Medical Marijuana: Future Jobs Driver In Michigan?

Is medical marijuana cultivation a nascent growth industry for jobs in Michigan?

Since last fall, when voters overwhelmingly approved a measure legalizing the use and cultivation of the plant for medical purposes, the state has seen a proliferation of growing-equipment stores, publications, physicians and even a new college devoted to cashing in on medical weed. That's even as murky legal distinctions often discourage some patients, suppliers and caregivers from taking part.

The, um, "trade" magazine High Times even chimed in this month, writing that "the idea of encouraging a potentially lucrative industry — particularly in an economically depressed state — is too attractive to pass up." And The Washington Times writes about the new Med Grow Cannabis College in Southfield, which is set to graduate its first class of 30 later this month.

A Google search of "Michigan medical marijuana supplies" turned up several sites like this one that give little clue to their origins or location, as well as the Michigan Medical Marijuana Association.

In Southfield, four sympathetic doctors have opened the Michigan Medical Marijuana Certification Center and have hired seven other employees, according to a Detroit Free Press story.

A thread on this site references a new grow supply store in Coloma, near Benton Harbor. I frequently drive past a new "urban farming" and hydroponic growing equipment supply store that recently took over a long-shuttered commercial storefront in Detroit.

A key factor to watch in all of this appears to be whether state lawmakers enact legislation to bring into clearer focus the legal and illegal divisions of growing and using medical marijuana.

"My feeling is that anything is legal that isn't illegal," Matthew Abel, a Detroit attorney who specializes in the issue, told the Freep.


News Hawk- Ganjarden 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: MLive.com
Author: Sven Gustafson
Contact: MLive.com
Copyright: 2009 Michigan Live LLC
Website: Medical Marijuana: Future Jobs Driver In Michigan?
 
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