FOCUS ON CRIMINAL ACTIVITY, NOT THE 'REEFER MADNESS'

After raids and mass arrests last month by Oakland County against
medical marijuana facilities and homes, Sheriff Michael Bouchard at
his press conference reportedly quipped, "This is not a Cheech and
Chong movie." He was so right in that his actions were not
representative of a light-hearted and fun comedy, although the raids
were reminiscent of past decades. A better comparison might be the
1937 propaganda film Reefer Madness, with hysterical officials
warning about the deadly menace of marijuana.

As the dozens of court cases from these raids now wind through our
county's court systems, it is time for more rational, calm and
enlightened discussion about the issues related to marijuana in 2010.

Voters in Michigan overwhelmingly voted to decriminalize the use of
marijuana for persons dealing with medical issues and who obtained
recommendations from physicians. The same has happened in 14 states
across the nation. But opponents of the measure are unhappy with this
turn of events, and now claim that the voters were somehow duped,
which seems an arrogant stance.

In a democracy, the voters get to be "the deciders." It is not
elected officials' prerogative to decide what voters "meant" to do,
but rather it's their duty to follow their instructions. Elected
officials can be disappointed with election results, but woe be to
those who thwart the will of the people. It is from the voters that
we get the authority that we have.

According to the Michigan Department of Community Health, more than
55,000 Michigan residents have applied for doctor-recommended medical
marijuana permits. Each one has seen a physician and sent into the
state a check for $100 to process their request. And while the state
cashes that check right away, there is a reported seven-month wait to
actually get the permit back from MDCH. Meanwhile the state has
received more than $5.5 million under this program.

Ferndale residents voted three separate times to legalize medical
marijuana. Our city council then determined areas that could be zoned
for facilities where physicians and others could counsel, prescribe
and or dispense the product. For two months the sole facility in
Ferndale functioned well, with no problems, no complaints, and
according to our own police officials and records, there was no rise
in criminal activity in the area.

Two days after the City of Ferndale voted in new zoning areas for
medical marijuana, dozens of sheriff's deputies and narcotics
enforcement team officers swooped down on homes and businesses across
the county, including our own little storefront in Ferndale. The
raids featured masked officers in full swat team uniforms, snarling
dogs and drawn weapons. Elderly patients, nurses and business owners
alike were thrown to the ground, handcuffed and arrested.

I suspect helicopters were buzzing overhead in case someone with
severe arthritis or muscular dystrophy tried to make a run for it.

One of the most disturbing aspects of the raids was the confiscation
of patient's private medical records. Evidently ignoring the national
rules on HIPPA, which protects patient's privacy, our own sheriff in
Oakland County has stated that he didn't think marijuana was a proper
medication for someone with back or shoulder pain. With all due
respect, I would suggest that he leave the medical diagnoses and
medication prescriptions to the doctors.

Certainly the state law now governing medical pot was not written
well. It is unclear and causing consternation among local and county
government. But had state leaders done their job, we would not have
had the citizen-led effort to force their hands.

Now some law enforcement officials are using their assets to send
their own political message that they don't approve of the new law,
and they are dealing with marijuana in the only ways they know how,
which is to treat it as a dangerous narcotic no different than meth or heroin.

We have serious drug problems in our region, not the least of which
is the growing number of addictions to legal pain-killers such as
vicodin and oxycontin. But it is doubtful that fighting this epidemic
will lead to sheriff's raids on the local CVS.

In a time of dwindling government resources, law enforcement should
focus on the serious criminal activities that put residents and
visitors in true danger. They should focus on crimes such as
burglary, auto theft, robberies and other violent crimes as well as
fighting serious drug problems associated with heroin, meth, cocaine
and other addictive narcotics. They can then send all the political
messages they like, using the same tools that we all use such as
lobbying, petitions, letter-writing and protests.

But spending hundreds of thousands of dollars of precious taxpayer's
resources raiding legally organized medical marijuana facilities does
not seem wise or prudent.