Global Ganja Report

A Michigan court of appeals ruled Aug. 23 that medicinal cannabis cannot be sold at private dispensaries. The defendants were owners of the Compassionate Apothecary, a privately owned dispensary that facilitates patient-to-patient transfer of cannabis using a locker system for patients to store and trade. Compassionate Apothecary retains 20% of proceeds from each transaction, and has 345 members, all certified by the state to use cannabis for medicinal purposes. An Isabella county prosecutor filed the complaint, seeking to enjoin operations for failing to comply with the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act (MMMA). (Detroit Free Press, Aug. 25; Jurist, Aug. 24)

State police drug squads raided two dispensaries in Ann Arbor the next day, but said the raids had nothing to do with the appeals court ruling. Charles Ream, president of A2 Compassionate Health Care Center, said police arrested three employees and confiscated pounds of cannabis, thousands of dollars and stacks of patient files.  Scores of other dispensaries around the state kept the doors closed. (Detroit News, AnnArbor.com, Aug. 25)

Photo by the Mad Pothead