Michigan Senate Judiciary Committee Will Hold Hearings Tomorrow For Proposed Medical Marijuana Legislation
Dan Riffle, Marijuana Policy Project
Tomorrow morning, the Michigan Senate Judiciary Committee will hold hearings on four bills that would change the state’s medical marijuana law. In most cases, the bills call for changes that restrict access to medical marijuana. Here’s the full summary of each, but in short:
HB 4834 – Gives law enforcement officers direct access to patient registry information through the Law Enforcement Information Network (LEIN) – which federal agencies can access – without requiring a warrant.
HB 4851 – Creates a “bona fide physician-patient relationship” that would be necessary before a doctor could recommend marijuana, including that doctors continue to monitor the efficacy of marijuana for each patient.
HB 4853 – Provides sentencing standards for the crime of selling medical marijuana in violation of the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act.
HB 4856 – Requires patients transporting medical marijuana to carry it in a case in the trunk of their vehicle.
There are a few positives in the details of some of the bills, but overall, the bills propose radical restrictions not supported by Michigan’s voters that would make life harder for patients who need medical marijuana. For that reason, MPP opposes the legislation. Please write the members of the committee and ask them to oppose these bills.
