Ferndale Pot Proposal

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Although voters will decide Nov. 4 whether to legalize medical marijuana for sick Michiganians statewide, Ferndale voters will get a shot at a pot issue of their own on the same day.

The proposal -- only on the ballot in Ferndale -- would allow the National Organization for Positive Medicine to distribute and sell medical marijuana to "sick" patients in the city through a court order.

The Coalition for Compassionate Care, which is spearheading the statewide effort, is quick to say it has no connection to the Ferndale proposal, and concedes it's confusing.

Ballot language: With a court order, should the National Organization for Positive Medicine be permitted to distribute medical marijuana to sick patients and take all actions necessary and proper to carry out the function of distributing medical marijuana to sick patients pursuant to court orders? What it would do: The proposal would allow only the National Organization for Positive Medicine -- a group backed by Carl M. Swanson of Massachusetts that has a federal tax I.D. number but no Web site or actual address -- to distribute and sell medical marijuana to "sick" patients in the city if the group could convince a judge to sign a court order.

Who's for it: Since The Detroit News was unable to reach the initiative's sponsor and there is no organized campaign for the proposal, there does not appear to be anyone or any group officially endorsing the proposal.

Who's against it: The Coalition for Compassionate Care, which is spearheading Proposal 1 in Michigan, a separate statewide initiative to legalize medical marijuana in Michigan, calls the Ferndale proposal "meaningless" and says it cannot be legally implemented. Some members of the Ferndale City Council oppose it as well.


News Hawk: User: http://www.420magazine.com/
Source: The Detroit News
Copyright: 2008 The Detroit News
Contact: Contact The Detroit News | The Detroit News | detnews.com
Website: Ferndale pot proposal | The Detroit News | detnews.com