Farmington Compassion

HASH OIL DEMONSTRATION!

2011-07-11T09:03:00.000-07:00

Join us Wednesday, July 13, 2011 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. at the Farmington Community Library, 32737 W. Twelve Mile Rd., Farmington Hills.

HASH OIL DEMONSTRATION! You do not want to miss this! Learn how to become a patient/caregiver.

Meetings are open to the public 18+

JOIN US WEDNESDAY, JULY 13, 2011

2011-07-06T10:05:00.000-07:00

Join us Wednesday, July 13, 2011 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. at the Farmington Library, 32737 W. Twelve Mile Rd., Farmington Hills, as we discuss medical marijuana. Topics will include Cultivation, Edibles, How to Become a Patient/Caregiver, and much more.

Meetings are open to the public, 18+

Royal Oak's Split Marijuana Vote Satisfies Neither Side

2011-01-26T07:49:00.000-08:00

A vote by the Royal Oak City Commission left advocates of medical marijuana pledging to sue the city but gave opponents of the drug less than the complete ban they had hoped to see passed.

The vote, which calls for strict limits on the use and distribution of the drug, came early Tuesday following 90 minutes of public comments.

"We made it very clear that someone using medical marijuana in Royal Oak would not be subject to criminal prosecution," Commissioner Chuck Semchena, a longtime foe of medical marijuana, said Tuesday. "This new ordinance merely prohibits the growing or distribution of marijuana."

The vote was a deep disappointment to fellow Commissioner Jim Rasor, who joined Mayor Jim Ellison in opposing the strict limits.

"I have no doubt that we will find ourselves in court, spending taxpayer money to defend our indefensible and illegal action, instead of spending that money on police officers and other necessary city expenses," Rasor said.

Said Royal Oak City Manager Don Johnson: "I think we would've been sued no matter what we did."

The ordinance change stopped short of a proposal that medical marijuana users feared might ban the drug entirely. The seven-member commission tentatively passed that proposal last fall at what is called the first reading of a new ordinance. It was based on the Livonia model and, in effect, would have banned any use of medical marijuana, City Attorney David Gillam told commissioners last year.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan has sued Livonia, along with Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills, for passing such ordinances, on behalf of a Birmingham couple who said they have state-approval cards for treating their health conditions with medical marijuana but fear using or growing the drug in the three cities.

South Lyon, which has a similar de facto ban, was sued this month by a resident who has a state-approval card for using the drug, Grosse Pointe attorney Paul Tylenda, who said he is representing the man at no charge, said Monday.

Royal Oak, although it passed a more lenient rule than Livonia, can still expect to be sued, Tylenda said Monday night after joining the stream of public speakers at the commission meeting.

The 4-3 vote for the new limits modified the Livonia model to allow consumption of medical marijuana in Royal Oak, if the drug is "obtained in compliance with the state act," City Manager Johnson said. "But it is not allowing cultivation or distribution of medical marijuana in the city."

To comply with the Royal Oak ordinance change, residents must go outside the city to raise medical marijuana or obtain it from a state-approved caregiver, then they can return home to consume it, Johnson said.

The commissioners' vote did not follow a controversial recommendation by the Royal Oak Planning Commission to allow state-approved patients to grow the drug in their own homes and state-approved caregivers to grow it in their patients' homes, but which also prohibited any distribution or growing facilities.

Brett Tillander, executive director of the South Oakland Boys and Girls Club, said last week that he and 40 other local leaders strongly opposed to the Planning Commission's recommendation submitted a letter of protest to the city.

Royal Oak Passes Strict Limits on Medical Marijuana

2011-01-26T07:37:00.000-08:00

Royal Oak officials voted for strict limits on the use and distribution of medical marijuana.

The vote left advocates of medical marijuana vowing to sue the city as they left Royal Oak City Hall but it gave opponents of the drug less than a complete ban they’d hoped to see passed.

“We made it very clear that someone using medical marijuana in Royal Oak would not be subject to criminal prosecution,” City Commissioner Chuck Semchena said.

“This new ordinance merely prohibits the growing or distribution of marijuana,” Semchena, a longtime foe of medical marijuana, said today. Still, the vote was a deep disappointment to City Commissioner Jim Rasor, who joined Mayor Jim Ellison in opposing the strict limits.

“I have no doubt that we will find ourselves in court, spending taxpayer money to defend our indefensible and illegal action, instead of spending that money on police officers and other necessary city expenses,” Rasor said today.

“I think we would’ve been sued no matter what we did,” Royal Oak City Manager Don Johnson said today.

The ordinance change stopped short of mirroring a proposal that medical marijuana users feared might pass and ban the drug entirely. That proposal was one that Semchena favored last year, and which the seven-person Royal Oak City Commission tentatively passed last fall at what is called the first reading of a new ordinance. It was based on the so-called Livonia model and, in effect, would have banned any use of medical marijuana, City Attorney Dave Gillham told commissioners last year.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan has sued Livonia, along with Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills, for passing such ordinances, on behalf of a Birmingham couple who said they have state-approval cards for treating their health conditions with medical marijuana but fear using or growing the drug in the three communities. South Lyon also has a similar de facto ban and the township was sued this month by a resident who has a state-approval card for using the drug, Grosse Pointe attorney Paul Tylenda, who said he is representing the man at no charge, said Monday.

Royal Oak, although it passed a more lenient rule than the Livonia model, can still expect to be sued, Tylenda said Monday night, after joining a 90-minute stream of public speakers to the City Commission.

The 4-3 vote for the new limits, contained in amendments to the city’s zoning ordinance, modified the Livonia model to allow consumption of medical marijuana in Royal Oak, so long as the drug is “obtained in compliance with the state act,” City Manager Johnson said.

“But it is not allowing cultivation or distribution of medical marijuana in the city,” he said. To comply with the Royal Oak ordinance change requires residents to travel outside the city to raise medical marijuana or obtain it from a state-approved caregiver, then return to their homes to consume it, Johnson said.

Asked whether that could make it more costly, more arduous and more risky for residents to obtain the drug, Johnson said: “No matter what you do, it’s still illegal under federal law.”

The city’s 120-day moratorium on establishing medical-marijuana facilities, set to expire Feb. 13, remains in place until the ordinance change takes effect in Feb. 3, but the moratorium now is moot because the new rule forbids any establishments, such as dispensaries or compassion clubs, city officials said.

The commissioners’ vote did not follow a controversial recommendation by the Royal Oak Planning Commission to allow state-approved patients to grow the drug in their own homes, and to allow state-approved caregivers to grow it in their patients’ homes, but which also prohibited any distribution or growing facilities in the city.

South Oakland Boys and Girls Club Executive Director Brett Tillander said last week that he and 40 other community leaders strongly opposed to the Planning Commission’s recommendation submitted a letter of protest to the city.

Marijuana Issue Goes Back For More Study In Farmington Hills

2011-01-20T08:48:00.000-08:00

An ordinance amendment in Farmington Hills that would have made marijuana operations illegal, from a land use standpoint, has been stalled.

The zoning ordinance amendment, which called for the prohibition of any land use that conflicts with federal law, was up for final reading and adoption at tonight's city council meeting.

Council members and planning commissioners have studied the issue at length, but council now wants to see the ordinance adopted in Grand Rapids, to see if it might work for Farmington Hills.

The issue is whether a caregiver, who, under state law, is allowed to grow up to 60 plants for up to five registered patients, is growing as a commercial business in a home. If so, the proposed Farmington Hills ordinance would prohibit that and the caregiver would face a penalty.

But, Councilman Barry Brickner points out that the state law precludes caregivers from being arrested for growing medical marijuana.

“We’re being asked to pass an ordinance that we can’t do anything with,” said Brickner. “Why are we passing something we can’t enforce?”

He said he read through the state statute and it is “extremely redundant and clear that you cannot prosecute caregivers.”

In Grand Rapids, an ordinance sets up special use provisions for the caregivers to grow marijuana as a home occupation. They can’t have the patients come to pick up the marijuana, they have to deliver it. Hills council members want to read that ordinance before taking action.

City Attorney Steven Joppich said it’s still an issue of federal versus state law.
“Federal law states it’s illegal to use it, to possess it and to distribute it,” he said. “Frankly, most communities are struggling with this.”

Mayor Jerry Ellis said the council, after much discussion, believes people should have access to medical marijuana, but the problem is with companies wanting to set up growing operations in vacant warehouses and compassion clubs where people gather to smoke marijuana are opening in commercial areas, for example.

Joppich emphasized that the proposed ordinance deals with land uses, so it would apply to situations such as those — not to people who grow or use medical marijuana in their homes.

“I think we can regulate in such a way to allow caregivers (to grow and distribute) while keeping our neighborhoods safe,” said Brickner. “(The Grand Rapids ordinance) allows caregivers to grow and sell but it limits how they do it. This is to help the ill, to help the suffering, not to set up a business.”

Thomas Loeb, of Farmington Hills, who has a law firm in Farmington Hills, said the ordinance amendment, as proposed, would cause the city some problems. He is currently suing Bloomfield Township for a set of ordinances relating to medical marijuana.

“Your (proposed) ordinance is very poorly written,” he told the council Monday. “One of the first things you will have to do, when I sue you, is get a new law firm.”
He said the city cannot evoke federal law through city ordinance. Dealing with storefront issues relating to medical marijuana is understandable, he said, but the caregiver issue is off base.

“If you think you’re going to get away with this, you’re wrong,” he said.
Ellis said he’s not threatened.

David Haron, who served 14 years on the planning commission, said he disagrees with the ordinance because ordinances should address land use issues like construction, not moral or political issues. He said he believes people should have access to medical marijuana.

“This act is dealing with relieving pain,” he said. “It’s not dealing with peddling drugs to students.”

He said in terms of enforcement, marijuana arrests are mostly made under state law, unless it’s a large marijuana operation that would likely be handled by the feds. He said the city has no obligation to enforce federal law.

The council will review the Grand Rapids ordinance at an upcoming study session to see if the proposed ordinance should be revised before it comes back for consideration. In the meantime, a moratorium on all requests relating to medical marijuana remains in effect.

Marijuana Facility Supplied Drugs to Dealers, Cops Say

2011-01-14T09:24:00.000-08:00

A Wednesday raid by Oakland County Sheriff's deputies of the Oak Park sites of medical-marijuana entrepreneur Rick Ferris, 46, of Berkley was spurred by tips that it supplied drug dealers, county authorities said Thursday.

Deputies seized $2,874 in cash, 14 pounds of marijuana, about two dozen marijuana plants and 10 pounds of baked goods supposedly containing marijuana from sites occupied by Ferris' Big Daddy's Management Group, Oakland County Undersheriff Mike McCabe said.

The cash seized was far less than the $20,000 Big Daddy's attorney Jim Rasor reported. He arrived during the raid and misled reporters, McCabe said.

"In the confusion, I misheard how much money it was," Rasor said Thursday. Big Daddy's employees meant $20,000 was "the amount of cash plus the value of everything taken in the raid."

No arrests were made, but county authorities said they plan to make some soon.

Join Us Monday, January 24, 2011

2011-01-13T06:56:00.001-08:00

Farmington Compassion will meet Monday, January 24, 2011 from 6:30-8:00 p.m., at the Farmington Library, to discuss Medical Marijuana in Michigan.

Network with Patients, Caregivers, Grow Specialists and Attorneys.

Learn how to become a card-holding Patient and/or Caregiver.

Farmington Library
32737 W. Twelve Mile Rd.
Farmington Hills, MI 48334

Meetings are open to the public 18+

Oakland County Raids Medical Marijuana Complex Seizes $20,000

2011-01-13T06:33:00.000-08:00

Oakland County authorities raided the Oak Park headquarters and retail complex of medical marijuana entrepreneur and advocate Rick Ferris, 46, of Berkley but made no arrests "because none of us were breaking the law," Ferris' spokesman Rick Thompson said.

"It seemed more like intimidation than anything else," Thompson said after the raid Wednesday.

About eight sheriff's deputies presented a search warrant as they burst into the Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine office, the adjoining registered nonprofit Big Daddy's Compassion Club and the Big Daddy's Hydro shop that sells equipment for indoor plant cultivation, he said.

The raid cemented the Oakland County Sheriff's Office as hard-liners in the statewide debate about whether medical marijuana patients and establishments have abused the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act. Oakland deputies raided establishments in Ferndale and Waterford last year, making dozens of arrests. Oakland County authorities could not be reached for comment Wednesday night.

In Wednesday's raid, officers wore bulletproof vests, and one wore a mask, said attorney Jim Rasor, who represents Big Daddy's Enterprises. But they took nothing except about $20,000 in cash, gathered from receipts, the offices and wallets of about 10 employees and patients, he said.

The sheriff gets 80% of the money seized, under state drug forfeiture laws that give the rest to the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office, said Rasor, who also is an elected Royal Oak city commissioner.

"I know, as a public official, that the public sector is running out of money. But it's just plain wrong to finance your operation on the backs of people who are ill (or) providing a safe alternative to obtaining medical marijuana on the street," Rasor said.

Read more: Oakland County raids medical marijuana complex, seizes $20,000 | freep.com | Detroit Free Press http://www.freep.com/article/20110113/NEWS03/101130660/Oakland-County-raids-medical-marijuana-complex-seizes-20-000#ixzz1AvTi4oKe

Join us MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 2011

2010-12-24T13:45:00.000-08:00

Join is Monday, January 24, 2011 as we discuss Medical Marijuana in Michigan.

Network with Attorneys, Patients, Caregivers and Grow Specialists in a safe, comfortable environment.

DIGITAL VAPORIZER RAFFLE!!!!

Join us MONDAY, December 20, 2010 from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

2010-12-16T13:28:00.000-08:00

JOIN US MONDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2010 FROM 6:30-8 P.M. for FARMINGTON COMPASSION'S MONTHLY MEDICAL MARIJUANA MEETING!

Farmington Library, Auditorium
32737 W. Twelve Mile Rd., Farmington Hills

DIGITAL VAPORIZER RAFFLE!!!!!

Legality of Medical Marijuana Dispensaries an Issue of Debate in Michigan

2010-12-16T13:26:00.000-08:00

An Oakland County narcotics team raided a Waterford Township home on Aug. 25 and gave a medical marijuana dispensary owner a choice: Give us your safe combination or your home will be destroyed in the search, resident Bill Teichman says.

On Sept. 30, three armed gunmen broke into the Liberty Clinic dispensary on Main Street in Ann Arbor, robbing the employees and customers inside, police say.

Both instances involved marijuana, dispensaries, violence and guns. And both ended with criminal charges — in one case against three men accused of robbing a clinic, and in the other, against the owner of a clinic.

Marijuana dispensary owners in Michigan appear to be under fire from all sides.

From criminal concerns to regulations, municipalities and law enforcement officials are trying to figure out what to do with a phenomenon that was never part of the state law passed in 2008: dispensaries.

The Michigan Medical Marihuana Act addresses several aspects of the burgeoning business:

* Qualified patients and caregivers can possess up to 12 plants and/or 2.5 ounces of harvested material, with the plants maintained in a locked and enclosed facility.

* Patients can designate a caregiver to grow their plants, and each caregiver can have up to five patients.

But absent from the law is any language addressing dispensaries, which have popped up all over the state since the law went into effect in April 2009. At least 12 or 13 clinics are operating in the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti area.

Calling themselves cooperatives, health collectives or compassion centers, dispensaries are places where patients with qualifying medical conditions — like cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain and other afflictions listed in the state act — can purchase medical marijuana.

A controlled substance — which marijuana is considered under federal law — can’t technically be sold by caregivers, the state law says. That’s why dispensaries are set up as non-profits or cooperatives that take “donations” for services in exchange for product. Owners say that set-up also follows the law’s “spirit of compassion.”

The Laws

Around the country, 15 states and the District of Columbia allow for the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. Seven specifically allow dispensaries.

Like most states where medical marijuana is legal, Michigan requires patients to register. That may provide protection from arrest for possessing some marijuana for personal medical use, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, a non-partisan organization that tracks states’ legislative trends. With a physician’s recommendation, the proper paperwork and a fee of $100 — $25 for certain low-income individuals — a prospective patient gets the right to use marijuana for medicinal purposes and a state registry ID card.

Around Ann Arbor, some dispensaries employ doctors who provide recommendations for those who want to become medical marijuana patients. Other medical marijuana hopefuls receive a recommendation from a family doctor, while some physicians refuse to sign off on medical marijuana.

In Michigan, the office administering the law finds itself under a crushing “tidal wave of paperwork” from individuals trying to register to receive an ID card, said Celeste Clarkson, manager of the registry program. Her office receives between 150 and 850 applications a day, she said. The card expires after one year, compounding the workload.

But the federal government sees no difference between “medical marihuana,” as it’s called under Michigan law, and the street drug.

Marijuana is classified as a Schedule 1 substance under the Controlled Substances Act, placing it in the same category as methamphetamine, heroin, LSD and Mescalin. Schedule I substances are illegal, considered to have a high potential for dependency and have no accepted medical use. Comparatively, cocaine is classified as a schedule II substance “because there are legitimate medical uses in some surgical procedures,” said Rich Isaacson, a special agent for the Detroit division of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The DEA targets large-scale drug trafficking organizations manufacturing the drugs in the U.S. or bringing drugs here, he said. It’s not interested in individual users.

“The DEA doesn’t use its resources to target the people who are following state law,” Isaacson said.

In October 2009, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder sent a memo to federal prosecutors discouraging them from prosecuting those who distribute marijuana for medical purposes in accordance with state law.

Amid that contradiction between federal and Michigan law — and confusion in the state law — different counties have approached the issue differently.

To Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper, it’s crystal clear.

“In Michigan, the act does not authorize dispensaries or cooperatives,” Cooper wrote in a Detroit Free Press editorial. “We constantly read about townships and cities agonizing over how to zone medical marihuana dispensaries. The answer is simple. No dispensaries are allowed under Michigan law and they are clearly prohibited under federal law.”

Cooper said by e-mail that numerous individuals use the MMMA as a shield for criminal activities, something voters didn’t anticipate when they approved the new law by 63 percent of the vote.

She wouldn’t discuss specifics or say how many raids have been conducted or how many marijuana clinics have been shut down in Oakland County. “We do not keep track on the basis of defenses ( spurious or otherwise ),” she said.

But a few of those raided are talking.

Teichman, whose home was raided in August, works as a product engineer for an automaker, and he and his wife, Candace, own a diner called Everybody’s Cafe in Waterford Township.

They started opening the cafe doors after hours to medical marijuana cardholders interested in talking shop and trading product in February, at members-only gatherings commonly referred to as compassion clubs. At the meetings, registered medical marijuana users also smoked pot at the restaurant. In June, the Teichmans opened a new business, a medical marijuana dispensary called Herbal Remedies.

Herbal Remedies lasted 33 days before a narcotics squad raided it, along with Teichman’s restaurant and home. Police took cash, computers, passports, guns and four years of tax records for his restaurant. Teichman said Tuesday he hasn’t gotten any of it back. He said the six weapons taken were registered — he hunts with his two sons and is a concealed pistol permit holder.

According to the Oakland Press, the Teichmans were among 20 individuals busted Aug. 25 for providing pot. Now, the couple faces felony charges in Oakland County court related to the delivery and manufacturing of marijuana, Bill Teichman said. In court, the Teichmans’ attorney said undercover cops used fake medical marijuana ID cards to purchase marijuana and orchestrate the bust. The attorney called that move as “entrapment.”

The Midwest Cultivator, a one-year-old, Ypsilanti-based medical marijuana trade publication, has undertaken a series on drug raids.

Charmie Gholson, co-owner and editor of the pro-pot publication, admits criminal activity is likely connected to some dispensaries.

“We’re emerging from the black market,” she said. “There are people coming in from out of state who want to get in on this gold rush, and there are people who are going to maintain that criminal element of their life.”

But she points out some of those being raided are everyday people without criminal ambitions who thought they were following the law.

In Washtenaw County, no medical marijuana clinic raids have occurred, authorities said. And this area has long had a more lax attitude when it comes to pot smoking.

Ann Arbor is home to the yearly Hash Bash and decriminalized marijuana long ago — making possession of a small amount of pot a $5 civil infraction ticket ( now $25 ). Ann Arbor approved its own medical marijuana laws four years ahead of the rest of the state.

Washtenaw County Prosecutor Brian Mackie said he didn’t vote to legalize medical marijuana and doesn’t think dispensaries are legally allowed.

Mackie said he’s concerned about people using marijuana and driving, an offense that carries a penalty of 93 days in jail and/or fines between $100 and $500 and/or 360 hours of community service on a first offense. The status as a medical marijuana cardholder doesn’t legalize driving while under the influence of marijuana.

The Clinics

Owners and proponents of dispensaries say it’s about the medicine and compassion for the suffering — not about making money.

Magdalena Cox, co-owner of a dispensary called the Green Bee Collective at 401 S. Maple Road, said her place isn’t a “pot shop.”

“We’re there to help the sick so they don’t have to go on the street corner,” she said.

The Liberty Clinic is located in rented office space at 206 S. Main Street, where the odor of marijuana was present on a recent day. Loud music blared, and a crowd of people waited in chairs and on their feet for their chance to purchase marijuana from a back room. They cheered when a patron emerged and announced he had won the week’s raffle and a free eighth of an ounce of weed.

Liberty Clinic is owned by James Chaney, who goes by Chainsaw and has been convicted of drug trafficking in Ohio, records show. He did not return calls from AnnArbor.com.

At OM of Medicine, an airy, third-floor loft space a few blocks north of Liberty Clinic, patrons are under video surveillance and have to be buzzed in through two locked doors. Inside, artwork is affixed to exposed-brick walls. Recently, a young, tattooed man perused the product – different edible products like brownies and various strains of marijuana sold by the gram – on an iPad. OM business partners Keith Lambert and Christian Davis founded the dispensary.

They want OM to be “a dispensary you could send your grandma to,” Davis said.

“We want to be something Ann Arbor would be proud of,” Lambert added. “A good reflection of the city.”

Long-time medical marijuana activist Chuck Ream said local supporters like himself feel relatively safe in Washtenaw County in their efforts to provide medicine to sick people. Ream is a partner in MedMAR Pharmaceuticals Inc., a dispensary at 1818 Packard in Ann Arbor.

“Outside of Washtenaw County, people are being destroyed for trying to help people who are sick,” he said.

Ream said MedMAR’s business partners poured $100,000 into improving a disintegrating, vacant building. He declined to name the business partners, but said they’re involved in the construction and automotive industries.

At MedMAR, an office space with a soothing vibe and comfortable beige couches, the marijuana is kept locked up, behind a wall outfitted with two-way mirrors. At dispensaries, back rooms like MedMAR’s are only accessible to those who hold state-issued cards.

Those involved with dispensaries say they’re concerned about crime and take measures to prevent it.

“I want a high-quality industry where people are in it for the patients,” Ream said. “Any one stupid person can destroy it for all of us.”

Lambert of OM said safety is a top priority.

“We keep our product in safes and in locked rooms,” he said. “We want it to be safe.”

Economic Boon

Dispensary partners say the clinics create job growth in a stagnant economy.

3rd Coast Compassion Center in Ypsilanti, which opened Jan. 1, considers itself to be the first public dispensary in the state of Michigan, partner Darrell Stavros said.

The clinic at 19 N. Hamilton St. in downtown Ypsilanti has its own online TV station and employs 11 people, Stavros said. He said neighboring businesses have been supportive of his efforts.

Abe Asani has owned 24-hour diner Abe’s Coney Island for 25 years. It’s down the street from 3rd Coast.

Because of 3rd Coast, more people are coming to Ypsilanti, he said.

“In this economy, every little thing helps. Not just me, everybody in the area. It helps business,” he said.

3rd Coast partner Jamie Lowell said the building — it has in its various incarnations been a funeral home and a mortgage company — was vacant for several years before the clinic moved in. The 7,000-square foot space is also home to The Midwest Cultivator and Puff Danny’s Glass Boutique, which bills itself as a “high-quality head shop” with Michigan blown glass.

Future of Dispensaries

After a number of dispensaries moved in locally, municipalities took swift action to decide if — and how — to regulate them.

“We’ve tried to provide reasonable regulations for businesses that are going to operate as dispensaries, and those include certain safety requirements and limitations of total licenses,” Ann Arbor city attorney Stephen Postema said.

Among the actions by cities, townships and villages:

The Ypsilanti Township Board of Trustees passed a zoning ordinance addressing dispensaries in May 2010, without a moratorium, said Mike Radzik, director of the township’s office of community standards. Its zoning ordinances says dispensaries and nurseries have to be at least 1,000 feet apart and cannot be within 1,000 feet of a public library, school or college, place of worship, residential district, or child care organization. Marijuana can’t be consumed at a dispensary or a nursery.

The Ypsilanti City Council approved a three-month moratorium in July on new licenses for medical marijuana businesses, but approved a zoning ordinance Wednesday. It now allows dispensaries in three city business districts. The dispensaries cannot be within 1,000 feet of a school, and marijuana can’t be grown or consumed on the premises. The city will allow for grow facilities, places where multiple caregivers can grow their plants under one roof, in certain industrial districts. Grow facilities and dispensaries must be at least 500 feet apart. A licensing ordinance that addresses dispensaries is expected to come before the council in January, city planner Teresa Gillotti said.

The Ann Arbor City Council instituted 60-day moratorium in November while it simultaneously crafts zoning and licensing regulations. The latest ordinance discussed Monday would cap the total number of dispensaries at 15 and ban those convicted of a misdemeanor involving any controlled substance or any felony from operating them. The city would charge a to-be-determined fee for an annual license and require dispensary partners to list all affiliated business managers and physicians.

Saline banned them outright, while Chelsea officials are expected to vote to ban dispensaries later this month.

Dexter and Dexter Township both have moratoriums in place while planners discuss possible regulations.

Different Opinions

Individual opinions about dispensaries vary.

Ben Ogren, a 20-year-old Washtenaw Community College student, said he favors dispensaries. He is a qualified patient with sinus problems, he said.

Medical marijuana cards are popular among college students, according to Ogren.

“Pretty much everyone is doing the whole dispensary thing,” he said.

Faith Hopp, a Wayne State University professor who lives in Pittsfield Township, voted in favor of the law in 2008. She doesn’t use medical marijuana, but has friends who do. Dispensaries haven’t been on her radar, she said.

“I thought it was good to find a way to make it legal and hopefully make it safe,” she said. “I still support the idea behind the law.”

The last thing people who are sick should worry about is the legality of medicine that makes them feel better, she said. Hopp works with hospice centers in Michigan, researching social work issues related to end-of-life care.

“But it sounds like it’s being used for recreational use,” she continued. “The people who voted for the law didn’t support recreational use — the voters voted for medicinal use.”

Dale Franz, 73, has purchased marijuana from the Liberty Clinic.

“It has an effect that can be positive in most circumstances for people’s wise use, careful use,” said Franz, a former journalist who uses a vaporizer to take medical marijuana. Franz has severe sciatic nerve pain, he said, and marijuana helps him sleep and manage his pain without opiate-based painkillers like Vicodin.

“We allow people to make their own decision about whether they are going to drive if they have a drink of alcohol, but we have inconsistent rules about other kinds of things that should also be a matter of maturity and good behavior,” Franz said.

Former Ann Arbor resident Andy Goodrich now lives in San Jose, where dispensaries have been around for several years. California was the first to legalize marijuana for medical use in the Compassionate Use Act of 1996.

Goodrich said the dispensaries in San Jose don’t concern him. He recently voted in favor of Proposition 19, the latest effort by a state to make marijuana legal.

“I don’t think it’s a problem,” he said.

Ann Arbor resident Daniel Berland, a chronic pain doctor and an anesthesiology professor at the University of Michigan, called medical marijuana “a joke.”

“It’s just legalized drug dealing,” he said. “And if that’s what we want to do, then what we should do is just legalize it.”

Berland spends his life traveling around trying to convince doctors most medicines should be withdrawn because he believes medications, painkillers in particular, mostly harm people. That includes narcotics frequently decried by the medical marijuana enthusiasts, like morphine and Vicodin.

“The vast majority of people dancing their way into the dispensaries are potheads who want pot,” he said. “The whole process, for the entire state, should be started over. There’s nothing in the law about dispensaries. Nothing.”

Source: Ann Arbor News (MI)
Copyright: 2010 The Ann Arbor News
Contact: http://www.mlive.com/mailforms/aanews/letters/
Website: http://www.annarbor.com/
Author: Juliana Keeping

ACLU Sues 3 Cities Over Medical Pot Bans

2010-12-16T13:24:00.000-08:00

Arguing that cities do not have the power to veto a state law passed by a majority of Michigan voters, the ACLU of Michigan is suing three Metro Detroit communities that have enacted medical marijuana bans.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday on behalf of Linda and Robert Lott of Birmingham, alleges that Livonia, Bloomfield Hills and Birmingham have adopted ordinances effectively banning the couple and other patients from legally using medical marijuana.

“We’re seeing a lot of cities that are passing very burdensome ordinances that stand in the way of patients and their doctors on this issue,” said American Civil Liberties Union attorney Dan Korobkin. “These ordinances are not only cruel; they’re illegal and must stop.”

Linda Lott, 61, who has suffered from multiple sclerosis for 28 years, is legally blind and uses a wheelchair. She uses medical marijuana to control muscle spasms.

“It’s simply unfair for these cities to try to play doctor and tell me how to treat a disease I’ve lived with for 28 years,” she said. “I could have a terrible spasm, and a little bit of marijuana would take it away in just a few minutes.”

Michigan voters approved the use of marijuana for medical purposes in 2008. The act, which decriminalized the use of medical marijuana for debilitating medical conditions, passed by 71 percent in Birmingham, 63 percent in Livonia and 62 percent in Bloomfield Hills.

Bloomfield Hills City Manager Jay Cravens and Livonia Mayor Jack Kirksey both said Wednesday they believe their ordinances are in compliance with state and federal law.

“We don’t have a ban on medical marijuana. We have an ordinance that deals with medical marijuana,” Cravens said.

The ACLU says the targeted ordinances make no direct reference to medical marijuana, but deem it unlawful to engage in any activity within city limits that is contrary to federal law. The group argues the federal government does not prosecute those who comply with state law and that Michigan’s medical marijuana law specifically says that patients and caregivers approved to use the drug cannot be subject to prosecution.

Local governments have been struggling over how to interpret the law.

Oakland County officials issued a 63-page document in August to guide local authorities as they enact regulations. Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, who ordered a survey and analysis of local approaches, said Wednesday that more clarity — not more lawsuits — is needed to improve the poorly worded law. He said what the ACLU is doing is a waste of time.

Patterson, along with Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard and Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper, maintain that dispensaries – — businesses that sell medical marijuana — are illegal under the act.

“I’m a lawyer and I’d like the ACLU to show me what civil rights are being violated here as we try to manage distribution of a controlled substance,” Patterson said. “There is nothing but chaos going on here. There is no quality control ( in the dispensaries ); you don’t know what you are getting.

“I think a compassionate public was duped when this law was passed.”

Michael Komorn, a Southfield-based medical marijuana activist and attorney, said Wednesday the ACLU’s decision to sue the cities amounts to a stance for democracy and for the will of the people.

“Are taxpayers aware of what this battle is about?” he said. “( The local bans ) say what you voted for as a majority doesn’t count in these cities. The referendum that produced this law is the closest participation that voters can have in a democratic process. We created it and we had a choice to vote for it. These cities have disregarded that.”

The ACLU lawsuit seeks to have the local ordinances declared invalid.

“When patients use medical marijuana in compliance with state law, they shouldn’t be penalized for it,” Korobkin said.

Robert Lott, 61, is licensed as his wife Linda’s caregiver and was recently diagnosed with glaucoma. He owns a building in Livonia where he would like to grow medical marijuana for him and Linda to use.

“I’m not against the city. I just don’t understand how they feel they can interfere with what treatment I use to care for my wife and alleviate her pain,” Lott said. “We aren’t criminals and we refuse to be treated like such.”

Under federal law, marijuana use for any purpose is illegal. Yet the ACLU says that the federal government does not prosecute patients and caregivers who comply with their state’s medical marijuana laws.

In September, a Michigan Court of Appeals judge urged lawmakers to clarify the state’s medical marijuana law, saying the “inartfully drafted” measure has resulted in confusion and arrests.

Judge Peter O’Connell issued his call in a 30-page opinion on an Oakland County case in which the court upheld marijuana possession charges against two Madison Heights residents.

The judge said the law is so confusing that users “who proceed without due caution” could “lose both their property and their liberty.”

O’Connell argued that sections of the law contradict the Michigan Public Health Code that makes possession and manufacture of the drug illegal.

Raids in August on dispensaries in Ferndale and Waterford Township resulted in arrests and the seizure of marijuana and medical records. Lapeer County Sheriff’s deputies also searched a medical marijuana dispensary in Dryden, confiscating marijuana and cash.

Confusion over Michigan’s medical marijuana initiative has led to patients with valid prescriptions losing their jobs or being threatened with eviction from their homes.

Many federally subsidized housing complexes believe they must follow federal laws or risk losing federal funding.

The ACLU case was filed in Wayne County Circuit Court.

Source: Detroit News (MI)
Copyright: 2010 The Detroit News
Contact: http://detnews.com/article/99999999/INFO/71011004
Website: http://detnews.com/
Authors: RoNeisha Mullen and Jennifer Chambers, The Detroit News

Improve The Medical Marijuana Act

2010-12-16T13:21:00.000-08:00

There’s little debate that the state’s Medical Marijuana Act needs to be clarified. It has been two years since Michigan voters approved the use of medical marijuana by patients with severe illnesses, police raids on marijuana dispensaries and lawsuits over medical marijuana are regularly making the news.

Just Wednesday, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against the cities of Livonia, Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills on behalf of a couple who want to use or grow marijuana for medical uses in those three cities.

The debate revolves around where patients can access and use medical marijuana, boiling down to the question: Should marijuana dispensaries be legal in Michigan?

YES

State should set up a system of dispensaries to better serve and protect patients

From a legal standpoint, the Michigan act does not speak to dispensaries directly. It also does not specify how patients or caregivers may acquire or grow marijuana. Instead, it provides protection for those assisting patients and caregivers in obtaining cannabis. Let’s stop using law enforcement resources to arrest and prosecute patients and focus on establishing an expanded, safer distribution system, said Michael Komorn, board member of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Association.

NO

Michigan’s act needs stronger protections for communities, minors, public safety

In Michigan, the Medical Marijuana Act does not authorize dispensaries or cooperatives. We constantly read about townships and cities agonizing over how to zone medical marijuana dispensaries. The answer is simple. No dispensaries are allowed under Michigan law, and they are clearly prohibited under federal law. The passage of the Michigan act was done in the spirit of compassion, because the public believed it would provide relief to those suffering certain severe and debilitating diseases. The Michigan Medical Marijuana Act, as it stands today, does not adequately protect the people it was designed to help, said Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper.

Source: Detroit Free Press (MI)
Published: December 2, 2010
Copyright: 2010 Detroit Free Press
Website: http://www.freep.com/
Contact: letters@freepress.com

2010-12-15T21:37:00.001-08:00

JOIN US MONDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2010 FROM 6:30-8 P.M. for FARMINGTON COMPASSION'S MONTHLY MEDICAL MARIJUANA MEETING!
Farmington Library
32737 W. Twelve Mile Rd., Farmington Hills

JOIN US MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2010

2010-11-18T08:55:00.000-08:00

Farmington Compassion will meet Monday, November 22, 2010 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30p.m. to discuss Michigan's Medical Marijuana Program. Network with Patients and Caregivers in a safe and comfortable environment.
32737 W. Twelve Mile Rd., Farmington Hills (Library Auditorium)

Arizona Becomes 15th State To Approve Marijuana

2010-11-18T08:47:00.000-08:00

Phoenix -- By a narrow margin, Arizona voters have approved medical marijuana for people with chronic or debilitating diseases. The decision makes Arizona the 15th state to have approved a medical marijuana law. California was the first in 1996, and 13 other states and the District of Columbia followed.

The ballot measure on the issue, Proposition 203, won by just 4,341 votes out of more than 1.67 million ballots counted, according to final tallies announced on Saturday.

The approval came as something of a surprise. At one point on Election Day, the measure trailed by about 7,200 votes. The gap gradually narrowed until it edged ahead during counting on Friday. The final tally was 841,346 in favor and 837,005 opposed.

“We really believe that we have an opportunity to set an example to the rest of the country on what a good medical marijuana program looks like,” said Andrew Myers, campaign manager for the Arizona Medical Marijuana Policy Project.

The Arizona measure will allow patients with diseases including cancer, AIDS, hepatitis C and any other “chronic or debilitating” disease that meets guidelines to grow plants or to buy two and a half ounces of marijuana every two weeks.

The patients must obtain a recommendation from their doctor and register with the Arizona Department of Health Services. The law allows for no more than 124 marijuana dispensaries in the state.

Backers of Proposition 203 argued that thousands of patients faced “a terrible choice” of suffering with a serious or even terminal illness or going to the criminal market for marijuana. They collected more than 252,000 signatures to put the measure on the ballot, nearly 100,000 more than required.

The measure was opposed by all of Arizona’s sheriffs and county prosecutors, the governor, the state attorney general and many other politicians.

Carolyn Short, chairwoman of Keep AZ Drug Free, the group that organized opposition to the initiative, said her group believed that the law would increase crime around dispensary locations, lead to more people driving while impaired and eventually lead to legalized marijuana for everyone.

She said that the major financial backer of the new measure, the Marijuana Policy Project, based in Washington, makes its ultimate goal clear: national legalization.

“All of the political leaders came out and warned Arizonans that this was going to have very dire effects on a number of levels,” Ms. Short said after votes for the measure pulled into the lead late Friday. “I don’t think that all Arizonans have heard those dire predictions.”

A version of this article appeared in print on November 15, 2010, on page A14 of the New York edition.

Source: New York Times (NY)

DIGITAL VAPORIZER RAFFLE THIS SUNDAY

2010-10-14T06:07:00.000-07:00

Join Farmington Compassion this SUNDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2010 from 3-4:30 p.m. at the Farmington Library, 32737 W. Twelve Mile Rd., Farmington Hills.

We will discuss Michigan's Medical Marijuana Movement, How to Become a Patient/Caregiver, and much more.

Network with Grow Specialists, Patients, Caregivers, Attorney's and Physicians.

One-on-one legal advice from Michelle Komorn, one of the leading attorneys dealing with the Medical Marijuana Movement.

BDT's Pipe & Tobacco and Farmington Compassion will be RAFFLING a DIGITAL VAPORIZER during the next meeting!

Refreshments and snacks will be provided.

Several representatives from different Hydroponic Supply Stores will be present to answer growing questions.

Sheriff Explains Action Against Medical Marijuana Sellers, Growers

2010-08-30T08:24:00.000-07:00

One day after an investigation that resulted in 15 arrests, the closure of two medical marijuana dispensaries and the seizure of approximately $750,000 worth of marijuana products, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard spoke about what he sees as a growing problem.
“This is Michigan. This is not a Cheech and Chong movie,” Bouchard said during a Thursday afternoon press conference.
Ferndale’s Clinical Relief medical marijuana dispensary, 362 Hilton, was among the establishments that were raided Wednesday by undercover officers with Oakland County’s Narcotics Enforcement Team.
Police action may not have come as a surprise to employees there. Bouchard said the Sheriff’s Office recently warned those at the facility that police believed they were participating in illegal activity.
Undercover officers allegedly bought marijuana at the facility without a medical marijuana card, which is required for a legal purchase of the drug. Marijuana also was being sold in the parking lot, and undercover officers witnessed hand-to-hand drug deals, Bouchard said.
Other drugs were also confiscated, and the owner had solicited others to buy high-end marijuana to sell in the establishment, he said.
“There were many commonalties with what we regularly see in drug houses,” Bouchard said. “One place had live alligators walking around protecting the product.”
The evidence was on display for the media, ranging from jars of a wide variety of marijuana strains and marijuana plants to candy, cookies, sugar and lollipops, along with several guns.
Everybody’s Cafe, in Waterford Township, was raided under similar circumstances Wednesday, after officers said they purchased marijuana without proper credentials there. Police also raided multiple residences, though the locations of those homes were not released.
Many arrest details are not yet available because no suspects have been arraigned. Arraignment could be as soon as today, Bouchard said.
“( Marijuana is ) illegal to use except in certain, limited circumstances,” Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper said during the press conference. “In Michigan, it is very limited.”
Limits include a cap on plants per patient ( 12 ) and patients per caregiver ( five ). Patients are not able to purchase the drug legally from anyone other than their designated caregiver, and marijuana plants must be maintained in an enclosed, locked facility.
“No dispensaries are authorized,” Cooper said. “No co-ops are authorized.”
She said the state’s medical marijuana act is quite different from that of other states, like California.
“Most of the population does not understand that,” Cooper said. “Medical marijuana is an exception ( that has been ) carved out for people who have a debilitating disease.”
Both Bouchard and Cooper agreed that the statute needs clarification. They suggested changes that might make the law clearer.
“New Jersey has one state-run dispensary,” Cooper said. “That would eliminate the need for caregivers and eliminate the need for growers.”
Bouchard said a tamper-proof medical marijuana card with a photo ID should be required. A photo is not required on the current cards.
“There’s no way an officer or a deputy can verify that it’s a valid card,” Bouchard said.
Law enforcement officials don’t want to deal with the issue, Bouchard said, noting that enforcement can be costly and require many resources.
“We don’t want to deal with this at all if it’s within the scope of the law,” Bouchard said. “It’s going to divert a lot of precious resources from things we could and should be doing. This is not something we should be spending a lot of time and money on.”
Bouchard said in his opinion, voters decided that people who were suffering deserved to have their pain lessened when the measure passed in November 2008.
“This has gone far ( away ) from that,” he said. Patients have received medical marijuana cards for things such as stomachaches and shoulder pain, Bouchard said, while others have taken the opportunity to “take an illegal operation and give it the air of legality.”
An investigation is ongoing and more arrests could be made. Suspects could face charges such as possession of marijuana with intent to deliver and manufacturing marijuana, with penalties ranging from 90 days to 15 years imprisonment.
“This is a clear abuse of Michigan’s medical marijuana exemption,” Bouchard said. “It will get nothing but worse. There will be more problems unless the Legislature does its job.”

Source: Daily Tribune, The (Royal Oak, MI)
Copyright: 2010 The Daily Tribune
Contact: editor@dailytribune.com
Website: http://www.dailytribune.com/
Author: Dave Phillips, For the Daily Tribune

Traverse City Approves Marijuana Regulations

2010-08-30T08:22:00.000-07:00

Traverse City, MI — New regulations that dictate when and where city residents can grow and distribute medical marijuana could be changed if problems arise.
City commissioners on Monday gave final approval to a new ordinance that regulates land-use issues tied to the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act. It takes effect Aug. 26.
The ordinance allows for cultivation of up to 72 marijuana plants in single-family homes, and that concerns those who believe such activity could degrade the city’s residential neighborhoods. But commissioners weren’t ready to rule out residential growth.
“This law is not set in concrete,” Mayor Pro-Tem Ralph Soffredine said. “We can bring it back to the table, and we can tweak it and do what we want to do with it. But we need to give it a chance.”
The Michigan Medical Marijuana act, approved in 2008, allows patients to possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana and 12 plants. It also allows designated caregivers to grow and distribute plants to up to five patients.
But the act doesn’t specify where or when patients and caregivers can grow or exchange marijuana, so municipalities across the state were left to decide for themselves.
The new ordinance doesn’t affect the amount of plants a patient can have under state law, or the number of plants a caregiver can grow or distribute.
It instead specifies where legal marijuana-related activity can occur within city limits.
City resident Julia Wagner told commissioners she’s uncomfortable with marijuana growth in residential districts.
She voted in favor of medical marijuana, but assumed it would be closely regulated and available only at pharmacies.
“I had no idea that this could invade my neighborhood,” she said.
Her view was shared by Adrienne Rossi, a Central Neighborhood resident who called marijuana growth “extremely unhealthy for our residential neighborhoods.”
Pro-medical marijuana activists countered that residential growth allows patients easier and safer access to the drug.
Current residential growth hasn’t led to significant problems, they said, and the city could expose itself to potential litigation if it tries to prevent residents from exercising a right afforded under state law.
The ordinance allows for cultivation in excess of 72 plants in industrial districts, provided the cultivation facility owner obtains a license from the city.
It also allows for medical marijuana “collectives” in most commercial districts of the city.
Any medical marijuana that fits within the confines of the Medical Marijuana Act can change hands in such collectives, but growing isn’t allowed there.

Source: Traverse City Record-Eagle (MI)
Author: Art Bukowski
Published: August 17, 2010
Copyright: 2010 The Traverse City Record-Eagle
Contact: letters@record-eagle.com
Website: http://www.record-eagle.com/

City on Target With Marijuana Ordinance

2010-08-30T08:05:00.000-07:00

Lansing is doing the right thing by bringing medical marijuana care-givers under its ordinance for home businesses. Doing so will allow the city to set requirements that protect neighborhoods, preserve public safety and also provide a clear framework for those choosing this relatively new type of business.
Since Michigan passed its medical marijuana ballot proposal in 2008, patients have been able to seek a doctor’s approval and then register with the state. Doing so makes them eligible to either grow plants for themselves or find a state registered care-giver, who will grow the plants and prepare the marijuana for use.
But what the ballot proposal didn’t do was create a structure for dealing with a wide array of businesses that support the new medical marijuana industry, such as medical marijuana dispensaries or home-based medical marijuana caregivers.
Lansing is working on ordinances that address both the dispensaries, which would locate on commercially zoned property, and the home-based care-givers, who would be permitted to operate in residential neighborhoods, but only if they meet certain criteria.
While there has been concern in some parts that local government or local law enforcement would make it difficult for medical marijuana entrepreneurs, Lansing’s approach to date has been right on the mark.
As City Attorney Brig Smith recently commented about the home occupation ordinance:
“The goal is to regulate this occupation just like we would regulate others, whether the home occupation is growing tomato plants or medical marijuana.”
That’s more than reasonable. And a review of the ordinance finds it fairly straight forward as well.
The ordinance prohibits such businesses from operating within 1,000 feet of public or private schools, colleges, youth centers, arcades and public swimming pools. That’s reasonable, given that marijuana is still a controlled substance. The ordinance also parallels state rules in requiring that marijuana be kept in an enclosed, locked space.
The majority of Michiganians voted in favor of medical marijuana, wanting this treatment option for those who may benefit. Lansing is on the right path to create a clear set of laws for entrepreneurs involved in serving these patients while at the same time protecting its residents.
Source: Lansing State Journal (MI)
Published: August 17, 2010
Copyright: 2010 Lansing State Journal
Website: http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/

Farmington Compassion Medical Marijuana Meeting MONDAY, AUGUST 23, 2010

2010-08-06T07:35:00.001-07:00

Join us Monday, August 23, 2010 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. at the Farmington Library, 32737 W. Twelve Mile Rd.

We will discuss issues that affect Michigan's Medical Marijuana Community. Network with Attorneys, Grow Specialists, Caregivers and Patients.

DIGITAL VAPORIZER RAFFLE!

Farmington Compassion Meeting TUESDAY June 22

2010-06-21T14:11:00.000-07:00

Join us TUESDAY, JUNE 22, 2010 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. at the Farmington Library, 32737 W. Twelve Mile Rd., Farmington Hills.

Farmington Compassion and BDT's Pipe & Tobacco will be raffling a Digital Vaporizer during the meeting.

Public Meeting, everyone is welcome 18+ or accompanied by a parent/guardian.

Meeting Tonight!

2010-05-17T07:53:00.000-07:00

Please join us TONIGHT at the Farmington Library, 32737 W. Twelve Mile Rd., Farmington Hills.

Farmington Compassion and BDT's Pipe & Tobacco will be raffling a Digital Vaporizer during TONIGHT'S meeting!

We will discuss issues that affect the Michigan Medical Marijuana Community in a safe and comfortable environment.

Refreshments will be available.

We will also be taking reservations for Bud's & Blues 2, a private medicated friendly event featuring ColdPeppa, Detroit's hottest blues band, taking place Saturday, June 19, 2010 from 6-10 p.m. at Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup, 32407 Northwestern Highway, Farmington Hills.

2010-04-05T07:09:00.000-07:00

Hash Bash April 3, 2010

2010-03-31T07:40:00.000-07:00

Hash Bash is an annual event held in Ann Arbor, Michigan on the first Saturday of April. The event is a collection of speeches, live music, street vending centered around the goal of reforming federal, state and local marijuana laws.

The first Hash Bash was held in 1971. The campus of the University of Michigan sits upon state property, and so anyone caught with marijuana on any campus location is subject to the more strict state marijuana laws.