Possible Michigan Medical Marijuana Entrapment Should Clarify Issues

Recent raids of several Michigan Medical Marijuana businesses claimed to be entrapment by the Medical Marijuana community may eventually shed light on the ambiguity surrounding the law.

Michigan law enforcement set up undercover operations to monitor the alleged illegal distribution of Medical Marijuana to Michigan residents. On several alleged instances, law enforcement gained entrance to establishments which allow patients to procure and in cases, consume, on site. The officers used forged state documents to purchase from these locations.

Under Michigan Medical Marijuana law, caregivers are only allowed to provide medication for a limited number of patients who are assigned to the caregiver. While no language of the law specifically states whether dispensaries are allowed or not, authorities claim that the accused establishment were violating the law by selling outside the scope of the law.

The Medical Marijuana community claims that the officers entrapped the establishments into selling to the undercover agents. The ambiguity around the law rests in many areas. With respect to the caregiver aspect, patients are able to change their caregivers freely, and as long as qualified patients assign caregiver status and do not exceed the number of allowable patients, caregivers are believed to be acting in accordance with the law.

The pending case may go through many appeals and higher levels of courts before a final decision regarding the matter is concluded. While this will most likely be a lengthy process, the end result should shed light on how patients and providers can operate legally.