GreenSurfer
Well-Known Member
A debate in Grand Rapids is highlighting the confusion many cities face when implementing rules for newly legalized medical marijuana.
Yesterday's story on would-be entrepreneur Olon Tucker has generated discussion about the best way to handle distribution of medical marijuana in Grand Rapids.
Tucker wants to open the Medical Marijuana Learning Center, which would "sell marijuana to registered customers in the form of pastries, butter, pills or smoking products. The center also would teach customers how to grow their own marijuana."
Not so fast, says Grand Rapids. At today's Planning Commission meeting, officials will discuss proposed rules that would limit dispensation of medical marijuana to medical facilities and pharmacies.
But according to the Michigan Medical Marijuana Association, that won't work, since physicians and pharmacists are barred from distributing marijuana by federal law.
Throughout the country, cities and states are dealing with the often confusing legal and economic issues raised as medical pot becomes more common.
Officials in Los Angeles, for example, are preparing to address the spread of marijuana dispensaries. The L.A. city council Wednesday delayed until next year a vote that would reduce the number of storefront dispensaries and push them into isolated industrial zones.
For anybody who's curious, the Los Angeles Times compiled an amazingly detailed map of where to score medical weed in the city.
Michigan voters last year approved a medical-marijuana initiative by a wide margin, and questions have been piling up ever since.
The law aims to set up a network of patients and registered caregivers. Approved patients are allowed to cultivate 12 plants or arrange service from a caregiver, who in turn is allowed to provide for five patients.
There are no provisions in Michigan law regarding dispensaries, and up to this point, municipalities have been drafting their own rules. Recently, the Obama administration announced it would not use federal law -- under which marijuana is still illegal -- to prosecute individuals who are abiding by state law. Meanwhile, a number of communities in Michigan already have banned dispensaries.
A caregiver is allowed 12 plants per patient, or 60 total. What do the limits on volume mean for a storefront dispensary's viability as a business?
The Michigan Medical Marijuana Association estimates a caregiver could earn up to $50,000 per year.
Yesterday's story on would-be entrepreneur Olon Tucker has generated discussion about the best way to handle distribution of medical marijuana in Grand Rapids.
Tucker wants to open the Medical Marijuana Learning Center, which would "sell marijuana to registered customers in the form of pastries, butter, pills or smoking products. The center also would teach customers how to grow their own marijuana."
Not so fast, says Grand Rapids. At today's Planning Commission meeting, officials will discuss proposed rules that would limit dispensation of medical marijuana to medical facilities and pharmacies.
But according to the Michigan Medical Marijuana Association, that won't work, since physicians and pharmacists are barred from distributing marijuana by federal law.
Throughout the country, cities and states are dealing with the often confusing legal and economic issues raised as medical pot becomes more common.
Officials in Los Angeles, for example, are preparing to address the spread of marijuana dispensaries. The L.A. city council Wednesday delayed until next year a vote that would reduce the number of storefront dispensaries and push them into isolated industrial zones.
For anybody who's curious, the Los Angeles Times compiled an amazingly detailed map of where to score medical weed in the city.
Michigan voters last year approved a medical-marijuana initiative by a wide margin, and questions have been piling up ever since.
The law aims to set up a network of patients and registered caregivers. Approved patients are allowed to cultivate 12 plants or arrange service from a caregiver, who in turn is allowed to provide for five patients.
There are no provisions in Michigan law regarding dispensaries, and up to this point, municipalities have been drafting their own rules. Recently, the Obama administration announced it would not use federal law -- under which marijuana is still illegal -- to prosecute individuals who are abiding by state law. Meanwhile, a number of communities in Michigan already have banned dispensaries.
A caregiver is allowed 12 plants per patient, or 60 total. What do the limits on volume mean for a storefront dispensary's viability as a business?
The Michigan Medical Marijuana Association estimates a caregiver could earn up to $50,000 per year.