MACOMB SHERIFF LEERY OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA PROPOSAL

Macomb County Sheriff Mark Hackel said today that passing Proposal 1
- -- the statewide initiative on the Nov. 4 ballot to allow the use of
medical marijuana -- would make it impossible for police to regulate
marijuana use and make it far easier for youngsters to get their hands
on the drug.

Hackel said at a press conference that the proposal's supporters are
disingenuous when they say the goal is to legalize the drug for
medical-use only. Officers would have difficulty levying a criminal
case against anyone caught with marijuana, as long as they assert they
need it medically, Hackel said.

"It blows my mind," he told the Free Press after the press conference.
"This is a proposal to legalize marijuana, period."

The proposal's authors say it's narrowly written and applies only to
the very sick and won't cause an increase in marijuana on the streets.