GRAND RAPIDS, MI - In a medical marijuana case before the state Supreme Court, Grand Rapids attorney Bruce Block said the law, rather than offering protection to responsible users and growers, has instead put them at risk of arrest.

"Too many have complied with the plain language of the MMMA (Michigan Medical Marihuana Act) only to have the proverbial carpet yanked from beneath them after they were raided by SWAT teams in riot gear and automatic weapons and charged with serious drug felonies," Block wrote in a 47-page filing before the high court.

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The proposed Kalamazoo city ordinance to make possession of marijuana enforceable by an appearance ticket and to reduce jail time and lessen fines makes sense.

This ordinance, which had its first reading this week, would provide Kalamazoo Public Safety much needed flexibility in the handling of cases involving the possession of minor amounts of marijuana. The ordinance does not eliminate or supersede charges for more serious possession cases, but rather it gives officers the option of handling such cases with the issuance of a ticket rather than having to arrest and book a defendant. It also saves time and costs otherwise associated with having to prepare these cases for trial.

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GRAND RAPIDS, MI - The firing of a former Battle Creek Walmart worker, who was dismissed for failing a drug test but claimed he should be exempt because of Michigan's medical marijuana law, has been upheld by a federal appeals court that ruled the provision doesn't cover private business decisions.

The medical marijuana law "does not regulate private employment," the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals panel said in a ruling issued Wednesday.

Joseph Casias, who has an inoperable brain tumor, was fired by the Walmart store in Battle Creek after he failed the drug test. He sued, but the case was dismissed by U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker.

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Medical marijuana advocates are tired of the Republican-led Legislature and Attorney General Bill Schuette chipping away at the 2008 voter-initiated law. Today they're planning on letting them know.

At least 1,000 are expected to gather at the Capitol at noon to protest the source of their latest outrage - a four-bill package supporters say adds structure to Michigan's medical marijuana law, but opponents like Joe Cain of the National Medical Marijuana Coalition see as the legalized singling out of patients.

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CADILLAC - Three individuals have been charged as codefendants in 84th District Court in Wexford County in connection with the operation of the now-closed Twinn Bridges Compassion Club.

Christopher Frank Gee, 35, of Tustin, Kreig William Woodbury, 44, of Evart, and Bradly Kreikaard each have been charged as codefendants in connection with the operation of the business, which opened in November 2010.

The club has since closed voluntarily.

Gee told the Cadillac News prior to the arrests that the storefront offered medical marijuana, grown by himself, in a variety of forms.

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Legalization Advocate Irvin Rosenfeld's Visit to Michigan

Irvin Rosenfeld is one of the four surviving federal medical marijuana patients. There were once 13 of them, and Rosenfeld has been receiving his allotment longer than any of the other survivors. He gets a canister with about 300 rolled marijuana cigarettes from the government every 25 days. Instructions printed on the can instruct the patient to smoke 12 of them each day.

Rosenfeld, who has a bone disease called multiple congenital cartilaginous exostosis, which causes tumors to grow on the long bones of his body, was in Michigan last week to lobby the state Legislature on pending bills that will affect medical cannabis patients and their access to their medicine. He also spoke at a Downriver Community Compassion Club (DCCC) meeting held at Donovan VFW Hall in Dearborn Heights and sold a few copies of his 2010 book, My Medicine: How I convinced the U.S. government to provide my marijuana and helped launch a national movement.

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It is offensive that Bill Schuette and Sen. Rick Jones assume the Michigan electorate was "snookered" into voting yes for medical marijuana.

It is more likely that intelligent, informed voters said yes to medical marijuana because they weren't given the option to vote for flat-out legalization of this benign plant.

Those sixty-three percent are probably hopeful that the underground marijuana economy could be transformed into an above-ground source of tax revenue and small business growth that would benefit our state, while cutting spending on enforcement of prohibition of a substance that is less harmful to family life and public safety than alcohol.

MONICA SHAPIRO/Grand Blanc

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The state medical marijuana law, which went into effect four years ago, could be at the center of legislative debates again this fall if some state lawmakers have their way.

The Michigan Medical Marihuana Act, which allows patients to use or grow marijuana for medical relief, has been a hot-button issue since its passage, prompting amendments from critics and rallies from supporters.

But a handful of recently proposed amendments could change some of the law's language and reach.

One bill could allow police to access cardholder registry records, which medical marijuana advocates argue would target both patients and caregivers.

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KALAMAZOO, MI -- Kalamazoo's city attorney wants city commissioners to pass an ordinance making possession of marijuana enforceable by an appearance ticket instead of an arrest.

The ordinance also would lessen the fee or jail time offenders would serve, and would free up police officers for other matters.

Kalamazoo City Attorney Clyde Robinson wants the Kalamazoo City Commission to offer for first reading Monday an ordinance that would make marijuana possession -- except as permitted by law -- a misdemeanor enforceable by the use of an appearance ticket.

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LANSING, MI - Alcohol-related crashes may be down in Michigan, but there is another equally serious threat to contend with on the road: drugs.

Though alcohol-related crashes have dropped 25 percent from 2006 to 2011, drug-related accidents in the state are up 22 percent , according to an MLive Media Group analysis.

Traffic fatalities involving drugs were up 30 percent over a five-year period before dipping by almost 17 percent, or 26 deaths, last year.

Authorities say they may only be scratching the surface in identifying the extent of the "drugged driving" problem - one that is harder to detect because there is no equivalent roadside breath test for cocaine, morphine, Zanax and the like.

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LANSING, MI - The Michigan Supreme Court has agreed to consider if the state's medical marijuana law lets patients and caregivers store and grow marijuana together.

In their order released Friday, justices set oral arguments to decide if it should grant an appeal from a Grand Rapids man busted in 2010 for growing too many marijuana plants.

Ryan Michael Bylsma's case likely will be heard in October, the second medical marijuana case to be considered by the high court that month. The other deals with whether the 2008 voter-approved law permits patient-to-patient sales of marijuana.

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If You Voted Again, Would the Results Be Any Different?

Sen. Rick Jones (R-Grand Ledge) is thinking the answer is a resounding yes and if he is right, you can say adios to Michigan's Medical Marijuana law approved by over 60 percent of the voters when it was on the ballot.

Since that overwhelming yes vote, the law has been battered and bruised. First the local prosecutors had a field day, replicating the good ole days of Elliot Ness when he swash-buckled his way into every illegal speak-easy in the Midwest.

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WYOMING, MI -- The City of Wyoming will appeal a Michigan Court of Appeals decision that voided the city's ordinance regulating the use of marijuana.

Mayor Jack Poll announced the council's intent to appeal by reading a prepared statement following the public comment portion at the end of a council meeting Tuesday night.

"We feel that the Michigan law, as written, is very unclear," Poll said, reading the statement. "Unlike regulations for drunk driving, this law does not establish standards or tests for marijuana consumption."

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A decision this week by the Detroit Election Commission means that Detroit voters will see a proposal on the November ballot to allow possession of up to 1 once of marijuana on private property by anyone age 21 and older.

The commission's action was perfunctory -- in June, the Michigan Supreme Court ordered that the proposal be put on the ballot. That ruling followed a nearly two-year court fight in which the Detroit City Council and the city's law department tried to keep the proposal off the ballot.

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With a new school year comes Welcome Week. With Welcome Week come parties. And with parties, more often than not, comes pot. To get a sense of what this time of year means for all those illegal dealers out there, City Pulse sat down with two of them who used to do it. We will call them Joe, who is 26, and Garth, who is 23. Both recently graduated from MSU and both have also gotten out of the pot-dealing game. And both agree that when the students come back, so does business.

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Nearly four years after Michigan voters approved the use of marijuana for medical purposes, the Village of Milford is moving forward with a process to adopt local rules regulating its cultivation, distribution and other related activities.

The Milford Village Council recently directed attorney Jennifer Elowsky to finalize a draft ordinance that she and planning consultant Nick Lomako have been working on for the past several months. Meanwhile, the council extended by six months the moratorium on land uses in the village for medical marijuana activities. This most recent extension will run through Jan. 7, 2013.

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With National Recovery month beginning in September, Jon Weeldreyer, an addictions counselor at Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services, looks at the ways attitudes toward marijuana have evolved since the 1980s.

Although medical marijuana has provided relief to some patients' medical disorders, he sees challenges with the growth in medical marijuana laws.

Weeldreyer, a counselor and manager of the Pine Rest Kalamazoo Clinic, explores these questions and challenges in the following column:

As an addictions counselor since the mid-1980s, I've seen many changes in how the American public views marijuana.

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Space Previously Was Occupied by Collective Inc.

TRAVERSE CITY - A downtown medical marijuana operation reopened under a new name, and its new owner said it offers plenty more than pot.

The shop, 223 E. State St. Boutique & Compassion Center, recently opened and has its grand opening today at 5 p.m. It's housed in the storefront previously occupied by Collective Inc.

Owner Mike Hedden, who also owns medical marijuana dispensaries on Garfield Avenue in Traverse City and M-72 in Acme, said he's excited to offer local art at the State Street location. Dozens of pieces from several artists are on display, and he expects more to arrive in the coming weeks.

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SAGINAW TOWNSHIP, MI - Members of a local family said they are upset after eight BAYANET officers broke open their front door Monday night, ransacking the home to seize marijuana, cash and property.

Pot supporters, some from outside of Saginaw County, responded to offer support to the family.

Richard Markva, 42, lives in the home with his children, Tyler Markva, 17, Brittney Markva, 22, and Brittney's 2-year-old daughter, Areigha.

Brittney Markva said she was sleeping and awoke as Bay Area Narcotics Enforcement Team officers used a battering ram to knock down the front door.

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Few dispensaries remain, leaving little doubt that medical marijuana activity has gone back underground. Now, all eyes are on the state Supreme Court.

Once the neon flashes of an open sign and maybe a cannabis leaf showed plainly in the windows of 41 storefronts across greater Lansing. A half-dozen or so remain. Where once 11 medical marijuana dispensaries operated on the 1.6-mile stretch of Michigan Avenue between Cedar Street and U.S. 127, one remains.

Since Aug. 23, 2011, the number of medical marijuana dispensaries around town dropped from 41 to at least six. Thursday marks a happy anniversary for opponents of Lansing's once thriving medical marijuana dispensary scene, which reached a critical mass last summer right up until the state Court of Appeals sent owners running for the hills. For supporters of the market, particularly medical marijuana patients whose access to cannabis is more limited without dispensaries, Thursday is a far sourer anniversary.

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