September 25, 2018 “One man was killed late Monday night during an attempted burglary of a Detroit medical marijuana dispensary, police said.”
In September 2018, “a Commerce Township man intending to buy marijuana behind a business on Union Lake Road reportedly had his medication stolen from him at gunpoint on Friday afternoon.”
In April of 2018 in a Saginaw man has been convicted of killing a teenager over a quarter-pound of marijuana.
Our hearts are so sadden to see this news! Please pray for this family:
“WAYLAND, Mich. (WOOD) — A Jimmy John’s delivery driver who hit and killed a 5-year-old boy bicycling near his Wayland home had THC in her system the day of the crash, a police report shows.
Amber Collige, 33, is charged with operating while under the influence causing death in connection to the July 6 crash that killed Blake Huffman…”
There are lots of available jobs in the UP of Michigan. But where are the workers?
“Jobs available run the gamut from entry-level to advanced technical positions.
“Miller said some companies have been unable to expand operations to meet demand; others have been trying to get around the employee shortage by taking advantage of robotic production technologies.
“It’s unclear the impact the opioid crisis is having on the workforce, Miller said, but marijuana use is so prevalent, many companies no longer test for it.
“‘There aren’t good enough tests to determine if someone is under the influence at the job site or smoked over the weekend,’ Miller said. ‘And if recreational marijuana is passed in November, it will make it even harder (to enforce rules against use).'”
Thank you to these leaders for taking a stand and waving red flags. Yes, recreational marijuana is bad.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Kent County’s top health and law enforcement officials have trouble finding anything positive about legalizing recreational marijuana.
Over the past months, county administration has privately heard concerns from the health department, prosecutor’s office and sheriff’s office about the Nov. 6 ballot question to legalize marijuana for recreational use.
This article from Reuters Health puts a big spotlight on marijuana:
“Cannabis use was inversely related to age. Younger people were more likely than older ones to use, with those between 18 and 34 reporting the highest use. Smoking was the most common form of cannabis use, at 55 percent. Baked goods or pastries and candy were the most common forms of edibles consumed by U.S. adults.
“… Dr. Michael Lynch, an emergency physician and toxicologist and medical director of the Pittsburgh Poison Center of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
“’Historically the downsides of marijuana have been minimized,’ Lynch said. ‘Its use has been considered to be safe and without risks and that is not necessarily the case. For example, 10 percent of adult users become addicted, while about 17 percent of adolescent users do. Those are not insignificant numbers when you consider that the overall numbers are increasing.’
“What’s most concerning, Lynch said, are products with high concentrations of THC, whether it’s in oils for vaping or in edibles. ‘When it’s more concentrated or more highly potent, you see side effects like agitation,” he added. “There’s a potential for anxiety and for psychotic effects.'”
December 2017: “CORUNNA, Mich. — One of two men convicted of murder in the January shooting deaths of two men outside a mid-Michigan Walmart store has been sentenced to life in prison without parole.
“Otis Smith Jr. of Grand Rapids earlier was convicted in Shiawassee County Circuit Court in the deaths of 31-year-old Joseph Michael Carson and 39-year-old Anthony Lee Hammond, both of Flint. Their bodies were found in a car at the store’s parking lot in Caledonia Township.
“…Authorities say Smith was the triggerman and the slayings stemmed from a deal to sell marijuana that was arranged online via Craigslist.”
American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a warning, that all Michigan families need to be made aware of: “As more states legalize marijuana and social media touts its use for morning sickness, the nation’s pediatricians caution the drug may not be harmless.”
The article includes this insight,
“The fact that marijuana is legal in many states may give the impression the drug is harmless during pregnancy, especially with stories swirling on social media about using it for nausea with morning sickness,” said Sheryl A. Ryan, MD, FAAP, a lead author of the report and Chair of the AAP Committee on Substance Use and Prevention.
“But in fact, this is still a big question. We do not have good safety data on prenatal exposure to marijuana. Based on the limited data that does exist, as pediatricians, we believe there is cause to be concerned about how the drug will impact the long-term development of children,” Dr. Ryan said.
“THC, the chemical in marijuana mostly responsible for its psychoactive effects, readily crosses the placenta and enters the rapidly developing brain of the fetus. Research has shown that THC gets into breastmilk, including a study published in Pediatrics Aug. 27 that found THC present in breastmilk up to six days after the last use.”
August 22, 2018: “As far as what Michigan could learn from the experiences of California’s employers, Flores suggests (1) get educated on the law and keep informed (2) evaluate and re-evaluate the business’ policies and procedures dealing with impairment at the workplace and (3) communicate with employees and applicants of what the company policies are before and after the law legalizing adult/recreational use of marijuana becomes effective.”
Read this story from 2016.
BROOMFIELD, Colo. (CBS4) – A 17-year-old, driving while high on marijuana when his car struck and killed another teenage boy, was sentenced to two years in youth corrections on Friday.
August 7, 2018: Oklahoma law enforcement officers are worried that marijuana use may increase impaired driving as the state begins to introduce legal medical marijuana.
August 3, 2018: Doctors in Canada want to see the medical cannabis system phased out once legalization happens later this year, says a Canadian Medical Association vice-president.
“The medical profession, as a whole, has really struggled with the whole concept of medical cannabis. There’s definitely some physicians who feel comfortable in that area but most don’t,” Dr. Jeff Blackmer, vice-president of medical professionalism for the Canadian Medical Association, told CBC Calgary News at 6.
A Michigan man, “…Paul Dybilas was having his morning cup of coffee when four men barged into his rural Sanilac County house trying to rob him of cash and marijuana on Nov. 19. Only three of the intruders left alive — and another was mortally wounded.”
July 31, 2018: NILES — The calendar may be about to turn to August, but Niles Police Chief Jim Millin is thinking about November.
That’s when Michigan voters could approve a ballot initiative to legalize recreational marijuana.
The possibility has been consuming much attention, even as the state is still working to get a new commercial system for medical marijuana up and running this year.
July 27, 2018: On July 22, 2018, a RCMP officer on traffic patrol stopped a commercial semi-trailer on the Trans-Canada Highway at Westhawk, Manitoba. The stop was initiated to conduct a regulatory inspection of the driver’s paperwork. These checks are done to ensure safety of commercial vehicles and their loads as commercial vehicles are involved in approximately 20% of road fatalities every year in Manitoba.
When the officer stopped this vehicle and checked the driver’s paperwork, several discrepancies were discovered.
July 12, 2018: DENVER — Ashley and Ryan picked Denver as the perfect spot for their weed-infused honeymoon.
Robert, a well-to-do contractor from Houston, mixed a little R&R — reefer and recreation — with his latest business trip to Colorado. And Tyrell Towle, a chemist from Washington state, chose Denver as the spot for his home and job after getting a PhD degree in chemistry in Iowa.
The four have little in common, but there is one key thing that ties them together: marijuana.
July 17, 2018: This interview was done by Point/COUNTERPOINT with G1NBC out of Howell, Michigan. It is an informative piece on what we face in November. Read the perspectives from a Commissioner and a Commission candidate. Please share with your audience if you find this helpful!
July 11, 2018: LUDINGTON, Mich. — This heartbreaking story starts with a Snapchat video of a teen passing out after smoking a potent form of marijuana shortly before waking up and getting behind the wheel. It was homecoming night when an officer knocked on Gordon MacDougall’s door and told him his son had been in a bad crash.
June 30, 2018: LEE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WSYM) – Location is huge in real estate, just ask anyone who’s tried to sell a house near a sewage treatment plant.
One homeowner says an outdoor pot-growing operation next door is making it tough to sell his house. Dave Taylor has lived in Calhoun County’s Lee Township for just over a decade now and he has no complaints. That is until two years ago when his neighbor built an outdoor medical marijuana growing operation right in plain sight. “I really don’t have an opinion on it whether it is legal or illegal,” said Taylor. “I don’t do it and if someone else does I don’t care, that’s not my problem.”
What’s become Taylor’s problem as retirement nears, the ability to sell.