Saline Banned Medical Marijuana

Saline just banned medical marijuana. The real surprise lies in the depth of the ban…

Not sure if i read it wrong or this is a typo, but if not it seems Saline is abandoning State law regarding medical marijuana altogether in favor of the more strict federal statues, without regard to the President’s directive that many of these same federal laws were not to be strictly enforced in States that allow for  medical use of marijuana. It seems that Saline administrators did not get that memo.

Saline has somewhat of a reputation for being a police state, and banning it is their right i suppose, but the fact that the interpretation of such a massive legal issue is being left for individual city and township(!!!!) administrators to decide is ridiculous.County/State/Federal lawmakers need to start making some real decisions regarding medical marijuana and how the law is to be interpreted, because we all have better things to do with our time.

We all know that in a few years marijuana will be legalized nationwide anyway, if for no reason other than that we can no longer afford to imprison people for non-violent crime thanks to the war, recession, oil spill, monetary devaluation and every other reason we are broke. Until then, it looks like lawmakers will continue playing these games with the lives  of otherwise ordinary citizens and livelihoods of productive members of the community.

Alana West’s AnnArbor.com article after the break

The Saline City Council has taken action to keep medical marijuana dispensaries out of the city.

Saline Mayor Gretchen Driskell and City Manager Todd Campbell said city officials decided they wanted to follow federal law regarding marijuana, which prohibits its sale and possession.

City Council members unanimously approved an amendment to Saline’s zoning ordinance that prohibits the sale or possession of marijuana or “anything that is a violation of federal, state or local laws,” Campbell said.

The city’s action was prompted by voters’ approval of medicinal marijuana in 2008. Since then, communities have struggled with figuring out how to regulate its use.

Saline officials decided on an approach aimed at eliminating ambiguities.

“It’s pretty complicated,” Driskell said. “Sure it’s legal by the state, but at the same time, it’s not legal by the federal government.”

Campbell said city officials considered three approaches: “Do nothing, regulate (the marijuana) or prohibit,” he said. “They decided to prohibit it.”

He said he only knew of one preliminary inquiry the city had received about setting up a medical marijuana establishment.

Other local communities are also wrestling with how to handle medical marijuana. A medical marijuana clinic is operating in Ann Arbor, but an official says the city will soon examine the legality of any dispensaries and the broader issue of zoning for medical marijuana dispensing and use within city limits.

Ypsilanti Township has given first reading approval to its own zoning ordinance. Some communities, like Birmingham, have adopted Saline’s approach and banned medical marijuana.

The legal status of medical marijuana businesses remains unclear in the state. A Lansing-area smoking club was recently raided by police.

Freelance reporter Alana West contributed to this article.

http://www.annarbor.com/news/saline/saline-prohibits-medical-marijuana-dispensaries/