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Marijuana business robbed on Lansings east side | Lansing State Journal | lansingstatejournal.com

LANSING — Lansing police are investigating an armed robbery at a marijuana business on Lansing’s east side early Thursday evening.

Three to four men entered the Compassionate Apothecary in the 2200 block of East Michigan Avenue about 5:45 p.m., Lansing police said.

One of men had a handgun and demanded marijuana-related goods from employees, said Robert Merritt, public information officer for the Lansing Police department.

While one of the men robbed the store, the other men involved robbed two patrons in the store, witnesses told police. An employee was reportedly struck in the head with a pistol by a suspect, but wasn’t seriously injured.

The men fled out the back door with stolen property.Merritt said police are still trying to figure out what happened during the robbery.

New Post has been published on http://www.michiganmedicalmarihuana.com/possible-changes-medical-marijuana-michigan/

Possible Changes to Medical Marijuana in Michigan

Thursday the House Judiciary Committee heard testimony regarding proposed changes to Michigan’s medical marijuana law.

The committee is taking up three bills, House bill 4271, sponsored by Representatives Callton, HB 5104 sponsored by Rep. Kowall, and Senate Bill 660 sponsored by Sen. Kahn.

The bills each relate to medical marijuana but are separate and different in nature.

One would create medical marijuana dispensaries with local control.

The second would provide for medibles–allow for edible marijuana products, topical solutions and other non-smoked marijuana products.

The third, if the federal government down graded marijuana from a schedule one drug to a schedule two drug, would provide for “pharmaceutical-grade cannabis” that was guaranteed free of any pesticides, mold or other safety hazards as well as regulate for the amount of HTC in each dosage.

“We had three rooms of people who wanted to speak on this,” said the committee chair, Rep. Kevin Cotter, a republican from Mount Pleasant. “It is an issue of great interest, and so we want to allow the opportunity for more people to be heard.”

The committee listened to about a dozen people–including medical marijuana patients, family members, medical professionals, and the sponsors of each bill.

Rep. Cotter said he is aware that some negative feedback may exist, although none was provided Thursday morning.

“We’ll see if any of that is shared next week,” said Rep. Cotter to WILX. “One sector that we haven’t heard yet from is law enforcement. I am sure they will have some input, not only on dispensaries, but also on the issue of edibles, so we will wait to hear if that testimony is shared and if it is, we will consider it. If it’s not we won’t.”

Coming up on WILX News Ten at 5 p.m., what positive things people are saying about the bills, and why so many are excited a change could be on the way.

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Vote on medical marijuana bills allowing dispensaries, edibles, pharmacy sales on hold | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

LANSING — A vote on a trio of bills related to Michigan’s Medical Marijuana Act probably won’t happen until next year.

But that didn’t stop a couple hundred people affected by the law from cramming into three committee rooms Thursday to voice their support and concerns about the bills during a meeting of the House Judiciary Committee.

“Our current legislation is the worst,” said Stephen Postema, city attorney for Ann Arbor. “At least take the next step and move the Michigan law into a better place than it is now.”

■ Related: Bill allowing medical marijuana sales in pharmacies passes Michigan Senate

The bills would allow communities to determine and regulate if they want medical marijuana dispensaries — called provisioning centers — to operate in their communities; it also would allow for the manufacture and sale of other forms of marijuana, including edibles like brownies and oils.

The bills are needed, said sponsors state Reps. Mike Callton, R-Nashville, and Eileen Kowall, R-White Lake, because court rulings have made dispensaries and edible forms of marijuana illegal.

“I really believe in this because there are some patients who really need it,” Callton said. “And I would rather see them get marijuana in a place where felons are limited and the product is tested.”

Communities can opt in or out of allowing dispensaries in their communities.

“This is about local control, because it’s not right for every community,” Callton said.

The edibles bill is needed because many patients, especially seriously ill children, can’t smoke the product, Kowall said.

“The law has largely been reduced to smoking and vaporizing the marijuana,” Kowall said. “But after speaking with caregivers, most would prefer to ingest in ways other than smoking. They desperately need alternative delivery methods.”

Jim Powers of Center Line brought his toddler son, Ryan, who has minimal change nephrosis, an autoimmune disease that attacks the kidneys, mostly in young children. Marijuana-infused oils have helped modulate his immune system and alleviate the symptoms of the disease.

“Out of desperation, we turned to cannabis oil, and he went into remission, but the court of appeals ruled his medicine illegal,” Powers said.

The third bill, which has already passed the state Senate, would amend the public health code and classify marijuana as a Schedule 2 controlled substance; provide for the licensure and regulation of facilities to grow and test pharmaceutical grade pot, and allow those facilities to sell the drug to pharmacies to dispense.

Medical marijuana users would have to get an additional, enhanced certificate from a doctor in order to be able to buy the drug from a pharmacy.

The legislation is contingent upon the federal government reclassifying marijuana as a Schedule 2 controlled substance, which would give it medical legitimacy and would allow pharmacies to dispense it. Marijuana is now a Schedule 1 controlled substance that the federal government still considers an illegal substance with no medical benefit.

None of the three bills would affect a medical marijuana user or caregiver from continuing to grow their own cannabis.

Testimony on the bills will continue in the committee on Tuesday.

Contact Kathleen Gray: 517-372-8661, [email protected]. Follow her on Twiter @michpoligal.