FIX MARIJUANA LAW

In 2008, Michigan voters overwhelmingly approved a state
constitutional amendment that legalized the use of marijuana for
medical purposes, making their state one of more than a dozen that
have done so. But the amendment didn't spell out how legalization
would work, and state officials haven't done much better since. The
people the law is intended to help deserve an improved approach.

Marijuana has been shown to ease the symptoms felt by patients who
have glaucoma, cancer, and some other illnesses. There was widespread
agreement among Michigan voters that legalization was an acceptable
method of relieving these patients' suffering.

The constitutional amendment established a state registry system. But
it did not set rigorous standards for those who are approved to grow
or use medical marijuana, or for how it is to be cultivated.

The overburdened Michigan Department of Community Health has a
backlog of 24,000 applications to grow or use marijuana, the Detroit
Free Press reports. While patients are complaining about delays in
getting medical marijuana, a number of county prosecutors say the law
is being abused by people who just want to grow and smoke pot.

There have been reports of unscrupulous physicians who are willing to
certify virtually anybody for the program. And there is the thorny
problem of supply.

Marijuana is a controlled substance whose use is forbidden by federal
law. The original source of any legal supply of pot must be gotten
illegally. Nor is there quality or purity control for marijuana
plants, which can differ widely in potency.

The Michigan Legislature should pass legislation that sets up a far
better state-run registry and distribution network, perhaps funding
it with steep licensing fees. But there would be initial costs, and
the state has no extra money. It may be hard to justify spending
public dollars on a marijuana program when the state is slashing aid
to education and eliminating a tax credit for the working poor.

A better solution for the time being might be a form of "don't ask,
don't tell," except for the grossest abuses. Michigan's secretary of
state notes that "states are not required to enforce federal law or
prosecute people for engaging in activities prohibited by federal law."

The entire question probably needs further legal refinement. But
Michigan, which is struggling to balance its budget, save its
education system, and reinvent its economy, has more urgent problems
to grapple with right now.