Pubdate: Fri, 02 Apr 2010
Source: Central Michigan Life (Central MI U, MI Edu)
Copyright: 2010 Central Michigan Life
Contact:  http://www.cm-life.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2808
Author: Carisa Seltz
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)

PAIR SEEK TO FORM MEDICAL MARIJUANA COLLECTIVE

Brandon McQueen filed as a medical marijuana service provider on his 
tax returns because it is his job.

But the Mount Pleasant junior and president of the Mount Pleasant 
Compassion Club said he is "maybe only one in 10" caregivers who 
actually claim the revenue made off cultivating their  patients' 
medical marijuana on their taxes.

McQueen is teaming with MPCC Treasurer Matt Taylor to establish a 
medical marijuana collective in Mount Pleasant.

The duo hopes to combat the lost revenue for the state and provide a 
central location in which member-only patients can obtain medical marijuana.

McQueen and Taylor said the collective would be a local organization 
working out of a designated "storefront" and would provide medical 
marijuana to patients who are members.

They would not, however, cultivate the medical marijuana on site; 
rather, they would merely store and distribute it to member-patients.

"The way we see it, medical marijuana is not for recreational use," 
Taylor said. "We're here to facilitate patients getting their medicine."

McQueen said there are three ways a patient can obtain medical 
marijuana: grow it, sign a caregiver up to grow it or buy it off the street.

"We would like to make that third option a legitimate option," McQueen said.

He said the collective's ideal role is to be a place where patients 
can go to get quality-controlled, regulated medicine at an affordable 
rate as determined by free-market principles.

"(The collective) should bring down prices and bring up quality," McQueen said.

Taylor and McQueen are trying to find a commercial location in Mount 
Pleasant or Union Township to set up their collective.

They also need to contract caregivers and patients, write a body of 
procedure and establish themselves as a limited liability company.

Taylor said they would halt their plans to establish a collective if 
local law enforcement and community members voiced concern and 
requested them to stop.

"We turned in a copy of our plan to the sheriff and to the city 
manager," Taylor said. "We told the sheriff we would like to work 
with (him) ... we don't want (the medical marijuana) to be resold illegally."

Taylor and McQueen said their collective would help police enforce 
Michigan's medical marijuana law.

The police would know where the medical marijuana is being sold and, 
because their collective would give member-caregivers a customer base 
to facilitate trade, they would not be tempted to sell their extra 
product illegally on the street.

Are collectives okay?

Celeste Clarkson, compliance section manager with the state Bureau of 
Health Professions which oversees the Medical Marijuana Registry 
Program, said the medical marijuana law does not address collectives. 
But just because they are not in the act does not mean they cannot be 
established. she said.

"We are aware of the fact that they are out there, but it's up to the 
local jurisdiction and law enforcement as to how they will accept 
them or treat them," Clarkson said.

"The act does speak to the fact that a patient or a caregiver can 
only possess two-and-a-half ounces of usable marijuana for each 
patient ... so if a caregiver has access to more than their allowable 
amount of usable marijuana for their patents, then does that mean 
they're in violation of the law? I don't know. It's tricky."

McQueen and Taylor said operating the collective is legal under 
section 4(i) of the Medical Marijuana Act, which defines medical use 
and a person's right to administer medical marijuana to help 
registered patients.

Clarkson said a lot of jurisdictions are mute on the point whereas 
others are setting up strict zoning ordinances.

She said the Department of Community Health does not have any 
enforcement authority on the issue.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom