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SpartanDem

(4,533 posts)
Thu May 31, 2012, 06:54 PM May 2012

Michigan Supreme Court: Medical marijuana patients safe from prosecution

Source: Detroit Free Press

The Michigan Supreme Court, in its first major ruling on a case arising from the use of medical marijuana, said today that the state's voter-approved law on medicinal pot provides relatively broad legal protection from prosecution, even for patients who do not register for a state medical marijuana card.

In a pair of cases out of Oakland and Shiawassee counties, the court ruled unanimously that lower-court interpretations of the marijuana statute had been too restrictive.

In the Oakland County case, the court said the law allows a person arrested on a marijuana-related offense to assert a medical marijuana defense, as long as the use of marijuana was recommended by a doctor after the law was enacted in 2008 and before the arrest.

Unfortunately for the defendant in the case, Alexander Kolanek, the court said he could not avail himself of the defense because his doctor’s recommendation was post-arrest.



Read more: http://www.freep.com/article/20120531/NEWS06/120531054/Michigan-Supreme-Court-Medical-marijuana-patients-safe-from-prosecution



What makes this ruling even more surprising the the MI court has a conservative 5-4 GOP majority.

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Michigan Supreme Court: Medical marijuana patients safe from prosecution (Original Post) SpartanDem May 2012 OP
I'm shock. This coming out of the conservative MI SC. Shocked I tell you! Thanks for posting. eom Purveyor May 2012 #1
Some conservative members are actually true to their truedelphi May 2012 #2
I may have to buy cold weather gear and move... Dustlawyer May 2012 #3
But will this ruling protect them from federal prosecution? n/t totodeinhere May 2012 #4
There's the rub LiberalLovinLug May 2012 #5
Unfortunately, too true. Vidar May 2012 #6
Voter purging is going on... awoke_in_2003 May 2012 #7
Well, shut my mouth wide open! I am truly stunned. Pathwalker May 2012 #8
And the pukes claim... awoke_in_2003 May 2012 #9

truedelphi

(32,324 posts)
2. Some conservative members are actually true to their
Thu May 31, 2012, 07:06 PM
May 2012

conservative roots. That people themselves should decide what they will or won't put into their bodies.

I can't tell you how many times I am watching a broadcast out of our local PBS station here in Lake county Calif., and it is the conservative RW retired sheriff who is speaking sense on the issue.

He will be saying we should not keep marijuana criminalized, that it would be far better to use our police for real criminals than for someone smoking a doobie.

Democratic party leaders better get aboard the issue if they want to keep voters voting a "D" platform. Instead, far too many of them are sell outs to Big Pharma.

Dustlawyer

(10,497 posts)
3. I may have to buy cold weather gear and move...
Thu May 31, 2012, 07:23 PM
May 2012

I suffer from small fiber sensory neuropathy which is extremely painful 24/7/365. Hell (Texas) will freeze over before these true believers take an honest look at the science behind medical pot and legalize it. Everything to these people is either political, or a sin. Meanwhile, I am forced to take medicines that do not work as well, have terrible side effects, are a hassle to get, expensive and, I have to be subjected to random piss tests, all because I have a disease. What is going wrong with this country!

LiberalLovinLug

(14,176 posts)
5. There's the rub
Thu May 31, 2012, 07:43 PM
May 2012

It won't be long before Obama's and Holder's anti-pot thugs raid and charge.

Personally I'd really like to hear Obama's defense of these actions. Maybe its because of his daughters? Maybe from his past experiences? I just want to hear from him a good explanation of why he insists on stepping up the War on Medical Marijuana even beyond where Bush took it.

 

awoke_in_2003

(34,582 posts)
7. Voter purging is going on...
Thu May 31, 2012, 08:28 PM
May 2012

in several states, and the DOJ won't life a finger about it. Pot, on the other hand...

Pathwalker

(6,599 posts)
8. Well, shut my mouth wide open! I am truly stunned.
Thu May 31, 2012, 08:29 PM
May 2012

I must admit, I had no faith whatsoever in this court's willingness to honor what we Michiganain/ganders voted to establish - the legal right to the medicine WE choose. Now, can we count on them to deliver the knockout blow to AG SchItee and rule that the dispenseries were legal? I'm not holding my breath....any longer than I can hold a toke

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