Patients need an alternative source to procure medication, and a retail facility would allow patients to maintain a regular supply in situations where gardens or caretakers don’t come through.

Brandy Zink, director of the Michigan chapter of Americans for Safe Access, says, “Decisions like these have severe implications about patients and access. The whole entire system of patients and access is now in jeopardy. This focus on businesses and whether they are legal has not put patients and their needs in the forefront. … Now it is imperative upon our Legislature to form a patient focus. This is not criminal defense; this is patient advocacy. We need our Legislature to become patients’ advocates.”

It seems this legislative route is getting the most buy-in from activists at this time. Late on Friday the 3rd Coast Facebook page had the following post: “Citizens of Michigan: Please contact your state representative and senator and encourage them to support and swiftly pass the pending dispensary legislation, soon to be introduced by Representative Mike Callton!”

It seems that Rep. Callton is going to have some new friends very soon. There’s going to be a lot of them.

For the record: The required annual report from the office administering the registry of medical marijuana patients came out recently. It shows that the state Licensing and Regulatory Affairs office has collected $10 million from medical marijuana patients and caregivers. That’s more than twice the cost of running the program. The report also shows that while there are more medical marijuana patients in the southeast part of the state — where there are more people in general — the west side of the state has a higher percentage of patients when compared to the general population. Hmmm … the west side is considered the conservative area of Michigan.

Larry Gabriel is a writer, musician and former editor of Metro Times. Send comments to letters@metrotimes.com.

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