Schuette fires another salvo against MMJ

To legalize marijuana in Michigan or to decriminalize it, that is the question. Whether it is nobler in the state to suffer the indignity and second-class citizenship of decriminalization, or to take up arms and fight for full legalization.

The fight over medical marijuana in Michigan is truly Shakespearian, with opposing sides both believing they are right, a menacing federal government hanging in the shadows and ground skirmishes in the foreground.

The most recent salvo was fired by state Attorney General Bill Schuette, who seems to be making medical marijuana his own personal battle. Last week he issued an opinion, in reply to a question from Rep. Kevin Cotter (R-Mount Pleasant), asking whether authorities who have arrested a patient or caregiver who is subsequently released must then return the marijuana to the patient or caregiver. Schuette's answer was an emphatic no. That seems to be his answer to anything pertaining to lightening up on marijuana prohibition — no, no, no, and again no. Schuette, while a state appellate court judge in 2008, was a leader of the opposition to the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act. He lost that battle but apparently feels he can win the war. Someone should tell him that the war on drugs was a losing proposition from the start. 

Another instance of his ongoing activism against medical marijuana is his joining a suit by Macomb County's Chesterfield Township to attempt to close down Big Daddy's Chesterfield Hydroponics and Compassion Club. The township wants Circuit Court Judge John Foster to find that Big Daddy's is a public nuisance and have it shut down. Rick "Big Daddy" Ferris, his adult daughter Stephanie Ferris and two others also face charges stemming from a January raid at their now-closed Oak Park facility. 

Schuette seems to be trying his hardest to put the marijuana genie back into the bottle. But voters came out for the MMMA decisively at the ballot box and have continued to support it in public opinion polls. 

Last week, Kalamazoo voters again made their sentiments clear in a vote on the Lowest Law Enforcement Priority (LLEP) amendment to the Kalamazoo City Charter that would make possession of an ounce or less of marijuana by an adult the lowest priority for law enforcement to pursue. Schuette claimed that the amendment was illegal and asked Gov. Rick Snyder to reject it during the charter amendment review process because it was a contrary to state law. In spite of Schuette's efforts, the charter amendment was placed on the ballot in Kalamazoo and voters approved it with an overwhelming 65 percent of the vote. 

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