SILVERDOME POT FEST SHOULD BE CANCELED

Much to the chagrin of city officials, plans have been set for a
cannabis convention in the Silverdome for Oct. 29-31.

Bruce Perlowin, the CEO of Medical Marijuana Inc., is behind the
event and bristles at referring to it as a "pot party." He calls it
the International Holistic Health Cannabis Convention Halloween
Harmony & Harvest Festival, and says it's a trade show.

No matter how it is termed, city officials are justified in being
concerned. Medical marijuana may be legal in Michigan but the
controversial drug shouldn't and isn't something that can be
purchased over the counter at your local pharmacy.

Municipalities throughout the state have been struggling with just
how to regulate the distribution of the drug to those who can legally
use it. Many communities have placed moratoriums on ordinances
addressing the distribution to make sure the process is appropriately
covered and that the drug doesn't fall into the wrong hands.

In fact, local officials would be shirking their duties if they did
not scrutinize the law and establish sound regulatory laws.

Voters approved the proposition with their hearts, but local
community leaders need to control it with their heads.

Medical marijuana is not the panacea that its supporters say it is,
and there are numerous peripheral or collateral problems associated
with its legal distribution and use. Most doctors are reluctant to
say it won't help a suffering patient but likewise, only a few are
strong proponents.

Also, making sure the drug doesn't find its way into the hands of
those not authorized to use it will cost communities money because of
the law enforcement requirements.

Medical Marijuana Inc. advertises itself as providing tools to manage
a medical marijuana business in full compliance of laws and
regulations regarding cannabis.

This is one very good reason why the Silverdome festival should not
be conducted. Too many communities are still not certain about how to
regulate marijuana, which is the reason for the moratoriums.
Consequently, if all of the laws are not in place, how can festival
organizers provide accurate guidance on complying with the regulations?

In addition, Pontiac Police Chief Val Gross has expressed concern
about public safety and illegal drug use in connection with the
festival. We're not going to second-guess Perlowin as to why he wants
to conduct the dome festival. It certainly seems premature at the
very least, considering how new the law is.

Some people will undoubtedly make thousands, if not hundreds of
thousands of dollars, thanks to the new law. It's not unreasonable to
give local communities time to institute regulations that will make
sure all of the transactions are legal.

Complicating the situation is the fact marijuana use may be allowable
for some people under state law, but it's still illegal on the federal level.

Medical Marijuana Inc. is a California-based company. That state was
one of the first in the nation to legalize medical marijuana and
since then, it still is struggling with regulations over how the drug
should be distributed.

While Michigan would like to become the new "Hollywood" through
increased filmmaking here, we don't need to bring in the California
drug culture.

So caution is obviously called for and common sense says that the
festival should be canceled.