How Compassionate Apothecary Works

Matt Taylor and Brandon McQueen opened Compassionate Apothecary in Mt. Pleasant May 1.

How the business operates was a point of contention in a motion filed in Isabella County Trial Court to obtain a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction to stop Compassionate Apothecary from doing business.

Taylor is a registered primary caregiver, and McQueen is a registered qualifying patient as well as a registered primary caregiver.

In an opinion filed in Isabella County Trial Court Thursday, Chief Judge Paul Chamberlain explained that McQueen and Taylor only approve an applicant for membership if the applicant is registered as a qualifying patient or a primary caregiver with the Michigan Department of Community Health.

Once an applicant becomes a member, he or she pays a membership fee, receives a membership number and may lease a locker in which to store medical marijuana, Chamberlain said in the opinion.

Members of the apothecary purchase or sell medical marijuana among other members, and frequently, a member registered as a primary caregiver receives permission from his or her registered qualifying patient to store medical marijuana at the apothecary and to sell the drug to other members, Chamberlain said in the opinion.

"Thus, the registered qualifying patient owns the medical marijuana at all times," he said. "The members determine the price of the marijuana.

"(Taylor and McQueen's) business does not own, purchase, or sell any marijuana; however, (the two) collect locker rental fees, membership fees and receive 20 percent of the sales price per transfer."

Chamberlain also noted that the business pays sales tax to the state of Michigan for each transfer.

Taylor and McQueen have 27 storage lockers and, because the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act permits a specific amount of medical marijuana a registered qualifying patient or registered primary caregiver may possess, McQueen and Taylor keep records of the amount of marijuana in each of the lockers, Chamberlain said.

The two prohibit growing or smoking of the drug on the apothecary property and refuse to allow any transfer of marijuana into their lockers from anyone who is not a member, or transfers from the lockers to non-members, the judge said.


NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: The Morning Sun
Author: SUSAN FIELD
Contact: The Morning Sun
Copyright: 2010 The Morning Sun, a Journal Register Property & part of Journal Register MI
Website: How Compassionate Apothecary works
 
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