Legislation that would require drug testing of welfare recipients could soon hit the Michigan House's agenda, according to Rep. Jeff Farrington, R - Utica, who proposed the bill. Farrington proposed House Bill 5223 in December. That month the Michigan Department of Human Services released a legislatively-mandated report indicating that it would be feasible to drug test welfare recipients. Some type of pre-screen would be necessary, with testing for recipients suspected of drug use, and the matter of testing hadn't been worked out, but the department said it is feasible. [continues 1264 words]
People's Choice Alternative Medicine sort of blends in with the rest of South Main Street. Literally a 30-second stumble from Michigan Stadium, off of West Keech at 1054 South Main, the space is better identified to drivers and passersby for the white "Chiropractor 1054 Parking" sign outside than for what happens inside. That's exactly what co-owner Harry Cayce wants, which is why, despite the fact that People's Choice serves dozens upon dozens of customers a day, you won't smell even a whiff of marijuana coming from the building, won't see a bong loaded on the front porch on your way to Michigan football games this fall or a smoke-themed "alternative tailgate" in its drive way. [continues 983 words]
Much like the rest of the state, Ann Arbor is in a legal limbo where medical marijuana is concerned. Michigan voters approved the legalization of medical marijuana in November 2008, yet marijuana remains illegal at the federal level. And nothing in the law voters passed says anything about marijuana dispensaries or guides municipalities on how to regulate them. So the City of Ann Arbor has decided to take matters into its own hands and pass a medical marijuana ordinance. But that effort has been slow-moving and controversial. City Council, which still needs to pass next year's budget, won't even take another look at the ordinance until at least the June 6 meeting. By that point, as Dave Askins of the Ann Arbor Chronicle explained after the May 2 meeting, the city will have been working on the marijuana ordinance for a year. Mayor John Hieftje bemoaned the sheer amount of time the city has put into crafting an ordinance that still has yet to pass. [continues 131 words]
