Charges Revived In Medical Marijuana Case
HASTINGS (WWJ/AP) - The Michigan Supreme Court has reinstated charges against a medical marijuana user who provided pot to another user without charge.
There is no dispute that Tony Green provided less than 2 1/2 ounces of marijuana to Al Thornton in western Michigan's Barry County in 2011. Both were qualified to use medical marijuana, which can legally be used to alleviate the symptoms of certain illnesses if someone sees a doctor and gets a state-issued card.
A judge had dismissed the case, and the state appeals court agreed in January. But the Supreme Court says some protections in the medical marijuana law don't cover transfers like Green's.
The law says registered users can grow their own marijuana or get it from a caregiver who also is registered with the state.
Under the state's current law, approved by voters in 2008, people can possess up to two ounces of ready-to-use marijuana and have up to 12 plants in a locked area. The law says medical marijuana users can get the drug from a caregiver who also is registered with the state.
Some leaders in Lansing say the law is vague and confusing to doctors, patients and law enforcement — and issues surrounding sharing, selling and otherwise dispensing the substance continue to be challenged and debated in court.
More than 130,000 people in Michigan are registered medical marijuana patients, and another 25,000 are registered as caregivers who are allowed to grow marijuana for up to five people.
Current laws pertaining to medical marijuana in Michigan allow for the drug to be used as treatment for certain diseases such as glaucoma, cancer, hepatitis C and Crohn's disease.
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