Heady99

Fri, Oct 1, 2010 : 12:33 p.m.

I have never met or heard of anyone dying from marijuana - on the other hand I know several people that have died or are dying from alcohol. You people who don't understand the benefits of marijuana need to do your homework. I am a person who cannot take narcotic drugs for pain - it will literally kill me - on the other hand I could use marijuana which does help me but I don't because I don't want to be considered "a pot head" or a "bad person" so I live each and every day in pain. Be considerate of the these people - they are not hurting anyone but trying to help themselves!

Basic Bob

Thu, Sep 30, 2010 : 5:56 p.m.

@RuralMom, if people are unconcerned about drug interactions, they can just go to multiple doctors and multiple pharmacists. It happens all the time. Marijuana has some known interactions with pharmaceuticals, notably antidepressants. Fortunately, marijuana addresses some of the same symptoms such as anxiety. It would be great if you could buy pot at the drug store. It would be less expensive to produce than pills.

bugjuice

Thu, Sep 30, 2010 : 10:33 a.m.

Throughout it's long and well documented history marijuana has never been associated or connected in any way with an overdose nor has it ever been connected as having any contraindications with any other drug. What evidence it there and who can say and back up with any documentation that marijuana has caused or ever been implicated (with reliable scientific data) with a death or having caused one in combination with other medicines? Of course any drug or medicine can be dangerous if used in combination with other drugs or medicines. People do this all the time with and without a doctors approval or knowledge. Many effective over the counter drugs, such as ibuprofen are very dangerous by itself and when used in conjunction with other drugs, particularly to the liver and pancreas when used with alcohol. People use ibuprofen every day and I'm sure that more than a few have a beer or glass of wine at days end. Should we ban ibuprofen because people are stupid enough to misuse it? There is no way that every drug or medicine, including aspirin, can be called perfectly safe. People will do stupid and sometimes deadly thing. The drugs can't be blamed for people's stupidity nor can we pass laws that protect stupid people from themselves. Marijuana cannot be blamed because someone takes a heart medicine and eats a brownie, takes a long walk or bike ride and then falls into a coma. Without scientific evidence, making that claim is no more than continuing Reefer Madness. There are people who are afraid of everything they don't know and have been socialized to distrust. Ignorance of the facts breeds fear. There is no evidence whatsoever that marijuana alone or in combination, legal, illegal, prescribed or taken on a whim by some stupid person has ever caused a death. I challenge anyone to find and document any incident where this is the cause and marijuana has been conclusively link to such an event. The sky will not fall, the earth will not flatten when marijuana is legalized. Marijuana is a benign recreation drug with important and far less hazardous medicinal qualities and economic advantages over chemical compounds. It is an organic plant that grows almost everywhere. It has been used for centuries with no ill effects until it was banned socially by prohibition. The scientific, cultural, social and economic evidence is there. The long known history of marijuana's safe use is there. Inform yourself and see. Do not continue to believe the politically and economically motivated paranoid hyperbole of Reefer Madness and end the costly disaster of prohibition.

RuralMom

Thu, Sep 30, 2010 : 9:29 a.m.

Are we oblivious that being dispensed at a regular pharmacy under the care of a pharmacist who should know your prescription history, it is safer for the patient. Do you really want someone who is on say high blood pressure medication from one doctor, being given marijuana by another, no one connects the dots and he has a stroke? (This is an example). Dispenseries do not have licensed pharmacist to help the patients with regards to drug interactions. Marijuana maybe all natural however there are interactions for some meds from eating grapefruit with the meds, the same thing can happen from Marijuana. Do you want your advice from a Pharmacist or a Dispensery?

free2eat

Thu, Sep 30, 2010 : 6:05 a.m.

Industrial Hemp could be the next boom for Michigan, could you imagine the revenue it would bring to our lovely state. The possibilities are huge. We should all write our lawmakers to get this into action. A hemp plant can create fiber in 6 months where a tree may take 20 years. This is a sustainable system. Hemp plants do not have the buds that we smoke and could easily be grown outside.

FaithHope&Charity

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 9:40 p.m.

Reading all of the comments about zoning, marijuana being dangerous to use (redundant), alcohol use, abuse of prescription drugs etc., makes my head spin. It seems NO ONE has sat at the bedside of someone who is dying, withering away from the ravages of chemotherapy, too weak to eat, or talk much...their head slightly bobbing as they try to stay awake..marijuana simply makes the unbearable slightly more bearable, if only for a few minutes..maybe long enough to take a small bite of something to eat or a small sip of something...EVERYONE who has another AGENDA other than unadalterated compassion should be ASHAMED of themselves.

averagetaxpayer

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 9:36 p.m.

"... We have a small community. If people in this community want medical marijuana, they can go to Ann Arbor. And while in Ann Arbor, spend your shopping, dining and entertainment dollars there as well. Certainly don't spend them in Chelsea.

David Briegel

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 8:31 p.m.

bugjuice, you don't understand. It doesn't matter what 70% of the citizems wamt. It only matters what "some" of the "civic leaders" want! They know what's best! Maybe the High School kids should run the dispensaries! Or the city itself. Fremdfirma, UnAmerican and Offensive. Yes! Reefer Madness, Indeed!!

bugjuice

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 5:25 p.m.

If Chelsea or Ann Arbor or anywhere doesn't want to allow dispensaries it should be the right of those residents to decide in the voting booth. I feel that the dispensaries issue is being used by politicians and bureaucrats to solidify their political bona fides and continue to use marijuana as a way to distinguish themselves from their political opposition. As usual politicians and bureaucrats are far behind the curve and public opinion on this issue. The "it's here already" argument on the issue of medical marijuana is only relatedly relevant to the issue of marijuana prohibition meaning that prohibition has been a costly failure for decades. Like alcohol and tobacco, marijuana should be legally restricted for adult use. I completely agree that marijuana and other recreational drugs and alcohol are not good for developing minds, particularly in this day and age. The Michigan medical marijuana law was approved by about 75% of the states voters. I consider that a clear mandate to allow needy patients to establish a relationship with a caregiver. End prohibition. End Reefer Madness.

queenmom

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 4:49 p.m.

There is great irony in the city of Chelsea working to keep this evil substance out of town when it is routinely found by drug sniffing dogs in the high school. Guess what city council...it'a already here. Ask your student how to get some.

denise1inaa

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 2:59 p.m.

Like my husband says... SMALL TOWN SMALL MINDS.

denise1inaa

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 2:58 p.m.

Chelsea Planning & Zoning Administrator DROLETT states "many communities that have allowed them [refering to the dispensaries] are now experiencing the negative side effects"... what is he talking about? I am not aware of the data he is refering to. This is just fear mongering... lord knows what his imagination is conjuring up. His personal opinion is influencing his public decisions and this is not right. Medical marijuana was voted in by the majority of this state.

HaeJee

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 2:51 p.m.

After working in a doctors office and witnessing the huge numbers of patients that abuse prescription drugs, I find marijuana to be the less of a concern. Seriously.... Tecumseh is more progressive than Chelsea? They look the same from an outside perspective.

bugjuice

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 12:22 p.m.

Do not forget the huge economic value of hemp. I bet many farmers here would love to grow hemp for a cash crop. It has many various uses and uses far less energy and dangerous chemicals to grow than many of the chemical compounds in products it would replace. Hemp http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemp

fremdfirma

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 12:17 p.m.

It always offends me when any community decides that rather than obey the law, they will manipulate zoning and tax codes to enforce their will - somewhat like the tobacco prohibition via punitive taxation, which is I suspect what will happen if marijuana is ever legalised, simply because people are so willing to bend the rules and push their own moral viewpoint onto others even if the law denies them the power to do so. Because at the root, that's what this is... "We don't like the law, so we're going to contrive ways around it!" All the while decrying against a legitimate, legal use for whatever reason, while trying to subvert the intention of that legalization by leaving utterly nowhere for it to happen. And while, if I am not mistaken, currently re-zoning OTHER property in favor of a new police station, despite the property in question being unsuitable for it. The hypocrisy coming off this is so hot you could toast mashmallows over it. What it comes down to is folk who think marijuana should never be legal, for any purpose, have decided that they don't like the law allowing for it, and have arrogated themselves the right to decide that for everyone else simply because they have the power to determine WHERE. That is unamerican, and offensive.

bugjuice

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 12:02 p.m.

Aspirin, an inexpensive, multipurpose and effective drug available everywhere, was discovered in 1899. It's long been described as a "miracle drug" with benign side effects for most people. Compared to it's long history of safe and effective use it has virtually no modern r&d, yet It's the most widely used chemical drug in the world. Most of us use this readily accessible drug without a second thought, yet researchers do not know exactly how and why it does what it does and new discoveries are still being made about it's potential use. To say that we don't know enough about marijuana and its effects laughs in the face of anecdotal history and modern scientific research. The same can be said of acetylsalicylic acid. Aspirin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspirin Marijuana http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marijuana

Atticus F.

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 11:51 a.m.

Ruralmom,I'm just trying to remind people that we're not talking about recreational use of marijuana, as is being compared to recreational use of alcohol in a dry county. We are talking about any doctor recomendation in general. So maybe I shouldn't have limited my example soley to prescription drugs, but anything doctor recomended, but not prescribed. My point being that anything a doctor recomends to help heal or aleviate pain should not be infringed upon by local government.

revras

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 11:28 a.m.

Typical of what you would expect in Chelsea, bury your head in the sand and hope no one notices.

bugjuice

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 11:25 a.m.

Pharmaceutical companies spend billions of dollars on r&d and marketing, much of which is tax deductible for them, to make chemically based medicines, of which many have dangerous known and unknown side effects. As much as the pharmaceutical companies spend bringing a drug to market, the actual cost of producing a chemical compound, in pill form in most cases, is an extremely small percentage of its market price when compared to the profit those companies make from each pill sold. For instance, Lipitor costs Prizer virtually nothing to produce the chemical compound pill, but their profits from the drug are in the billions and have been for decades. On the other hand, marijuana, which can be grown organically in most gardens as well as indoors at low cost needs no research as it's medicinal and other effects are well known by its long and well documented history. Mark my words. We haven't heard the end of the reefer madness hyperbole and the volume of the debate will only escalate when we see the tobacco, alcohol, chemical, oil and pharmaceutical companies begin to spend their money opposing legalization of hemp as a cash crop and personal use of marijuana similar to beer and wine.

dextermom

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 11:07 a.m.

Marijana was made illegal at prohibition, along with alcohol. When alcohol was relegalized the Congress expected that maijuana would soon follow under separate legislation. This didn't happen BUT it had nothing to do with the "risks" of marijana being more than alcohol. A variety of things such as the power of the alcohol companies prevented further legislation. So, even from the time of prohibition there was no expectation or evidence of maijuana being "worse" than alcohol. There was campaign to demonize marijuana to keep it illegal. Any of us baby boomers and older saw the movies in our health classes. Public TV stations and CNN have shown documentaries repeatedly showing the POLITICAL reasons why marijuana is illegal. It has nothing to do with health, everything to do with big business.

bugjuice

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 10:53 a.m.

"Dry county" prohibition didn't work. There always was and still is plenty of illegal moonshine available in dry counties or drive to the next county over. I bet that more than a few of the moonshiners down south and elsewhere either paid politicians and heartily approved of the laws making counties dry as a way to help their own business model. The problem here is that more than a few folks are still suffering from their own twisted version of Reefer Madness. The issue will not be settled until it is legal for marijuana to be grown and used by adults as a medicine and recreational drug of choice in full consideration of it's long history of benign use and it's myriad other uses including but by no means limited to paper, oil, biomass for energy all of which have far less negative effects on the environment that their chemically laden and fossil fuel alternatives. Not unlike the governmental regulation of an individuals right to produce beer or wine for personal use, people should be able to legally grow their own marijuana on the same scale and under similar circumstances. I wonder how many farmers in Michigan would prefer to grow hemp for biomass fuel instead of allowing their property to be "fracked" and used for natural gas production?

David Briegel

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 10:46 a.m.

erich, In thousands of years of use there has never been a fatality! Do you have other results?

Bpf

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 10:46 a.m.

Jensen- Please substantiate your "overdosed" comment with a single example.

Erich Jensen

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 10:34 a.m.

It is interesting that pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device companies must spend millions of dollars and take a decade to prove the added value of medicines and equipment (with no side effects, an unreasonable expectation of most Michiganians) so that they can be helped, cured, have improved quality life. Yet the whim of the majority of voters allow marijuana with little to no regulatory oversight (e.g., FDA), with known side effects, and no legal and scientific direct claims for cures for diseases get this much support for clinics. I expect those same individuals will be the first to initiate lawsuits when the drug, marijuana is prescribed, used and abused and overdosed. Chelsea is making the right decision.

420

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 10:32 a.m.

"Washington DC City Council Gives Final Approval to Medical Marijuana Dispensary Plan" - copy this and google to read article.

treetowncartel

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 10:24 a.m.

I think the point being made in a few of the last posts, and most in general, is that communities can decide to allow dispensaries to operate even if they were not established under the law. That is, a community can take the approach to not enforce the law as written.

David Briegel

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 10:20 a.m.

silly tree, what is the reaction of most people to those "knuckle-draggers" in those dry counties?

David Briegel

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 10:19 a.m.

shadoe, "the backward thinking leadership in Chelsea"! Says it all!! Almost unanimous support on this board and amongst the citizens of our fair state.

RuralMom

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 10:10 a.m.

I am in favor of Medicinal Marijuana, the dry county angle is this, if its an approved drug (federally) then you could get it at CVS and your insurance would be paying (hopefully)a portion of the expense. Right now, we have a system where just about anyone can get a license to distribute this drug and its not dispensed by a PHARMACIST. Its a gray area, you may not like the "dry county" comparison, but an actual pharmacy comparison doesn't fit. Put it in the CVS, and the people don't have a choice about it now do they?

Atticus F.

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 10:01 a.m.

Ruralmom, no offence, but werte not talking about alcohol here. were are talking about somthing thats doctor recomended. If any 'dry county' decided they were going to take doctor prescribed medicine from patients, they would not exist anymore due to the lawsuits.

SillyTree

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 9:36 a.m.

@Rural Mom, This is just what I meant. I do agree with medical marijuana, but I also agree with you. You make a good point. I would ask that the people vote on it though. This wasn't a referendum.

RuralMom

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 9:24 a.m.

In some Southern States, they have dry counties, where you cannot purchase alcohol, this is basically the same thing. If you can do it to alcohol, following the will of the local people you can do it with Marijuana. Just because its legally allowed, does not mean the people have to allow it. Its reported a lot that I-94 near Chelsea has a lot of traffic stops that result in many substances being found. No easy answer!

bugjuice

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 9:14 a.m.

The state law DID foresee how marijuana was going to be distributed. Directly from the caregiver to the patient. At the state level, medical marijuana and the laws governing it are NOT prohibited by Federal law. Stop the reefer madness of Prohibition. More than once it has ben proven to be a costly failure. Stop attempting to rewrite the Michigan Medical Marihuana law to suit personal and political agendas. If a community wants to ban dispensaries, so be it, but DO NOT restrict legitimate, responsible and law abiding caregivers and patients from using the law for their own benefit! Bureaucrats may only enforce what a law allows them to enforce. People may do whatever a law does not prohibit.

Speechless

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 9:14 a.m.

Even while the draconian legal prohibition against smoking certain leaves continues to weaken and recede, there will be reactionary elements who can assertively circle their wagons and organize a valiant rear-guard stand.

Atticus F.

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 9:13 a.m.

Silly Tree, I think the point that they were trying to make is that the reason Chelsea is going after dispensaries is because they see marijuana as a danger, while they turn there backs to other things that can be considered dangerous.

SillyTree

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 9:07 a.m.

I don't think it lends well to credibility when false claims are made about KFC. I know much of what they serve is not healthy, but it is chicken and they call it chicken in their ads. If we have the right to beliefs that are contrary to fact, then we cannot expect different from others. We owe it to ourselves and our children to be educated enough that we can recognize an illogical statement when we see it. Even more, we should be able to recognize falicies, and invalid reasoning. The fast food argument is called changing the subject. It is not a valid argument. The alcohol argument is tenuous for the same reason. Do you really want medical marijuana equated with fast food and alcohol? The links are weak in the fist place and they do not help your cause in the least. If you have trouble separating truth from fiction, there are sources that can help. Snopes.com is great for verifying or debunking urban legends. However, if you think everything is a conspiracy, how do you trust anyone? They might all be in on it and you may already believe just what they want you to believe.

Polecat

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 8:53 a.m.

All these folks are trying to do is avoid the massive problems that cities in California have experienced. Many of these so called medical marijuana stores are a joke and they sell to anyone. As long as it is still against federal law, people should be careful since Obama won't be president forever and the next guy may not call off the federal dogs like he has.

schlomo

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 8:51 a.m.

I'm not surprised that small town, small minded Chelsea would keep this evil out of their lilly white town.

E. Manuel Goldstein

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 8:48 a.m.

I think the answer is quite simple: put MMJ dispensaries on the ballot in each city in Michigan, and let the voters decide what exactly they would like to see in their communities!

paulczar

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 8:30 a.m.

Can they please specify what the mean when they say that "Many of the communities that have allowed them are now experiencing the negative side effects. I dont think in a city like Chelsea, which already has very low crime, there would be any significant issues with having a dispensary. Stop denying patients their medication. How about they ban any of the opiates (hydrocodone, oxycodone, etc..) from local pharmacies as these are known to entice criminals to break into pharmacies. Tell patients suffering from chronic pain that if they want their vicodin, they can go to Ann Arbor!

Forever27

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 8:30 a.m.

What I want to know is what do these city governments stand to gain by prohibiting the dispensaries? There wouldn't be such a wide-scale push to drive these businesses out of town unless someone else is motivating the city governments to do so.

Ignatz

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 8:17 a.m.

I don't see how communities within this state can go against the will of the people either legally or morally. Marajuana as a bugaboo has been disproven over and over and now that we the people have decided that usage serves a compassionate purose, it's time to stop the fear mongering. One commenter has already alluded to there being unhealthy food choices in Chelsea. I'd like to add the fact that alcohol is being sold within the city limits. That is a far more dangerous "drug" allowed by state law. Also, I'd like to know what the "negative side effects" are that are being experienced by communities.

actionjackson

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 8:11 a.m.

How many pharmacies are now located near the M52 and Old US12 corner! Seems that another is still petitioning for the Wolverine tavern, gas station location also. Opiates, psychotropic head meds, amphetamines for weight loss, not to mention other liver and kidney destroying chemical compounds are being sold by the thousands daily and yet a natural plant will be under suspicion? Wake up people. Even the medical community has no problem with medical marijuana. Just shows the fear and nature of what 1930's movie mentality the council is using in their judgement. Nice way to welcome a new small business to the community. Reefer Madness is still a non-fiction story to some who have the ability to make such irrational decisions.

Top Cat

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 8:04 a.m.

If the City of Chelsea were truly interested in the health and well being of its citizens they would allow the dispensaries and close McDonalds.

Basic Bob

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 8 a.m.

The state law did not foresee how medical marijuana would be distributed. That does not mean this form of distribution is illegal. Since the federal government is not enforcing federal marijuana laws which are contrary to state laws, the city should not attempt to do otherwise. It only continues the bias toward legal narcotics and alcohol, both of which are far more dangerous than pot.

Robert

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 7:53 a.m.

just look at the poll that will tell you if you stop Medical Marihuana start looking for a new job

Bpf

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 7:37 a.m.

I'd like to ask Mr. Drolett to explain what some of the negative effects that cities that have allowed dispensaries have experienced. Ann Arbor police have said they haven't experienced any issues.

jcj

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 7:35 a.m.

@ronaldduck What? Take another look.

treetowncartel

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 7:27 a.m.

Dispensaries were never contemplated in the original legislation, e.g. the language from the petition that made it on the ballot, or the MDCH's regulations. An individual with a card can have up to 12 plants, and caregivers can in turn provide marijuana to individuals with a card, e.g. grow marijuana for them. A caregiver is limited to caring for 5 individuals with a card. No where is it contemplated that that a dispensary can operate. Any dispensary that has sold marijuana to more than 5 individuals could technically be charged with manufacturing and distribution under state and federal laws. It will be interesting to see what happens with this issue after the election this fall. It certainly seems like we will have a Republican governor, and most likely a Republican Attorney General. The AG might start to go after the dispensaries, but I am not certain what Snyder's take is on this. Certainly, if one of the more conservative Republican candidates would have gotten past the primary I think there may have been some stepped up enforcement on this issue in the future. maybe the bernero camp should stump on this issue? The law was overwhelmingly supported by the voters.

shadoe

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 7:19 a.m.

I am from Tecumseh, and our city council has also put a moratorium on marijuana dispensaries until our planning commission can put into place regualations on where they can go. There are no plans at this point on prohibiting them. Keep in mind that the medical marijuana law passed in every county in the State of Michigan by wide margins. The people have spoken, and the leadership of Chelsea should take note of the majority in favor of medical marijuana. At least down here in Tecumseh, we are a bit more progressive then the backward thinking leadership in Chelsea.

donderop

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 6:24 a.m.

If Chelsea officials are so concerned about the evils of medication, perhaps they should ban all pharmacies.

ronaldduck

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 5:58 a.m.

To the best of my recollection every other time I voted on an issue in an article on this website the choices were Yes, No, Undecided. This time after asking if the Chelsea City council should keep medical Marijauna out, the choices were, No, Yes, Undecided. Is there a bias showing?

clownfish

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 5:32 a.m.

Go ahead, keep it on the black market. Prohibition does not work. The only ordinance that should possibly be passed is one that limits lawful enterprise to commercial districts. When will the madness of silly laws passed in the 30's (for racist and monopolistic reasons) end?

bs

Tue, Sep 28, 2010 : 11:17 p.m.

those communities that are attempting to deny the rights of individuals who have a legitimate medical use for Marijuana need to examine their motives. The quote "they can go to Ann Arbor" is a typical NIMBY philosophy. We should expect more consideration and dialog from those in public office.