BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP BANS MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES

Bloomfield Township approved two ordinances last week that will
affect how medical marijuana patients in the community will fill
their prescriptions.

Residents who are eligible under state law to consume marijuana for
medicinal purposes will have to fill their prescriptions at
dispensaries outside the township, according to the township board of
trustees' unanimous vote.

The board has been debating the issue for several months and had
placed a moratorium on the issue a few times since voters approved
the state law in November 2008.

Since then, communities around the state have had to make decisions
on whether dispensaries can be allowed within their borders. Without
any real tax benefits to local communities for allowing dispensaries,
few have taken steps to allow them.

Not only will dispensaries not be allowed in Bloomfield Township but
cultivation of product also is forbidden. However, residents who have
a state card that allows them to use marijuana for medicinal purposes
will have to register with township police, the requirements of a
second ordinance approved by the board in late October. Patient
registration will be confidential and failure to register would be a
misdemeanor.

"This is really about trying to avoid a recipe for disaster," said
Capt. Steve Cook of Bloomfield Township Police. "Registering with the
police department is really for the protection of residents and officers."

One of the problems with how the state law is written is that there
are inconsistencies in how law enforcement should handle residential
marijuana cases, Cook said. The department wants to avoid any
unnecessary raids for marijuana use, and registering with the police
department can help with that, he added.

"I'm not asking residents to register with our department because we
want to charge them," Cook said. "But we want to work with you as
long as you are working within the state law. If your (physician) has
prescribed a resident to use medical marijuana and you are complying
with state law, that is your business and we won't bother you."

The issue is that without local registration, Cook and his officers
won't know whether residents are using legally or illegally.

"Everyone is wrestling with the fact that this state law is poorly
written," Cook said. "If a resident needs it for (chronic pain) who
am I to say no?"

Medical marijuana can be used only in residential areas, and there
can be no more than two patient users in a home, according to state
law. Caregivers, though, do not have to register with township police.

Michigan law provides for caregivers, who may have up to five
patients. Caregivers are allowed to grow up to 12 plants per patient
and must be registered with Michigan.

Cook is not aware of other municipalities that require their
residents with a state medical marijuana card to register with local
police. However many municipalities haven't finalized their local
ordinances and whether they will allow growing or dispensaries within
their communities.

"I do know that 64 percent of our (township) residents voted for this
state law," Cook said. "We are trying to figure out what we can and
should enforce."

Nearby communities Bloomfield Hills and Birmingham also do not allow
dispensaries while Beverly Hills continues to have a moratorium on the issue.

While marijuana use is against federal law, federal authorities have
not actively fought medical marijuana usage under state laws.