Jacob Bell
New Member
One thing is clear as the state and its communities adapt to life after voters approved medical marijuana: It's time to reduce the hyperbole and restore rational discussion about the legal use of the drug.
That's true from the state Legislature, where multiple bills would shape (some would argue narrow) the rules governing access to medical marijuana, to the city of Lansing, where discussion of regulating dispensaries has grown heated.
First, consider that discussions and disagreements are a natural part of the process of adjusting to the new reality in which a large majority of the state's voters made it clear they support access to marijuana for its legitimate medical uses.
This is not the time or place for the pro and con arguments about legalization of recreational marijuana. This is the time to craft thoughtful and logical rules about medical marijuana.
At the state level, some of the many bills make sense. There is no need, for example, to create social clubs or bars for medical marijuana patients to come together in using the drug. People don't gather for their daily dose of blood pressure medication; nor should they for their medical marijuana. Banning those businesses makes sense.
Both the state and the city are considering rules to keep such buildings 1,000 feet from schools, day cares, churches, etc. That concern rings less true, given that some pharmacies are within that range of such locations. Prescription drugs, after all, are a growing category of drug abuse and illicit drug sales, yet there is no effort to force pharmacies to move.
A pending state bill to create a database of medical marijuana card holders available for law enforcement has arguments on both sides. There is some safety for card holders if, for example, officers at a traffic stop know that they are legal registered users vs. illicit recreational users. But using that data to target registered users should be prohibited.
A bill to block legal marijuana users from suing under the marijuana law should not pass. Legal users need that remedy available as the state goes through this transitional time.
As for Lansing, a moratorium on new dispensaries is set to expire on Friday. A proposed ordinance, which ties rigorous safety and security requirements to a license, met heated opposition. Citizens should hope the thoughtful minds that crafted the proposal will prevail in passing the well-reasoned ordinance.
News Hawk- Jacob Ebel 420 MAGAZINE
Source: lansingstatejournal.com
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: lansingstatejournal.com
Website: Apply balance in medical marijuana laws
That's true from the state Legislature, where multiple bills would shape (some would argue narrow) the rules governing access to medical marijuana, to the city of Lansing, where discussion of regulating dispensaries has grown heated.
First, consider that discussions and disagreements are a natural part of the process of adjusting to the new reality in which a large majority of the state's voters made it clear they support access to marijuana for its legitimate medical uses.
This is not the time or place for the pro and con arguments about legalization of recreational marijuana. This is the time to craft thoughtful and logical rules about medical marijuana.
At the state level, some of the many bills make sense. There is no need, for example, to create social clubs or bars for medical marijuana patients to come together in using the drug. People don't gather for their daily dose of blood pressure medication; nor should they for their medical marijuana. Banning those businesses makes sense.
Both the state and the city are considering rules to keep such buildings 1,000 feet from schools, day cares, churches, etc. That concern rings less true, given that some pharmacies are within that range of such locations. Prescription drugs, after all, are a growing category of drug abuse and illicit drug sales, yet there is no effort to force pharmacies to move.
A pending state bill to create a database of medical marijuana card holders available for law enforcement has arguments on both sides. There is some safety for card holders if, for example, officers at a traffic stop know that they are legal registered users vs. illicit recreational users. But using that data to target registered users should be prohibited.
A bill to block legal marijuana users from suing under the marijuana law should not pass. Legal users need that remedy available as the state goes through this transitional time.
As for Lansing, a moratorium on new dispensaries is set to expire on Friday. A proposed ordinance, which ties rigorous safety and security requirements to a license, met heated opposition. Citizens should hope the thoughtful minds that crafted the proposal will prevail in passing the well-reasoned ordinance.
News Hawk- Jacob Ebel 420 MAGAZINE
Source: lansingstatejournal.com
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: lansingstatejournal.com
Website: Apply balance in medical marijuana laws
