Municipal officials are right to move cautiously on new regulation in response to the state’s latest patch of its medical marijuana laws. New state laws fix much of what was wrong with the citizen-written and voter-passed medical marijuana statutes. Defects in the law left police, prosecutors, patients and caregivers all guessing what was legal.
Unlike other recent efforts by state lawmakers to deny local governments the authority to choose what is best for their communities – pre-empting pit bull and plastic shopping bag bans, for instance – the new medical marijuana laws that go into effect Dec. 20 allow cities and townships to choose whether they will allow marijuana dispensaries. They also allow municipalities to regulate operations and locations, as well as to charge a local administration fee.
Most of the latter, we suspect, is the Legislature’s pusillanimous way of limiting the number of marijuana dispensaries in the state. We believe lawmakers are counting on local officials to say no a lot more often than they say yes to marijuana facilities.
We believe cities and townships should have that right to do what they think is best for their communities. In most cases, they know best what their towns need and are in the best position to determine how those needs should be met.
That doesn’t mean local governments in the Blue Water Area should just say no. We’re as skeptical as anyone and seriously suspect that there are more people who “need” marijuana than there are who have the qualifying medical conditions. That said, there are people in our communities who do have those conditions, which include maladies ranging from cancer to post-traumatic stress disorder.
The law, and a majority of state voters, allows them to use marijuana to treat their illnesses.
It would not be reasonable or compassionate to refuse them convenient access to substances that improve their quality of life, no matter how well-intentioned efforts to keep an otherwise illicit drug out of our communities. Legally, medical marijuana dispensaries have a status not too dissimilar to pharmacies. Those, too, are regulated, taxed and tolerated despite the dangerous substances they dispense.
Regulate carefully and responsibly. Don’t leave out compassion.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Don’t Use Regulatory Authority To Deny Compassion
Author: Staff
Contact: (810) 985-7171
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Website: The Times Herald