Michigan: Supreme Court Says Detroit Voters Can Decide On Marijuana Legalization Ballot Measure
Posted on | June 28, 2012 | No Comments
Lansing, MI: The Supreme Court for the state of Michigan has ruled that city election officials cannot prevent Detroit voters from deciding on a municipal ballot measure that seeks to remove marijuana possession penalties for those age 21 or older.
The Court refused to review an appeal brought by the Detroit City Clerk’s office and the Detroit Election Commission that sought to strike down the proposed ballot question, sponsored by the group Coalition for a Safer Detroit.
In 2010, the Coalition collected over 6,000 signatures from registered voters to place the measure on that year’s electoral ballot. The vote failed to take place, however, because election officials at the time alleged that the proposal conflicted with state anti-drug laws.
This past February, the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that Detroit election officials acted illegally in 2010 when they denied voters the opportunity to decide on the issue. “[Plaintiff[s] had a clear legal right to the placement of the initiative on the ballot,” the court ruled.
The Supreme Court’s ruling upholds the Appellate court’s decision. Detroit voters will now decide on the measure this November.
Commenting on the ruling, Tim Beck – head of the Coalition for a Safer Detroit and the former Executive Director of Michigan NORML – said: “This case in Detroit was not just about marijuana. Had we lost in court, the local initiative process itself would have been rendered meaningless statewide, no matter what the issue might be.”
He added, “We expect a major victory for Detroit cannabis consumers this November.”
For more information, please visit: http://saferdetroit.net/.
Free Patient and Caregiver Matching Service
Posted on | June 28, 2012 | No Comments
First Natural Wellness
1785 W. Stadium Blvd., Suite 104
866-649-9034
www.FirstNaturalWellness.com
Dear Friends, Fellow Patients, and Fellow Caregivers:
We are very glad that you have chosen to help those in need with serious debilitating medical conditions. We often have patients that need help with finding someone to become their primary designated caregiver. If you enjoy helping those in need, as we do, then please give us a call today and we will help match you with a new patient in need of a caregiver. This is a free service offered by First Natural Wellness in partnership with Patients Unlimited.
First Natural Wellness is now providing Michigan Medical Marijuana Certification appointments in Ann Arbor on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 10 AM to 3 PM. Walk-ins are avaiable from 12 Noon to 2 PM. Your consultation with the physician is risk-free, and we offer same day certification services for those who qualify and are approved. We also help you complete your paperwork and make it ready for delivery to the state.
Our physicians are board certified, licensed in the state of Michigan, and have no malpractice issues.
We are part of a compassion network comprised of doctors, patients, caregivers, and those who are advocates for the medical use of marijuana. We have several resources available to you through our vast network to provide you with the best quality services throughout the state of Michigan. We have been in business since 2009 and have helped over 20,000 patients and caregivers get legal.
If you are ready to join then please call 866-649-9034 for more information or to book your appointment today.
Sincerely,
Yours in health,
Steve Cohen,
Patient Liaison
P.S. If you would like free information and a consultation about how to get started in the alternative healing arts…. And You Are Ready. Then just call. 🙂
Peace.
What If Cannabis Cured Cancer (Full Movie)
Posted on | June 28, 2012 | No Comments
Just watch and listen. Very. Carefully. It’s time to wake up… .. . . .
Appeals court: Man who left medical marijuana ID at home can’t be prosecuted
Posted on | June 28, 2012 | No Comments
Court: Pot ID card at home still counts
A Michigan medical marijuana patient cannot be prosecuted for illegal drug possession, despite not having proof of his or her registration at the time of arrest, the state Court of Appeals said Wednesday.
But the court said police were within their rights to arrest the patient, identified in court records as James RG Nicholson of Ottawa County, because he couldn’t establish proof of registration on the spot.
Prosecutors had argued that Nicholson was not protected by the medical marijuana law because he did not “possess” a registry identification card at the time of arrest in May 2011. He told police his registration card was in a car at his residence.
Court: Medical marijuana users can be arrested if they don’t have paperwork
Posted on | June 27, 2012 | No Comments
The Detroit News
June 27, 2012
Court: Medical marijuana users can be arrested if they don’t have paperwork
* By CHAD LIVENGOOD
* / Detroit News Lansing Bureau
Lansing— Medical marijuana users aren’t immune from arrest for possession of the drug without their state-issued paperwork or registry card, according to a new Michigan Court of Appeals ruling.
In a case involving an Ottawa County man who claimed a medical marijuana defense during a May 1, 2011, arrest in Grandville, a three-judge Court of Appeals panel said defendant James Nicholson could be immune from prosecution by producing his medical marijuana paperwork in court.
But state-issued medical marijuana registry cards and applications must be “reasonably accessible at the location” of an arrest for an individual to be immune from arrest, according to the ruling issued Wednesday.
The ruling is the latest legal development in a string of court decisions seeking to clarify ambiguities in the 2008 voter-initiated law.
In May, the Michigan Supreme Court made its first major ruling in the law, upholding the right to mount an affirmative defense to use marijuana for medicinal purposes in court even without a state card. In an April decision, a different Court of Appeals panel ruled medical marijuana cannot be used as a defense for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated.
Last August, another Court of Appeals panel ruled medical marijuana dispensaries are illegal under the law, effectively shutting down dozens of shops across the state.
During his arrest, Nicholson informed an officer of his right to posses marijuana for medicinal purposes after he “removed a small baggy of marijuana from his groin region,” according to court records.
In circuit court, Nicholson produced a state-issued medical marijuana registry card — dated March 18, 2011, before his arrest — as evidence he could possess up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis, which the appellate court found to be “sufficient” for a defense.
The appellate court remanded the case back to Ottawa County Circuit Court as it remains unclear whether the defendant was engaged in marijuana use permitted under the 2008 law.
“Defendant still has one more hurdle to overcome to be entitled to immunity from prosecution; he must also establish that at the time of his arrest he was engaged in the medical use of marijuana in accordance with the (Michigan Medical Marihuana Act),” the appeals judges wrote in the decision.
clivengood@detroitnews.com
(517) 371-3660