Dr. Ernest Mullen wants people to know he doesn't have any marijuana at his Plymouth office, The Medical Marijuana Clinic.
He insists he doesn't want to have anything to do with it – won't even have illustrations of it hanging in the waiting room or hallways. Selling pot there would be illegal, a violation of federal law.
However, people suffering from one of the qualifying conditions under Michigan's new medical marijuana law – including AIDS, cancer and glaucoma – can come to Mullen and, with proper documentation, obtain the medical certification that's a required part of becoming a registered medical marijuana patient in the state.
"I don't touch the marijuana. I don't see the marijuana," said Mullen. "I think that people should have it done the right way."
Mullen, who practices mainly in Detroit and is affiliated with the Henry Ford Health System, sees patients at his office on Plymouth's Main Street only on Wednesdays. But his goal, he said, is to expand his hours in Plymouth and make it the base for his practice, with medical marijuana patients a small part of it.
"This is where I want to be," said Mullen, who lives in Northville. "I want to take care of patients in Plymouth."
Mullen said he was "on the fence" about medical marijuana until a patient with a history of seizures came to him last year with low levels of anti-seizure medication in his blood.
Mullen was alarmed, he said, but the man reported no recent seizures and admitted he had been smoking pot.
"I thought to myself, 'Maybe there's more in this stuff,'" said Mullen, who began doing research. "I definitely saw validity."
Mullen also advised a brother, a lawyer, on a case involving medical marijuana, he said.
His Plymouth office opened in April; Mullen also keeps Saturday hours at a medical marijuana clinic in Jackson.
His venture comes as the Plymouth City Commission recently passed an amendment to the city's zoning ordinances that prohibits property from being zoned for a use that would be in violation of federal law. A technicality, Mayor Dan Dwyer admits, but one that prevents anyone from formally opening a dispensary or marijuana-growing operation in the city.
Dwyer says officials, like those in many local communities, are waiting for lawmakers to resolve the conflict between the state's medical marijuana law and federal law, and could revisit the issue if that is done.
Lt. Al Cox, Plymouth's acting police chief, said he's aware of activity at Mullen's office, but that, as far as he knows, nothing illegal is taking place.
"It's not a dispensary, he's just providing the recommendation. It's not a prescription," Cox said. "To sell or buy the marijuana – that's the violation."
Mullen, asked why he's not waiting until Michigan's law is squared with federal law, said President Barack Obama has ordered a hands-off federal approach to medical marijuana. An Internet perusal of news about Obama's stand on the issue appears to bear out that claim.
However, said Mullen, "there're some holes in this law" that he'd like to see addressed.
Though he feels doctors who follow the law are protected from prosecution, Mullen would like to see the state's expectations for doctors explicitly spelled out, and advocates a system of training and licensing doctors who want to use marijuana as a medical treatment.
Medical marijuana is a hot topic among the state's doctors, he said, and some doctors are taking it up, not always as openly.
Mullen said his medical documentation requirement is strict, and that his office can spot people who may not have a qualifying condition and simply want to get high.
"If they get by my front, they're probably pretty good," he said. "We deny a lot of people on the phone."
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: HOMETOWNlife.com
Author: Matt Jachman
Copyright: 2010 HOMETOWNlife.com
He insists he doesn't want to have anything to do with it – won't even have illustrations of it hanging in the waiting room or hallways. Selling pot there would be illegal, a violation of federal law.
However, people suffering from one of the qualifying conditions under Michigan's new medical marijuana law – including AIDS, cancer and glaucoma – can come to Mullen and, with proper documentation, obtain the medical certification that's a required part of becoming a registered medical marijuana patient in the state.
"I don't touch the marijuana. I don't see the marijuana," said Mullen. "I think that people should have it done the right way."
Mullen, who practices mainly in Detroit and is affiliated with the Henry Ford Health System, sees patients at his office on Plymouth's Main Street only on Wednesdays. But his goal, he said, is to expand his hours in Plymouth and make it the base for his practice, with medical marijuana patients a small part of it.
"This is where I want to be," said Mullen, who lives in Northville. "I want to take care of patients in Plymouth."
Mullen said he was "on the fence" about medical marijuana until a patient with a history of seizures came to him last year with low levels of anti-seizure medication in his blood.
Mullen was alarmed, he said, but the man reported no recent seizures and admitted he had been smoking pot.
"I thought to myself, 'Maybe there's more in this stuff,'" said Mullen, who began doing research. "I definitely saw validity."
Mullen also advised a brother, a lawyer, on a case involving medical marijuana, he said.
His Plymouth office opened in April; Mullen also keeps Saturday hours at a medical marijuana clinic in Jackson.
His venture comes as the Plymouth City Commission recently passed an amendment to the city's zoning ordinances that prohibits property from being zoned for a use that would be in violation of federal law. A technicality, Mayor Dan Dwyer admits, but one that prevents anyone from formally opening a dispensary or marijuana-growing operation in the city.
Dwyer says officials, like those in many local communities, are waiting for lawmakers to resolve the conflict between the state's medical marijuana law and federal law, and could revisit the issue if that is done.
Lt. Al Cox, Plymouth's acting police chief, said he's aware of activity at Mullen's office, but that, as far as he knows, nothing illegal is taking place.
"It's not a dispensary, he's just providing the recommendation. It's not a prescription," Cox said. "To sell or buy the marijuana – that's the violation."
Mullen, asked why he's not waiting until Michigan's law is squared with federal law, said President Barack Obama has ordered a hands-off federal approach to medical marijuana. An Internet perusal of news about Obama's stand on the issue appears to bear out that claim.
However, said Mullen, "there're some holes in this law" that he'd like to see addressed.
Though he feels doctors who follow the law are protected from prosecution, Mullen would like to see the state's expectations for doctors explicitly spelled out, and advocates a system of training and licensing doctors who want to use marijuana as a medical treatment.
Medical marijuana is a hot topic among the state's doctors, he said, and some doctors are taking it up, not always as openly.
Mullen said his medical documentation requirement is strict, and that his office can spot people who may not have a qualifying condition and simply want to get high.
"If they get by my front, they're probably pretty good," he said. "We deny a lot of people on the phone."
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: HOMETOWNlife.com
Author: Matt Jachman
Copyright: 2010 HOMETOWNlife.com
