MARIJUANA JOURNAL

Marijuana Journal is a weekly column tracking the implementation of
the state medical marijuana law. R.D. Winthrop is a longtime medical
marijuana activist. This column appears online every Monday and every
Wednesday in print.

When public officials turn their back on a population -- as most
Michigan public officials have done in the past three decades -- they
lose sight of more than the people they have sworn to serve. They
lose sight of opportunity.

The medical marijuana law Michigan voters approved in November was
"silent on supply." Absent any reference to common production,
distribution, or supply beyond the atomized, small garden approach
dictated in the law, the state has yet to give thought to deriving
revenue from the sale of medical cannabis. The only revenue foreseen
by the state, apparently, is the $100 processing fee it imposes upon
patients for filing the presently unavailable, but mandatory, medical
marijuana registry form.

Registration opens in a week and I get the feeling they hope nobody shows.

The Michigan Medical Marijuana Association was formed to assure
"safe, effective, and cost-efficient supply of 'medical quality'
cannabis," and now includes launching a training program for
cultivators of all experience levels. We expect to see our public
universities and other agricultural agencies devote professional
attention to cannabis, but for now it is part of our business model.

Everywhere I go there's evidence of "entrepreneurial edge" to the
movement. There's something about the people who have come to us with
their ideas and products. There are quality strains that have been
developed here, unique to Michigan, with more on the way. We're close
to cracking the federal government's "prior restraint" laws that for
three decades have barred useful cannabis research. There is enormous
demand for alternatives to smoking, including topical applications
(oils, creams, waxes) which we are encouraging development. Today,
right now, there are Michigan products, field-tested and legal in all
respects -- but there's not a marketplace in this state.

We're here to assure that marketplace comes to fruition, is properly
regulated as any business must be, and to be valued in the
communities we serve. That includes paying our fair share of state
and local taxes.

How long will it take to get their attention?

Colleen Davis, owner of the Gone Wired Cafe, has joined the MMMA's
advisory board. She is also hosting our April 6 compassion club at
Gone Wired where we will stage prior to delivering our registration
papers. Patients, caregivers and their friends and family are all invited.