MICHIGAN RESIDENTS NEED LEGAL MEANS TO OBTAIN MEDICAL MARIJUANA

State guidelines permit residents with debilitating medical
conditions to use marijuana for pain but fail to offer a legal means
to acquire the drug. Obviously, that's a huge challenge for people
looking for a lawful way to ease their suffering. Gov. Jennifer
Granholm and lawmakers need to fix this glaring problem. Michigan
voters overwhelmingly supported the medical marijuana proposal last
November when it garnered 63 percent of the vote.

State health officials recently finalized the guidelines. The medical
marijuana law allows people with cancer, HIV, AIDS, glaucoma and
other qualifying diseases to use marijuana to relieve their symptoms,
if a doctor recommends it. Qualifying patients can apply for a permit
allowing them to legally possess 2.5 ounces of marijuana or grow 12
marijuana plants in a locked, enclosed area, or designate a caregiver
to do so for them. The Michigan Department of Community Health
(MDCH), which set the guidelines, is responsible for reviewing and
approving medical marijuana permits. The picture ID cards will cost
$100 annually.

But access -- the biggest program issue -- was not addressed. How are
those approved to use marijuana suppose to obtain it without breaking
the law? It is illegal in Michigan to buy marijuana or the seeds to
grow it. And buying, possessing, growing and selling marijuana is a
federal crime, although the Obama administration has said federal
officials likely won't prosecute users in states where voters have
approved marijuana's use for medical purposes.

People who might be helped by the drug shouldn't have to become
lawbreakers to obtain it; some in need are not going to risk that
route. Certainly, this is not what voters envisioned when they
approved the use of medical marijuana. If marijuana is going to be
used for medical purposes in Michigan, a legal plan for its use
should be developed.

Michigan and 12 other states have laws that permit the use of
marijuana as a pain reliever, if recommended by a physician. But only
New Mexico has a distribution system that registers non-profit
outlets to grow and provide the drug to approved users. Michigan
lawmakers and health officials should check into that idea. Can that
be a viable option here?

The clear intent of Michigan voters was to allow people with certain
medical conditions to obtain marijuana to relieve suffering. State
lawmakers and health officials should make finding a way to make that
happen, legally, a priority.