In the changing tides of marijuana laws, one of the biggest issues is the federal government’s reluctance to change the “drug’s” classification under the Controlled Substances Act. Michigan lawmakers have taken a step towards reclassifying it themselves and the move has critics on all sides of the issue. [Read more…]
Don’t Be Mistaken: Marijuana is Still Illegal in Michigan
Every day it seems there is another news story concerning the increasingly liberal stance governments are taking on marijuana laws. Local Michigan ordinances designed to decriminalize pot, the federal government announcing a hands-off policy, and states like Washington and Colorado legalizing recreational marijuana are all signs of changing attitudes.
But, it isn’t time to light up freely yet—in the state of Michigan, marijuana is still very much a controlled substance and one you could suffer serious penalties for possessing, growing, or selling. And even as new cities keep passing decriminalization and legalization ordinances, the state laws have not changed. [Read more…]
3 More Michigan Cities Free Up Marijuana
While the country is becoming a patchwork of marijuana laws, our state is seeing greater variances from city to city than anywhere else. Just last week, three cities decided to pass their own marijuana legislation, making it legal for residents to possess recreational pot. [Read more…]
The Patchwork of Michigan Marijuana Laws
While marijuana laws are in a state of flux all across the country, the situation in Michigan is even more chaotic and confusing. City ordinances differ wildly in the prosecution of marijuana possession, which is likely in conflict with state laws, and certainly federal law as well.
As shown in the Metro Times, the state is a virtual quilt of marijuana laws and ordinances with varying levels of enforcement and punishment. What flies in one city, may not be okay in the suburbs. [Read more…]
Prescription Drug Abuse Leads to Heroin Deaths
Opiates are highly addictive and over the past few decades, this country has seen an alarming increase in the abuse of prescription opiates like Oxycontin. Unfortunately, an addiction to these drugs can’t last—they are very expensive and increasingly difficult to get a hold of. As is true across the country, Michigan is thusly seeing an increase in heroin use when pill addicts need something stronger, cheaper, and easier to find. [Read more…]
Grand Rapids Police and Trespassing: Why the ACLU is Suing
The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan and their Criminal Law Reform Project filed a lawsuit in federal court this week against the city of Grand Rapids. At issue is a practice of trespassing arrests that defies constitutional protections. [Read more…]