This year, Livingston and Washtenaw Narcotics Enforcement Team officers raided Marshall Alternatives, a medical marijuana dispensary near Fowlerville, Michigan. The owners of the dispensary and an employee were charged with delivery of marijuana after selling marijuana to an undercover police officer who had a medical marijuana card with no listed caregiver. The defendants recently waived their preliminary examination, which is a hearing to determine whether there is probable cause to continue the case in the Michigan circuit court, where all criminal felony cases are heard.
Police officers all over Michigan are participating in these raids
The Michigan Medical Marihuana Act was passed in 2008. It provides protection from prosecution for the medical use of Marijuana. As you can read about in our recent blog entries, police, prosecutors, and judges apply the Michigan medical marijuana law very strictly. Many dispensaries have been raided by drug enforcement teams. Michigan State Police, county Sheriffs, and local police officers all over Michigan are participating in these raids. And the Michigan Court of Appeals recently ruled that any patient-to-patient sales of ma are illegal.
It is very unfortunate that the law is being construed so narrowly by law enforcement. First, not as many people have access to medical cannabis. Some people have terminal illness or chronic pain and rely on their medication to ease symptoms. Second, those people involved in the dispensary process are being charged with crimes involving Marijuana. “Delivery of Marijuana” is a 4-year felony in Michigan. The State of Michigan is spending hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars investigating and prosecuting people who own or work at medical marijuana dispensaries. Can’t we find more important things to do with our State Troopers, Deputies, police officers, and local cops?
As tough criminal defense attorneys who have been practicing drug crime defense in Michigan for many, many years, we know the effects a drug crime conviction can have on a person’s life. That is why we fight hard to get favorable outcomes for our clients throughout Michigan.