Pubdate: Wed, 21 Dec 2011 Source: Spinal Column Newsweekly (Union Lake, MI) Copyright: 2011 Linear Publishing Contact: http://www.spinalcolumnonline.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4425 Author: Michael Shelton COUNCIL EXTENDS BY SIX MONTHS ITS MEDICAL POT BAN The Milford Village Council voted on Dec. 5 to approve an extension of the village's moratorium on medical marijuana facilities for another six months, a move that now pushes the moratorium's expiration date to June 4, 2012. The village originally passed its moratorium for six months back in June 2010, and this marks the third time that the moratorium has been extended for six months. The moratorium forbids land uses for growing and distributing medical marijuana or allowing schools to provide training on the cultivation, processing, and distribution of the drug. Medical marijuana use was legalized for qualified patients following authorization by Michigan voters in the November 2008 general election. The Michigan Medical Marijuana Act went into effect on April 4, 2009. Village Manager Arthur Shufflebarger previously said that conflicts between the state statute authorizing medical marijuana use and federal law are confusing. This move comes after the Milford Township Board of Trustees voted last month to also extend the township's moratorium on medical marijuana for another six months. The Milford Township Planning Commission discussed the moratorium at its meeting on Dec. 6. Commission Chairman David Kulp said that the commission discussed what other communities are doing in regards to medical marijuana. "We're waiting for the state Legislature to clean up the current statute," Kulp said. "We don't want to put something in place that will be negated (in court). We're waiting for action on things such as dispensaries and lawsuits with the state and various communities to settle." State law permits physician-approved use of marijuana by patients with debilitating medical conditions including cancer, glaucoma, AIDS, hepatitis C, multiple sclerosis, and other conditions as approved by the state Department of Community Health. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr.