MEDICAL MARIJUANA BUSINESS OPENS NEAR LAKEVIEW

'Passion for the Plant'

CATO TOWNSHIP - "Left-handed cigarette" is one of the many colorful
monikers for marijuana.

Thus the name Lefty's Joint is appropriate for a new medical marijuana
business that opened this week in Cato Township just west of Lakeview.

Lefty's Joint at 9770 Howard City-Edmore Road (M-46) is owned by Eli
Lake, who also owns the Weidman Compassion Club about 30 miles
northeast of Lakeview.

"We are not a compassion club," said Lake of his new Cato Township
facility. "My goal is to supply medical marijuana to medical marijuana
patients."

According to Cato Township Supervisor Larry Gilbert, the Planning
Commission was working on a medical marijuana ordinance, but failed to
complete it before the new business opened.

"I don't have a problem with it," said Gilbert of the new facility. "I
haven't had any complaints about it. I thought I would. I don't think
the township can do anything about it due to the fact that we don't
have an ordinance against it and it's located in a commercially zoned
area."

Clerk Louis Morse said Lefty's Joint opened just as members of the
Planning Commission were discussing an ordinance regarding medical
marijuana.

"We had talked about this and presented it to the Planning
Commission," Morse said. "I guess they decided until something arose
they weren't going to do anything with it. The next week something did
arise."

Lefty's Joint is open from noon to 7 p.m. on Monday through Saturday
and will offer a variety of medical marijuana to patients. Some of the
marijuana will come from the overflow of other local caregivers. A
doctor will be on site about once a month to examine the medical
records of prospective patients.

"He's a doctor out of Detroit," Lake said. "He has been in the
practice more than 40 years. He has his own practice as well as
working at a hospital in Detroit. He's got good credentials."

Lake has an interest in plants other than marijuana. He enjoys farming
and is looking forward to harvesting numerous varieties of berries
this year at his home in Weidman.

"There's a lot of rumors around," Lake said of medical marijuana
facilities. "Michigan voters wouldn't have passed the law (in November
2008) if they didn't want it. We're here to allow people safe access
to medical marijuana instead of placing them in dangerous
situations."

He said medical marijuana helps patients live productive lives without
any harmful side effects from more traditional prescriptions.

"There's a lot of pills these days that will hurt your insides," Lake
said. "There's no proven side effects from medical marijuana. You can
overdose from many pharmaceutical drugs, but you can't overdose on
medical marijuana."

Lake's employees are passionate about the benefits of medical
marijuana as well.

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't think it was beneficial," said Echo,
who declined to give his full name, using only his Chippewa name. "I
don't use it to get high."

The Beal City man sipped on a Monster energy drink as he excitedly
extolled the benefits of the plant. He calls himself the "budtender"
and says it's his duty to learn about each strand of marijuana so he
can be knowledgeable about the medical benefits of each one.

He started using marijuana to get pain relief several years ago after
injuring himself while caring for a quadriplegic.

"Is medical marijuana going to lead to cocaine or heroin?" he asked.
"No. It's going to lead people to less addiction to pills. I was an
alcoholic. I was mean. Now I'm three years sober. I'm honestly a
better person. I think alcohol is more dangerous than marijuana."

Echo said he and his colleagues are studying marijuana to ensure the
supplies they offer contain not just THC - which is what gets users
high - but also CBD and CBN, which provide pain relief and muscle relaxation.

"We are here to offer medical marijuana to patients who can't grow for
themselves, who don't trust others to grow for them and to offer them
a place to purchase medical marijuana discreetly," Echo said. "We want
to make them feel comfortable. We're not here to get rich. We're here
to offer the cannabis. We've got love and passion for the plant."

Echo said no one needs to worry that Lefty's Joint will become a
beacon for those looking to get a quick high.

"He ain't gonna certify a pothead," he said of the facility's on-site
doctor. "You're not gonna trick us into giving you
medication."

Lisa of Riverdale also declined to give her full name. She is
responsible for checking people's medical marijuana cards and
paperwork when the enter the facility.

"It's a very beneficial substance, in my opinion," she said of the
various forms of medical marijuana, including butter, oil and vapor.
"It's a very go green way to live, I believe. It helps people who
can't smoke."

Lake isn't worried about his facility's proximity to a certain law
enforcement agency just down the road on M-46. A large rainbow flag
draped across the front of Lefty's Joint boasts Lake's confidence in
the Michigan Medical Marijuana Law.

"I've had a few people stop and say wow, man, you're awfully close to
the Michigan State Police," Lake said. "But there's no reason to hide."