Sam Bernstein of ArborYpsi Law Provides the Latest New on the Medical Marijuana Front in Michigan

  ANN ARBOR, MI - 08/21/2018 (PRESS RELEASE JET)

Lots of news from the medical marijuana front in Michigan over the last couple months. Here is a snapshot.

State Approves Medical Marijuana for New Health Conditions

Medical marijuana was approved for 11 new medical conditions. Those conditions arthritis, autism, chronic pain, colitis, inflammatory bowel disease, obsessive compulsive disorder, Parkinson’s Disease, rheumatoid arthritis, spinal cord injury, Tourette’s Syndrome, and ulcerative colitis.

At the same time, the state denied medical marijuana use for anxiety, asthma, brain injury, depression, diabetes, gastric ulcer, non-severe or non-chronic pain, organ transplant, panic attacks, schizophrenia, and social anxiety disorder

This might not all matter very soon, though. Voters in Michigan will soon voice their opinion on recreational marijuana. This means the state may no longer have to approve marijuana use for medical conditions. Individuals will be able to use marijuana regardless of whether the state thinks marijuana medically works for their condition.

First Marijuana Business Licenses Granted

The Michigan Marijuana Facilities Licensing Act saw the first marijuana business licenses handed out. These include a dispensary and processor in Ann Arbor, four grow operations in Chesaning, and a secure transport license in Lansing. This comes after somewhat slow progress which saw no licenses handed out.

The Facilities Licensing Act is supposed to provide the backbone for what will expected to be an industry worth hundreds of millions of dollars. If marijuana becomes legal for recreational use, we are looking at a billion-dollar industry. Before we can get there, the state will need to hand out licenses a little faster though.

Legal Marijuana is Officially Put on the Ballot

Michigan voters will go to the polls this November to decide if use and possession of marijuana should be legal. This could change a lot.

For years, the courts have struggled with medical marijuana legal principles. The law as written provided gray areas and room to argue, which resulted in lots of arguing. Countless appellate and supreme court decisions were written on every little issue with medical marijuana.

The legalization of recreational marijuana could eliminate a lot of these issues. There may soon be fewer issues to argue about.

But no fast. After the creation of medical marijuana in Michigan we saw the movement of police and prosecutors trying to make medical users’ lives more difficult. The same movement will likely continue or surge if marijuana becomes legal. In that case, criminal defense and marijuana lawyers will have to keep pushing back.

Author Bio

Sam Bernstein of ArborYpsi is an Ann Arbor attorney focusing on marijuana and criminal defense law. You can reach Sam at (734) 883-9584 or by e-mail at bernstein@arborypsilaw.com. ArborYpsi Law is located at 4158 Washtenaw Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48108.