Michigan: Metro Detroit Police Departments Use Taxes Gleaned From Medical Patients & Dispensaries To… Yes You Guessed It …..Raid Dispensaries

13 December 2016

Detroit News reports…

Medical marijuana patient fees are helping finance aggressive enforcement efforts in Metro Detroit, where local sheriff’s departments spent more than $600,000 in state grant funding on overtime pay, raid gear, dispensary stakeouts and vehicles used to haul contraband pot.

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2016/12/12/pot-grants/95319346/

Legislators created the grant program two years ago, allowing county sheriffs to use excess money that had accumulated in the Michigan medical marijuana fund for enforcement, education or communication related to the voter-approved 2008 law.

Law enforcement officials say the grants have helped them crack down on criminals operating outside the law. But critics say it is “worse than ironic” the state is using mandatory patient and caregiver registration fees to perpetuate a “war on drugs” that can ensnare the same patients who are supposed to be protected.

“You can’t give the guys who have been kicking in our doors and taking all of our property with unfettered power — and they still have it — this money,” said Charmie Gholson, an activist and founder of Michigan Moms United.

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard’s office reported spending $282,662 on overtime pay for investigators, a four-day “indoor marijuana school” for local police agencies and raid vests. It also covered a 2016 Ram ProMaster cargo van, a 2016 GMC 2500 HD pickup and a cargo trailer to haul plants from illegal growing operations.

Bouchard said the funding has allowed his office to obtain “both the equipment and some of the training to be in the best position to carry out our regulatory part of the equation.”

He compared patient and caregiver registration charges to other “user fees” imposed by the state, including Detroit casino taxes implemented after voters in 1996 agreed to allow up to three casinos in the city.

“The gambling comes from gamblers,” Bouchard said. “Your gas tax comes from drivers. That’s a policy decision the Legislature made. We just think there obviously has to be a funding stream for a regulatory process.”

Grant availability is based on the number of marijuana registry cards issued in a county. Although many sheriffs did not apply this year, the Wayne, Oakland and Macomb offices spent a combined $618,186 between Jan. 1 and Sept. 15.

Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon’s office reported spending $275,195, mostly for “street level investigations” of medical marijuana, according to a report to state legislators. The great majority of the aid financed enforcement personnel, but some paid for eight Tasers and eight body cameras.

Macomb County Sheriff Anthony Wickersham’s office reported spending $60,329, the third highest statewide. The grant cash helped pay for public forums explaining the law to residents, special investigative staff, training and “equipment” to aid the investigations, including laptop computers, according to a report.

Registry fees rile critics

Despite the participation by Metro Detroit departments, the 2-year-old medical marijuana enforcement grant program has been slow to get off the ground. Four of 83 county sheriffs applied for grants in 2015, followed by 18 this year.

More counties are anticipated to participate in the current fiscal year that began Oct. 1, said Michael Loepp, a spokesman for the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs that runs the program.

“We continue to work with the counties to streamline the grant process. We know there is a short statutory turnaround time for the submission of applications and getting the final contracts to the counties so they can spend the funds in 2017.”

The program is funded through the Michigan Medical Marihuana Fund, created as part of the voter-approved law. Unspent grant money, a continued increase in patient registrations and relatively low administration costs have combined to leave the fund flush with cash.

Registry fees generated $7.1 million in fiscal year 2015, but LARA spent $3.2 million administering the program, Loepp said. The fund balance sits at more than $30 million, although the agency is still “closing out” financial activities from the last fiscal year, he said.

The agency lowered registration fees in early 2015, dropping two-year costs for most patients from $100 to $60. But medical marijuana attorney Matt Abel said the state should continue reducing fees if the fund is so flush with cash.

“I really don’t think it’s appropriate to fund law enforcement on the backs of medical marijuana patients,” Abel said. “… It’s really a hidden tax on patients.”

Gholson said she is “mortified” the state is using patient fees to fund law enforcement efforts, calling it an example of “victim blaming.”

“They’re using SWAT to investigate our compliance with the act, when what LARA needs to do is set up a system whereby they protect these victims and caregivers,” she said.

The state’s medical marijuana program is set to undergo major changes under a dispensary licensing law set to take effect in late 2017. Legislators recently appropriated $8.5 million from the registry fee fund to help LARA set up the new regulatory framework.

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