 on October 16th , to approve legislation allowing the drug to be produced, imported and sold.

Lawmakers praised the move as a way to improve the lives of thousands of patients looking to better their quality of life. The legislation has the backing of Peru’s President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski. Despite the popular support of medical cannabis, the nation isn’t likely to quickly move to legalize cannabis recreationally. They plan to watch the other nations close by that are moving to legalize recreationally, and observe the pros and cons before moving in that direction, or not.

Chile and Colombia also allow medical marijuana, while Uruguay in 2013 became the first Latin America nation to allow recreational use of the drug.

The VAMOS Party in Costa Rica, has made the campaign promise to usher in a countrywide legal cannabis sector for Costa Ricans and tourists alike, should they be elected into Congress.

“Currently, personal consumption of cannabis is not penalized, however cultivation and distribution are,” said VAMOS party leader Margarita Salas in an interview this month. Salas is a Harvard-educated politician who has been following the sweeping cannabis reform happening in around parts of the world. The current bill only allows for patients with a prescription to ingest cannabis, but Salas intends to change that to any adult who wants to partake.

Although Costa Rica is one of the more progressive countries in Central America, the historically negative stigma surrounding cannabis is what has kept it illegal thus far. Salas added that criminalizing cannabis is “unnecessary meddling by the state in people’s private lives and choices.”

Regardless of whether VAMOS is successful in being voted into Congress in February of 2018, Salas firmly believes that Costa Rica will be the first nation in Central America to legalize. The Costa Rican federal elections are scheduled for Feb. 4, 2018.
                                                                                                                                                                  

Police Officer in The Hague Netherlands Arrested
Netherlands: A police officer from The Hague, capital of the province of South Holland Netherlands, has been sentenced to four years for bribery, attempted burglary and membership of a criminal organization after passing on information about illegal marijuana plantations to others.

Amine A, who is 29 and was arrested last June, has also been banned from working as a civil servant for nine years.  The court found that between 2015 and 2016, Amine had combed police files looking for information about plantations and drugs storage locations which he sold to a friend, Yassine. Yassine is accused of breaking into dozens of addresses he had been given by Amine and emptying them of drugs before police could raid the premises. He was jailed for 3.5 years.

Two of Amine’s brothers were also jailed for three and four months for stealing the marijuana but were found not guilty of membership of a criminal organization.

Evidently Amine had been reprimanded for his close ties to known criminals in Gouda during his training period but had, nevertheless, been cleared to join the force.
                                                                                                                                                                  

UK on the Path to Legalizing
Medical Cannabis
United Kingdom: A bill that would legalize medical marijuana in the United Kingdom passed its first reading in Parliament earlier this month, completely unopposed.
The legislation was introduced by Member of Parliament, Paul Flynn (Labour Party) amongst a flood of anticipation. Not coincidentally, on the same day the bill was introduced, a planned protest was executed outside of the Parliament building in London where dozens of cannabis advocates consumed edibles, drank teas, and vaped flower.  Such actions could have landed the protesters in jail for up to five years. There were no arrests.

Despite past apprehension from the UK government on this issue, Flynn very much believes the tide is turning. “I believe there’s been a change. People have seen what’s happening in other parts of the world, and seen the changes that have been made in the law on cannabis, without civilization collapsing and without the sky falling.”

The bill will be headed into its second reading before Parliament this coming February.

National news for November 2017 - by Dolan Frick

Marijuana Can Help Children with Seizures, Cancer, & Nausea
Researchers said medical marijuana is effective in treating some conditions in children, but they urge caution on using the drug in young patients.

Should kids and adolescents ever use medical marijuana?
Administering the drug to younger patients remains somewhat contentious, but it also appears effective in treating a limited number of symptoms.

According to a new study published today in the journal Pediatrics, medical marijuana is effective in treating seizures and chemotherapy-induced nausea in young patients.

Researchers conducted a meta-analysis, looking at 22 relevant studies on the use of medical cannabis on children and adolescents to reach this conclusion.

Of the many chemical components found in marijuana, researchers determined that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the most abundant cannabinoid found in the plant, improved nausea and vomiting for young chemotherapy patients.

Cannabidiol (CBD) another cannabinoid present in marijuana was determined to have an effect on seizures.

Some advocates have hailed these results as further proof of the effectiveness of medical marijuana, particularly in cases where children haven’t responded to other traditional treatments.

“The real-world results of these programs indicate that cannabinoids can play a role in pediatric care, particularly in the treatment of life-threatening seizures, and that they can do so in a manner that is sometimes safer and more effective than conventional treatments,” Paul Armentano, deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), told Healthline.

Careful usage urged; Currently there are only two synthesized cannabinoids that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as medications: dronabinol and nabilone.
                                                                                                                                                                


34 Cannabis Farms in California Destroyed by Wildfire
California: The latest California wildfires have left many marijuana farmers wondering how they will recover without federal assistance.  At least 34 cannabis farms in northern California were either partially damaged or completely destroyed in the flames and unlike other types of agricultural farms, marijuana growers don't qualify for loans or federal aid because the drug is still federally illegal.

The state is preparing to legalize marijuana on Jan. 1, 2018, but some businesses are struggling with preparing to open by that date.
"We might be facing a much smaller harvest than we were anticipating, which could potentially drive the price up", a spokesman for the California Cannabis Industry Association told the Washington Post. "We still don't know how much has survived, how much has been lost."

Farmers are now left to come up with the funds on their own without the help of federal grants and loans.

"I'm not going to sit here in my burnt-down house and cry about it," Ashley Oldham, the owner of Frost Flower Farms, told Rolling Stone.

Oldham's farm wasn't completely destroyed by the fires, but she said she's worried about how the ash will affect her product.

"The only thing I can do is keep my chin up and put one foot in front of the other," she said. "This will be like starting over but I think with the support of my community, I can pull it off."
                                                                                                                                                               

Native American Tribes Capitalize on Cannabis
Native American tribes in Nevada are expanding beyond casinos and venturing into the cannabis industry. In June, Governor Brian Sandoval signed Senate Bill 375 and Senate Bill 396, which allow Nevada’s Native American tribes to directly negotiate with the state over the use and sale of medicinal marijuana on tribal lands.

Nevada Native American tribes like the Yerington Paiute Tribe, the Ely Shoshone Tribe, and the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe formed an agreement with the State of Nevada that allows them to grow cannabis, produce concentrates and edibles, perform lab-testing, and dispense marijuana products to customers.

In 2016, the Las Vegas Paiute held a ceremony on Snow Mountain Indian Reserve to bless the site of one of the largest medical marijuana cultivation and production facilities in Nevada with at least two dispensaries and three greenhouses on a 15,000-square foot facility that will be called the Nu Wu Cannabis Marketplace.

While the Nevada government enacts hefty taxes on marijuana sales, some Native American tribes are looking to amend tribal laws that may lead to tax-free cannabis. How is this possible? The U.S. Supreme court recognizes tribal sovereignty, which allows the Native American people to self-govern. Though individuals are responsible for federal income taxes as U.S. citizens, tribes are not subject to federal income taxes on their earnings and can form business corporations to keep their income exempt.

Tribal Cannabis Consulting (TCC) specializes in Native American cannabis policy and established the first cannabis compact, which allowed tribal and state governments to establish business agreements signed by Nevada’s governor. The firm aims to expand Native American economic presence in the marijuana marketplace and helps tribes create their own regulatory codes for matters like issuing medical marijuana cards.

Together, tribes and the state government are working to develop a governing system that will outline and enforce marijuana cultivation and sale on Native American Land and establish a universal agreement that will keep dispensaries in accordance with their state and federal laws.

“Our ancestors used it before as medicine,” said Benny Tso, chairman of the Las Vegas Paiute council. “The Paiute people are about helping other people, so this medicine that we’re going to provide for Nevada is going to be truly a blessing for both for Nevada and the tribe.”

Native American tribes have seen success in other states when it comes to selling cannabis on tribal land. In Washington, two tribes have been operating shops successfully for years. The Squamish Tribe opened Agate Dreams in December 2015 and the Squaxin Island Tribe’s Elevation dispensary has been serving cannabis customers since November of the same year.

Both tribes worked closely with the State of Washington and the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board to ensure compliance with state regulations. They entered into a ten-year compact that allows them to charge non-Native customers the same tax rate as the rest of the state. The tax revenue collected remains the property of the Tribe.

In California, however, Native American Tribes in the northern part of the state have encountered difficulties.

The Pinoleville Pomo Nation announced plans for a large-scale medical marijuana cultivation operation in 2015. Shortly after the operation was up and running, the Mendocino Sheriff’s Office conducted a raid on the property, removing nearly 100 pounds of dried flower and hundreds of plants.

In 2016, the Tribe filed a claim against the county alleging unreasonable search and seizure, trespassing, and violations of the Tribe’s due process. Also in 2016, the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Department raided the Hopland Band of Pomo Indians, removing more than 800 plants from their property. They filed a lawsuit against the sheriff’s office earlier this year requesting $25,000 in damages.

In Southern California, the Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel is seeing better success after converting a former casino into a 35,000-square-foot cultivation facility.

In 2015, tribal leaders began to slowly craft marijuana regulations for the reservation. The Santa Isabel Regulatory Agency and Cannabis Commission oversee the tribe’s cannabis venture. Their high-tech facility includes a testing lab, greenhouses, and space to expand into processing.

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department released a statement saying the agency was not responsible for enforcing laws within the Iipay Nation and the San Diego District Attorney’s Office told the San Diego Union-Tribune in May that the tribe has been advised it would intervene only if state laws are broken within their jurisdiction.

Michigan news for November 2017 - by Kathy Hess

Degree in Weed
Marquette: The University of Northern Michigan, located in the U.P. in Marquette, is offering degrees in medicinal plant chemistry.   Yes, you can now get a degree in weed, here in Michigan.  Of course there have been other colleges that offer classes on marijuana policy and laws or certificates in a variety of disciplines.  But NMU is the first to offer a four year program addressing the science and business behind the marijuana industry. 

This program isn’t for the undisciplined scholar.  Students will be required to take 400 level classes in chemistry, biology, botany, horticulture, marketing, and finance to achieve the degree.  The hard work could pay off nicely.  Experts believe that a degree in medicinal plant chemistry could land a graduate a $70,000 year job right out of school.  Considering the booming market in Michigan, graduates won’t likely have to leave the state to find work.

Administrators at NMU state that marijuana is not grown on/off campus through the program, as it’s still listed as a schedule 1 drug, but they do grow other medicinal/non medicinal plants, and use cannabis plant parts in labs for testing and learning the components of cannabis.



                                                                                                                                                         



Green Light for 32
Bangor Twp: Bangor Township officials have approved 32 applications for medical marijuana facilities.  As a result, millions of dollars in investments are expected to flow into the Bay County municipality.

In its meeting on Tuesday, October 24th, Bangor approved permits for 16 growers, 10 provisioning centers (dispensaries), 5 processing centers and 1 secure transport permit, according to Supervisor Glenn Rowley.  Of those ready with applications on Tuesday, none were denied/rejected.

There were 9 businesses in total that applied and were granted permits: Green Acres Wellness Center, Oasis Wellness Center, Pioneer Medical Cultivator, Pure Releaf, Therapeutic Health Choices, Uncle Bud’s Provisioning Center and 3 other (unknown)limited liability corporations. 

During the meeting more applications were dropped off.  As it stands the board has 11 new applications to review and vote on at its November 15th meeting.
                                                                                                                                                          

Former Paralegal Faces Prison
Kent County: Susan M. Bond, who was accused of running an illegal medical marijuana dispensary north of Grand Rapids last year, was convicted Thursday, October 16th of numerous felony charges that could put her in prison for up to 20 years.
Kent County jurors found the 52-year-old guilty of five charges, including conducting a criminal enterprise and racketeering. The jury began deliberations Wednesday afternoon and reached a verdict mid-afternoon Thursday. Judge Joseph Rossi (Kent County Circuit Court), who presided over the two-week trial, ordered Susan be held on a $100,000 bond pending her sentencing date in mid-November.
The Provision Center was among seven locations visited by the Kent Area Narcotics Enforcement Team on Nov. 28, 2016. Where Kent County Assistant Prosecutor Gregory Boer claims Bond headed a multi-million-dollar marijuana business in Plainfield Township.

Bond’s defense attorney, Michael Komorn, said Bond did nothing illegal. Komorn informed the jury that the investigation was only launched after Bond herself called police to report embezzlement from her business.  “And they flip it around and make it a mobster crime,’’ Komorn said in opening statements last week. “At no point are you going to hear that my client delivered marijuana to anybody.’’

Members of the Kent Area Narcotics Enforcement Team launched the probe in the summer of 2016. Between Aug. 1 and Oct. 14, 2016, the business reportedly took in more than $647,000; Bond pocketed about $137,000, according to Boer.  “Bond used proceeds to pay rent and salaries, and invest in supplies,” Boer told jurors.

Bond was found guilty of racketeering and conducting a criminal enterprise – felonies punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Jurors also convicted Bond of two counts of delivery/manufacture of marijuana (a four-year felony) and maintaining a drug house (which carries a two-year term).
                                                                                                                                                          

Camping for Cannabis
Leoni Township: Leoni Township decided to take a different approach to the license application process for medical Marijuana Dispensaries.  The imposed a ‘first come, first served,’ process.  People will camp in extreme temperatures for limited iPhones, or Black Friday deals.  Did Leoni Twp neglect to know that, or is the endurance of the race part of the test?

Applications will begin to be accepted on Wednesday, November 1st.  However Leoni Twp has already declared that it was only allowing for 6 medical marijuana dispensary licenses.  Although the date was little more than a week away, hopeful entrepreneurs began arriving at 4:20pm on Thursday, October 26th.  They came in campers, R.V.’s, and passenger cars to line up and wait with temperatures that dropped to 28 degrees during the night, for one of the prized medical marijuana licenses.

"It's worth it," said Ryan Basore of Michigan Marijuana Law Experts, who is in line on behalf of one of his firm's clients. The payoff for a few days of camping-it-out  could be a license to dispense medicinal marijuana to the state's 262,000+ registered patients, a golden ticket potentially worth millions of dollars over the next few years.
                                                                                                                                                         

Lobbyists Mold MMM Laws
Lansing: It has been discovered that businesses, through a key group of lobbyists, have been privately weighing in on the potential rules for the estimated $840 million medical marijuana industry.

“The state officials who will be in charge of regulating medical marijuana have agreed to personal meetings with big players, gone out to lunch with their lobbyists and given private presentations to lobbyist groups,” according to records obtained by MLive and the Michigan Campaign Finance Network under the Freedom of Information Act.

The Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulation asked lobbyists and select businesses for input through a series of questionnaires, claims BMMR Director Andrew Brisbo, as it gathered information and educated itself before attempting to craft regulations. "We needed to rely on expertise, and that is individuals that are interested participants in the industry, their representation, other state regulatory agencies, we really have tried to gather as much information from all those sources as possible," Brisbo said.

The revelation of lobbyists and big business influencing the regulation of a booming market doesn’t surprise those who have been immersed in the industry for the past ten years.  But what does bother them is being completely shut out.  Many feel as though they should have a right to sit at the table on regulations, as they have been the ones investing their own hard earned money to open up and run the thriving businesses in the industry already.  They also feel as though it’s a slap in the face, as not only have they invested their own hard earned money –in a financially broken state-they have endured all of the dire risks in making marijuana an acceptable and viable industry.

It also brings into question if these lobbyists, and shadowed big businesses, have influenced the current numbers for the application fees and requirements for liquid assets. The licensing board has stated that its intent is to require businesses seeking facility licenses to have between $150,000 and $500,000 in startup capital (liquid assets), depending on the type of license being applied for.  Then each application could cost between $4,000 and $57,000, which is non refundable if your application is denied. 

Considering the current medical marijuana businesses already established in the state are majority “mom and pop” operations, it’s easy to see why they feel the Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulation is moving to push them out.  Most feel as though the state doesn’t truly care about small businesses, the backbone of our country.

Cover Story: Who is Got Meds? - by Ben Horner

When we first met the folks from Got Meds a few years ago, we knew that Got Meds would become the premier medical marijuana establishment in Lansing. By lowering the cost of meds and resting a safe environment for patients and caregivers to socialize, Got Meds became the busiest place on Cedar Street, in Lansing's bustling south side commercial area.

The Got Meds community has continued to grow. Got Meds continued to be the best priced in the State. Then they did the unthinkable; in December Got Meds dropped the market by promoting $5 grams. This continues to this day and in some respects, Got Meds aggressive undercutting has set the market value of cannabis for the state from $10-$25 per gram in 2015, to $5-$20 per gram in 2016.

After dominating in the Lansing Market, Mike Barron of Got Meds decided to start competing in cannabis events. Over the last year, Got Meds has won several events, famous for their exclusive moon rocks caviar winning top marks in both the High Times Cannabis Cup and the MMM Report Traverse City Cup. Got Meds has won numerous awards over the last year.

As everyone waits for LARA and the newly formed Michigan Marijuana Board to start the licensing process, Got Meds has hopes to never have to close. Efforts are underway in Lansing and Flint to pass emergency legislation to phase in phase out the current system so patients do not have an interruption in their medical supplies.

MMMR Recipe: Chocolate Fudgy Brownies - by Annette Nay Nay

Servings: 10
Prep/Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

10 tablespoons cannabis unsalted butter, plus more for greasing

1 cup cake flour, sifted, plus more for dusting

1 cup sugar

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

2 large eggs

Directions: 

1. Heat the oven to 400°F|200°C.

2. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with butter and set pan aside.

3. Pour 1-inch of water into a 4-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Combine the butter and chocolate in a medium metal/glass bowl and set the bowl over the saucepan. Cook, stirring, until melted and smooth, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

4. Whisk the eggs together in a large bowl. Add the sugar, vanilla, and salt.
Whisk to combine. Stir in the chocolate mixture and fold in the flour.


5. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan and bake until the brownie forms a thin skin on top but the batter is still loose in the center, about 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer the pan to a rack and let cool completely before slicing.