More than 140 elected and appointed local government officials, law enforcement personnel and others gathered in Ypsilanti this week for a symposium on Michigan's Medical Marihuana Act, hosted by the Michigan Municipal League, Michigan Townships Association and Michigan Association of Counties.

The three-hour dialogue covered a myriad of issues affecting communities across the state, as each struggles to understand the new law and its proper application. The first session featured Melanie Brim, Director, Bureau of Health Professions, Michigan Department of Community Health. Brim discussed the challenges faced by the MDCH in processing new applications at the rate of 300-400 per day, from dealing with nebulous diagnoses to the law enforcement difficulties caused by the unavoidable gap between a prospective patient's application and card issuance. Brim will also be a featured speaker at a pre-convention session on medical marihuana at the League's 112th Annual Convention, Sept. 21-24 in Dearborn.

Other speakers included Dennis Schornack of the Michigan Medical Marihuana Horticultural Institute, which seeks to professionalize medical marihuana cultivation as a tightly regulated industry with potential for economic development; and Hubbard Law attorney Michael G. Woodworth, who joined a panel discussion on law enforcement issues such as probable cause, federal law vs. state law, and dispensaries.

Grand Rapids attorney Catherine Mish addressed some of the key issues facing local government officials, in how far communities can go to regulate private and commercial uses involving medical marihuana. Mish will also be a featured speaker at the League's pre-convention session on medical marihuana on Sept. 21. Register now for this and other pre-convention sessions.

Elizabeth Shaw is Communications Coordinator at the Michigan Municipal League. She can be reached at (734) 669-6318 or e-mail her at eshaw@mml.org.



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