Below are some of Rick’s more memorable media quotes from the year 2011. Whenever possible, a brief citation from the original article is included for context.

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The A.G. vs. R.T.

In 2011, the MACC sued the Attorney General for disclosing confidential state patient records to the DEA. In return, the A.G. joined Chesterfield Township in pursuit of their vengeance against the Big Daddy’s organization. The A.G. sought to depose Mr. Thompson and to attack his reputation and credibility. Many of the quotes on this page reference that legal action.

See the A.G.’s statement HERE.

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JANUARY

VIDEO: Police continue medical marijuana raids, hitting Oak Park dispensary and taking thousands in cash

http://www.macombdaily.com/20110113/video-police-continue-medical-marijuana-raids-hitting-oak-park-dispensary-and-taking-thousands-in-cash

January 13, 2011

People at an Oak Park medical marijuana dispensary said officers entered their building Wednesday evening, searched people there and took money.

Rick Thompson, who writes for Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine, a publication located in the same building as the dispensary and Big Daddy’s Hydro, said between eight and 10 officers came into the building at 5 p.m.

“They were very polite, there was no yelling or flash grenades,” he said, noting three officers were masked.

“They were courteous to the 10 patients and employees, and even let one pregnant woman go to the bathroom.”

Thompson said he believes the raid was a response to recent court matters involving the DEA’s request for patient information.

“This was just reactionary action directed by Lansing to intimidate us and the Michigan Association of Compassion Clubs and our stand to protect patients’ rights,” he said.

A call has been placed to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office for a response.

Officers asked to see drivers licenses and medical marijuana cards.

“Since everybody had proper ID, there were no concerns,” said Thompson.

Officers seized $15,000-$20,000 and some medical marijuana, said Thompson.

No one was arrested.

“They didn’t take patients’ money or medicine, but they have done that in the past,” he said.

“They took some medication, whatever we had on hand, and brownies and suckers.”

Thompson said the dispensary uses a locker system, similar to one used at a Mt. Pleasant compassion club.

“It was found to be in compliance and we have a similar system of distribution,” he said.

He explained caregivers bring medicine in for their patients and then dispensary workers distribute it to patients “in a way that means caregivers don’t have to stay all day long,” he said.

“It’s safe and secure and legally correct.”

Thompson said he found the raid’s timing odd.

“What is odd is if they wanted to arrest someone for doing illegal transfers, they could have done that or if they had wanted to halt business for not operating within the law they could have done that. They didn’t toss the place but only focused on one or two rooms.”

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“The reality in Michigan today is medical marijuana is here. It’s here to stay.”

Royal Oak Restricts Growing Medical Marijuana

Published : Tuesday, 25 Jan 2011, 9:19 PM EST WJBK | myFOXDetroit.com

ROYAL OAK, Mich. (WJBK) – Royal Oak is the latest place to put serious restrictions on medical marijuana. This is one battle that just keeps on smoking.
“The reality in Michigan today is medical marijuana is here. It’s here to stay,” said Rick Thompson with Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine.

Royal Oak Restricts Growing Medical Marijuana: MyFoxDETROIT.com

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Ann Arbor City Council tables medical marijuana issue

The Washtenaw Voice, January 24, 2011

Rick Thompson, editor of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine, presents his concerns about pending legislation before the Ann Arbor City Council, Jan. 3.

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“A plain-clothes female deputy walked in and was buzzed-in to the compassion center. Officers with ski masks and automatic weapons followed.”

Oakland County pot raid stirs local anxieties

Washtenaw Voice January 24 2011

Rick Thompson, who works at Big Daddy’s for its magazine, was there at the time of the raid. “A plain-clothes female deputy walked in and was buzzed-in to the compassion center,” recounted Thompson. “Officers with ski masks and automatic weapons followed.” Thompson said that the deputies were actually quite polite. “They said, ‘You know who we are and why were are here. Everyone take a seat against the wall,’” said Thompson. What followed was a two-hour search of the Big Daddy’s facilities, which resulted in the seize property. “They took the cash from the cash boxes for the hydroponic business and the magazine,” said Thompson. Thompson took issue with police reports on how much weed was seized. “We estimate that we only had two pounds of dry, usable marijuana on the premises, which was well within the limits for the number of caregivers,” said Thompson. “The five-pound report comes from them weighing the marijuana in the glass containers.” Then there is the issue with the nine pounds of frozen marijuana seized. “We rent out a machine call a trimpro to caregivers,” explains Thompson. “It trims and collects the leaves and stems to help growers harvest, which leaves the usable marijuana.” “We empty out the machine when it comes back and throw out the marijuana compost as a service.” They freeze the unusable marijuana compost to prevent it from smelling up the building until they throw it in the dumpster for collection. “The plants that were seized were only a few inches tall growing in Dixie cups,” said Thompson.
As for the alleged connection between Big Daddy’s and the dealers, Thompson said that it was the first time he heard about it. “We are not responsible for the actions of our patients,” said Thompson.
No arrests were made and Thompson suspects there other motives for the raid. The Medical Marijuana Association of Compassion Clubs (MMACC) had filed an injunction to halt the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) from trying to gain access to seven medical marijuana caregivers on the same days as the raid. Thompson suspects the raid was an “intimidation tactic” as a response to the injunction. “It’s not just the seven people,” said Thompson. “There’s the 35 other people, the patients of the caregivers.”
But this has not stopped both federal and local law enforcement from going after people who legally use and grow marijuana. “We operate legally,” said Thompson. “They found nothing illegal.”

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“…none of us were breaking the law.”

“It seemed more like intimidation than anything else.”

Medical marijuana complex raided

Detroit Free Press, Jan 13, 2011

Oakland County authorities raided the Oak Park headquarters and retail complex of medical marijuana entrepreneur and advocate Rick Ferris, 46, of Berkley but made no arrests “because none of us were breaking the law,” Ferris’ spokesman Rick Thompson said.
“It seemed more like intimidation than anything else,” Thompson said after the raid Wednesday…

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“What is odd is if they wanted to arrest someone for doing illegal transfers, they could have done that or if they had wanted to halt business for not operating within the law they could have done that. They didn’t toss the place but only focused on one or two rooms.”
“This was just reactionary action directed by Lansing to intimidate us and the Michigan Association of Compassion Clubs and our stand to protect patients’ rights.”

Medical pot raids continue

Published: Friday, January 14, 2011 Daily Tribune, “POLICE RAID OAK PARK MARIJUANA DISPENSARY, SEIZE CASH, Jan. 13, 2011, Daily Tribune, the Morning Sun as “Police raid medical marijuana dispensary, seize cash”, published Jan 14, 2011, “Police continue medical marijuana raids, hitting Oak Park dispensary and taking pot, cash,” Oakland Press Jan 14.

Rick Thompson, who writes for Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine, a publication located in the same building as the dispensary and Big Daddy’s Hydro, said between eight and 10 officers came into the building at 5 p.m.
“They were very polite, there was no yelling or flash grenades,” he said, noting three officers were masked. “They were courteous to the 10 patients and employees, and even let one pregnant woman go to the bathroom.”
Thompson said officers asked to see driver’s licenses and medical marijuana cards.
“Since everybody had proper ID, there were no concerns,” said Thompson.
Officers seized $2,874, said officials. No one was arrested during the Wednesday raid.
“They didn’t take patients’ money or medicine, but they have done that in the past,” Thompson said. “They took some medication, whatever we had on hand, and brownies and suckers.”
Thompson said the dispensary uses a locker system, similar to one used at a Mount Pleasant compassion club.
“It was found to be in compliance and we have a similar system of distribution,” he said.
He explained caregivers bring medicine in for their patients and then dispensary workers distribute it to patients “in a way that means caregivers don’t have to stay all day long,” he said. “It’s safe and secure and legally correct.”
Thompson said he found the raid’s timing odd.
“What is odd is if they wanted to arrest someone for doing illegal transfers, they could have done that or if they had wanted to halt business for not operating within the law they could have done that. They didn’t toss the place but only focused on one or two rooms.”
Thompson said he believes the raid was a response to recent court matters involving the DEA’s request for patient information.
“This was just reactionary action directed by Lansing to intimidate us and the Michigan Association of Compassion Clubs and our stand to protect patients’ rights,” he said.
Thompson said officers said, “‘Don’t blame us, it comes from above.'”
No undercover officers first attempted to buy medical marijuana, he said.
“Now they (officers) come in almost apologetic,” he said. “This tells me this wasn’t directed by the Oakland County Sheriff.”

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“We do everything according to the state law.”

COPS: MEDICAL-MARIJUANA SITE SUPPLIED DRUG DEALERS

01-13-2011 Detroit Free Press

“We do everything according to the state law” that allows state-approved patients and caregivers to possess marijuana and to “transfer it but not sell it,” although those who provide it can have their expenses reimbursed, Big Daddy’s spokesman Rick Thompson said.

Deputies also executed a search warrant at a Hazel Park home at 84 W. Garfield.

“It’s where she and her husband and their seven children live,” he said.

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“This was a victory for patients throughout the state. Ann Arbor has been a leader for medical marijuana. We see that leaders go first and (municipalities) would follow.”

AA Council debates pot issue

Washtenaw Voice, Jan. 10, 2011

“This was a victory for patients throughout the state,” said Rick Thompson, reporter with Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine. “Ann Arbor has been a leader for medical marijuana. We see that leaders go first and (municipalities) would follow.”

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Oakland Co. deputies raid medical marijuana complex

http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2011/01/oakland_county_authorities_rai_1.html

Detroit Free Press; Jan 13, 2011; reprinted across the state

A spokesman for Rick “Big Daddy” Ferris, the 46-year-old Berkley resident who runs the complex — which houses the Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine office, nonprofit Big Daddy’s Compassion Club and Big Daddy’s Hydro — told the Detroit Free Press that authorities did not make any arrests during the raid “because none of us were breaking the law.”

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FEBRUARY

Royal Oak allows medical pot use, not production

http://www.macombdaily.com/20110202/royal-oak-allows-medical-pot-use-not-production

February 2, 2011

They wanted to address resident concerns about grow houses operating in neighborhoods and near schools and excess marijuana falling into the wrong hands.

Rick Thompson of Center Line, editor of the Oak-Park based Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine, said growing operations already exist throughout Royal Oak. He came up with the estimate that the city has about 300 patients. His figure is based on Michigan having 10 million residents, Royal Oak having 60,000 residents and 49,000 medical marijuana patients being registered with the Michigan Department of Community Health.

“That means there are 295 patients in Royal Oak,” Thompson said. “I bet people thought it would be higher. This is a situation where a lot of attention is on an issue that is not as dangerous as it has been portrayed.”

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“That means there are 295 patients in Royal Oak. I bet people thought it would be higher. This is a situation where lot of attention is on an issue that is not as dangerous as it has been portrayed.”

Royal Oak law confuses pot growers following state law

Published: Thursday, February 03, 2011 Daily Tribune, “Royal Oak allows medical pot use, not production”, Oakland Press, Feb. 3rd

Rick Thompson of Center Line, editor of the Oak-Park based Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine, said growing operations already exist throughout Royal Oak. He came up with the estimate that the city has about 300 patients. His figure is based on Michigan having 10 million residents, Royal Oak having 60,000 residents and 49,000 medical marijuana patients being registered with the Michigan Department of Community Health.

“That means there are 295 patients in Royal Oak,” Thompson said. “I bet people thought it would be higher. This is a situation where lot of attention is on an issue that is not as dangerous as it has been portrayed.”

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“We were encouraged to apply, but the attitude of the police department scared us away. They painted a picture for the planning board that we were a negative, illegal operation. It’s too bad, because we were prepared to invest in Redford and bring jobs.”
“Our experience in Redford has soured us on Wayne County. It is a shame because I’m sure some of those communities would have been open to having us and wanted the jobs we could provide.”

Hometown Life/Observer and Eccentric Newspapers February 20, 2011

Big Daddy’s Hydro & Compassion Center will not be setting up shop in Redford.
“We were encouraged to apply, but the attitude of the police department scared us away,” said Rick Thompson, editor of Michigan Medical Marijuana magazine. “They painted a picture for the planning board that we were a negative, illegal operation. It’s too bad, because we were prepared to invest in Redford and bring jobs.”
Thompson says it is perfectly legal for patients and caregivers to openly exchange marijuana in businesses like his.
Redford Police Capt. Eric Gillman disagrees.
The opposing interpretations squared off at a recent Redford Site Planning Committee hearing.
Thompson said the law allows police to hold evidence for two years without charging anyone with a crime.
“If they had something on us, we’d have been charged by now,” he said. “What it means is, they’ve got nothing.”
The company is expanding, most recently opening a location in Burton. Thompson said he and his associates once had plans to expand all over Wayne County.
“Our experience in Redford has soured us on Wayne County,” Thompson said. “It is a shame because I’m sure some of those communities would have been open to having us and wanted the jobs we could provide.”

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MARCH

“It’s obvious the Attorney General isn’t using common sense.”

“You’re allowed to be a (medical marijuana) patient but you are not allowed to drive. Zero tolerance is a bad policy. It’s going to cost honest patients their liberty.”

Medical marijuana advocates: State has us in ‘Catch 22’

Oakland Press March 24, 2011, Daily Tribune March 17, 2011

Rick Thompson, Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine: “It’s obvious the Attorney General isn’t using common sense”
“It’s obvious the Attorney General isn’t using common sense,” said Rick Thompson, editor of the Oak Park-based Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine.
Thompson called trying to balance zero tolerance with the Medical Marihuana Act a “Catch 22.”
“You’re allowed to be a (medical marijuana) patient but you are not allowed to drive,” he said. “Zero tolerance is a bad policy. It’s going to cost honest patients their liberty.”

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APRIL

CMNtv broadcast – Town Hall Discussion: Medical Marijuana

April 19, 2011

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April 8, 2011, MLive and the Flint Journal

Rick Thompson, editor of Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine, gets a crowd of Medical Marijuana supporters excited while protesting at Lapeer County Sheriff’s Office on Monday against the recent raids at Oakland and Lapeer County medical marijuana dispensary’s.

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“They’re not part of the medical marijuana community … When a shady business element uses a righteous group of individuals as a front for illegal business, it casts a dark cloud on the patients and people who are really using the act legally.”

Feds raid Oakland County medical marijuana dispensaries

Published: Tuesday, April 12, 2011 Oakland Press

Rick Thompson, editor of Oak Park-based Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine, questioned some individuals who were raided.

“They’re not part of the medical marijuana community … When a shady business element uses a righteous group of individuals as a front for illegal business, it casts a dark cloud on the patients and people who are really using the act legally.”

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MAY

Medical marijuana advocates expected to protest Monday outside Oakland County Circuit Court

http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2011/05/medical_marijuana_advocates_ex.html

May 8, 2011

Rick Thompson, editor of Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine, gets a crowd of Medical Marijuana supporters excited while protesting at Lapeer County Sheriff’s Office on Monday against the recent raids at Oakland and Lapeer County medical marijuana dispensary’s.

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JUNE

“As far as we’re concerned it’s not worth fighting Oakland County about. There was never an official explanation.”

Raids and aftermaths

Published: June 15, 2011 Metro Times

Big Daddy’s Hydro and Compassion Club in Oak Park seem to be legitimate business too, but they were raided by Oakland County Sheriff’s deputies in January. They seized a small amount of cash and marijuana but made no arrests and there have been no charges related to the raid. Since then Big Daddy’s has been operating as usual.
“There have been no charges and no inquiries since then,” says Rick Thompson, a Big Daddy’s employee. “We were open the next day. There was only about $2,200 and a small amount of cannabis taken. As far as we’re concerned it’s not worth fighting Oakland County about. There was never an official explanation.”

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JULY

“The memo delivers little clarity and creates more confusion in medical marijuana states.”

“The anti-compassionate attitude most certainly represents a new policy for 2011. The memo’s threat of money-laundering charges leaves businesspersons struggling to find the proper path to compliance while providing the fastest-growing source of new jobs in our state, and others.”

Government’s memo on marijuana confusing to local residents

July 12, 2011 Oakland Press

What the June 29 policy memo from Deputy Attorney General James Cole at the U.S. Justice Department said, briefly, is that people who cultivate, sell or distribute marijuana, and those who knowingly facilitate such activities, are in violation of the Controlled Substances Act, regardless of state law.

“The memo delivers little clarity and creates more confusion in medical marijuana states,” said Rick Thompson, editor of Oak Park-based Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine.

“The anti-compassionate attitude most certainly represents a new policy for 2011. The memo’s threat of money-laundering charges leaves businesspersons struggling to find the proper path to compliance while providing the fastest-growing source of new jobs in our state, and others.”

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“We now we have a double threat because of this (federal memo) and our own attorney general.”

No one is outside federal marijuana laws, U.S. says

Detroit Free Press July 8, 2011

On Thursday, about two dozen operators of compassion centers — where patients use the drug — met near Flint to discuss the new threats to access.
“We now we have a double threat because of this (federal memo) and our own attorney general,” Rick Thompson, editor of Oak Park-based Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine, said from the meeting.
Rick Thompson, editor of the Oak Park-based Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine, said Thursday: “All of us are more concerned now with federal intrusion.”

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AUGUST

“They returned at 10 a.m. today to arrest them.”

Oak Park medical marijuana facility reports arrests

Oakland Press August 31, 2011

Thompson said Oak Park police came to the business — which houses a hydroponics store, publishes the magazine, and is a medical marijuana compassion center — on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. looking for two patients.

“They returned at 10 a.m. today to arrest them,” said Thompson.

All involved “peacefully surrendered” to police, said Thompson.

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Patients use marijuana and “network for education and learning what helps them.”

4 arrested at Oak Park medical marijuana business

August, 31st 2011 Detroit Free Press

Police arrived “when we opened at 10 o’clock (this morning),” and asked to see the owner and his daughter, said Rick Thompson, a Big Daddy’s board member.

Today’s arrests follow a January raid of the offices, which include Big Daddy’s Compassion Center where patients use marijuana and “network for education and learning what helps them,” Thompson said.

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“Other than a place like this, people would have to go back into neighborhoods.”

Could Court Ruling end medicinal pot shops in Michigan?

8/25/2011 Detroit Free Press

Rick Thompson, editor-in-chief of Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine, said the ruling effectively shuts down the state’s 400 to 500 dispensaries, which allow sales in a safe place between people who trust one another, rather than on the streets between strangers.
“Other than a place like this, people would have to go back into neighborhoods,” he said Wednesday at his office in Big Daddy’s Management Group in Oak Park. Big Daddy’s serves about 3,500 certified patients in five locations, including about 100 low-income patients who pay nothing to Big Daddy’s for their marijuana.

Growing marijuana inside is expensive, with electric bills alone running up to $600 to $700 per month, Thompson said. “Patient access will be affected,” he said, but so will state government, which has collected $8 million in patient-registration fees.

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.
“There was no bill on dispensaries. Either he loves them or he already knew the Court of Appeals was going to strike them down.”

Prosecutor, advocates react to appeals court ruling barring marijuana dispensary sales

August 25, 2011 Daily Tribune

Rick Thompson, editor of Oak Park-based Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine, said the Court of Appeals ruling is a “direct contradiction” to the Medical Marihuana Act.

“The act states transfers don’t constitute sales of an illegal substance,” Thompson said.

Thompson estimated there may be 500 dispensaries currently operating in Michigan. Walton said he knows of dispensaries in Wayne and Macomb counties, and said Lansing just put a limit on having 48 in the city.

Thompson also referenced a number of medical marijuana-related bills recently supported by Attorney General Bill Schuette.

“There was no bill on dispensaries,” said Thompson. “Either he loves them or he already knew the Court of Appeals was going to strike them down.”

If the latter is true, said Thompson, “The Attorney General should not be privileged to knowing Court of Appeal rulings in advance. It’s inappropriate.”

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Ruling in Medical Marijuana case

WXYZ AB Channel 7, August 24, 2011

“If you are elderly or you have a disease that doesn’t let you leave home, like Chrohn’s or IBS, you are basically squeezed out of the medical marijuana program by your disability. Or, you’re forced to go down to the corner in the dark of night to score pot.”

“It takes four months to grow a cannabis plant from seed to flower. Although it is a weed it is a tricky plant. If you can’t get it from an outside source you will be four months without this medicine.”

“No caregiver can do this for free because of the expense associated with it. Everyone interpreted the law as you can’t profit but you can cover your expenses. Labor is the largest cost of anything and then there is electricity, obtaining plants. One justice understood that but others are politically motivated.”

“This is the opposite of what (Michigan Attorney General) Bill Schuette said he wanted to do, which is help patients… This is a sad day for patients who are losing the support system voters created. It’s being taken away by the sweep of a pen.”

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Court ruling a blow for medical marijuana patients

Published: Wednesday, August 24, 2011 Daily Tribune Staff Writer

OAK PARK – Medical marijuana advocates contend a court ruling that says dispensary sales are illegal deals a huge blow to sick people unable to grow their own plants.

The Michigan Court of Appeals ruled medical marijuana can’t be sold through dispensaries in a case involving Compassionate Apothecary, Mount Pleasant, where patients with state-issued medical marijuana cards sold to each other.

“There’s a secondary effect to this ruling and that is caregivers have to provide their service for free,” said Rick Thompson, spokesman for the Michigan Association for Compassion Centers. “The most important thing is patients who can’t grow for themselves will never find someone to grow for them.

“If you are elderly or you have a disease that doesn’t let you leave home, like Chrohn’s or IBS, you are basically squeezed out of the medical marijuana program by your disability. Or, you’re forced to go down to the corner in the dark of night to score pot.”

The ruling will be drive patients back under ground, Thompson said.

“This is the opposite of what (Michigan Attorney General) Bill Schuette said he wanted to do, which is help patients,” he added. “This is a sad day for patients who are losing the support system voters created. It’s being taken away by the sweep of a pen.”

While some caregivers would provide medical marijuana for free to relatives, not everyone knows someone who would do that and they will be forced to learn to grow their own.

“It takes four months to grow a cannabis plant from seed to flower,” Thompson said. “Although it is a weed it is a tricky plant. If you can’t get it from an outside source you will be four months without this medicine.”

He said the ruling takes away any incentive people may have had to enroll in the medical marijuana program.

“You won’t be able to find a caregiver,” Thompson said. “No caregiver can do this for free because of the expense associated with it. Everyone interpreted the law as you can’t profit but you can cover your expenses. Labor is the largest cost of anything and then there is electricity, obtaining plants. One justice understood that but others are politically motivated.”

Video at:

and

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“Whenever Bill Schuette scares people, it makes it easier for me to do my job.”
“Whenever he’s in the newspaper, people start calling me to know about the changes to the law. We have a ton of people who seek our advice. All of our compassion centers around the state take a lot of calls when he’s in the paper like that.”
“We are trying to inform legislators that the citizenry does not support changes to the law.”
“It’s significant that Schuette surrounded himself with law enforcement and prosecutors. Those are the people who are pushing changes to the medical marijuana law, not the patients.”

Schuette gets cheesy

Published: August 24, 2011, Metro Times

“Whenever Bill Schuette scares people, it makes it easier for me to do my job,” says Rick Thompson, editor of Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine. “Whenever he’s in the newspaper, people start calling me to know about the changes to the law. We have a ton of people who seek our advice. All of our compassion centers around the state take a lot of calls when he’s in the paper like that.”
“We are trying to inform legislators that the citizenry does not support changes to the law,” Thompson says. “It’s significant that Schuette surrounded himself with law enforcement and prosecutors. Those are the people who are pushing changes to the medical marijuana law, not the patients.”

“I can guarantee that none of the people at that press conference voted for this law in 2008.”
“To open the law to legislative tinkering with the current composition of the Legislature simply is unadvisable because they don’t represent the true feelings of Michigan’s citizens.”

https://www.metrotimes.com/detroit/schuette-gets-cheesy/Content?oid=2147347

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Lawmakers to introduce bills to close marijuana loopholes

Lansing State Journal 8/12/2011

But medical marijuana advocates have been leery of any proposed changes to the law, saying it is merely an attempt to make it harder for them to acquire medical marijuana and would violate their civil rights.

“I can guarantee that none of the people at that press conference voted for this law in 2008,” said Rick Thompson, editor of the Oak Park-based Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine. “To open the law to legislative tinkering with the current composition of the Legislature simply is unadvisable because they don’t represent the true feelings of Michigan’s citizens.”

“Detectable amounts of marijuana remain in the system for 30 days or more, far longer than any impairment.”

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Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette Wants Medical Marijuana Law Modified

Detroit Free Press – Thursday, August 11 2011

“I can guarantee that none of the people at that press conference voted for this law in 2008,” said Rick Thompson, editor of Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine. He said the Republican majorities in both chambers of the Legislature “don’t represent the true feelings of Michigan’s citizens.”
Thompson said there are commonsense changes that can be made, including the photographs on certificates.
But he disagrees with revoking a driver’s license if a patient is found with marijuana in his or her system.
“Detectable amounts of marijuana remain in the system for 30 days or more, far longer than any impairment,” he said.

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SEPTEMBER

Pro-marijuana rally planned

Published: Wednesday, September 07, 2011 By the Daily Tribune

A rally will be held at noon today on the west steps of the Capitol in Lansing to protest proposed changes to Michigan’s Medical Marihuana Act.

A few thousand patients are expected to attend the event, organized by the Michigan Medical Marijuana Association. Organizers say the people are upset over unfair treatment and new proposed regulations, including changes urged by Attorney General Bill Schuette.

The rally will have speakers including attorney Michael Komorn, Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine Editor Rick Thompson, Jamie Lowell from the Michigan Association of Compassionate Caregivers, and several patients and caregivers, including Joseph Casias, a former Wal-Mart employee who was fired for testing positive for medical marijuana.

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“It’s my fervent hope that today’s marijuana is more potent. It’s like comparing aspirin to Vicodin. To achieve a higher level of pain relief, we need more potent varieties.”

“Getting your marijuana on the street is not the therapeutically most effective way to do it.”

Not your grandfather’s pot

Published: Thursday, September 29, 2011 Daily Tribune, October 2nd in the Oakland Press

Rick Thompson, director of Michigan Compassion Care, has a different perspective.

“It’s my fervent hope that today’s marijuana is more potent,” Thompson said. “It’s like comparing aspirin to Vicodin.

To achieve a higher level of pain relief, we need more potent varieties.”
And with marijuana use now legal in Michigan for medical purposes, it’s important that users know what they are buying.

Though some strains of marijuana appear to be more potent than others, said Thompson — who also operates Big Daddy’s Hydroponics in Chesterfield Township and Detroit — the key for those in need of its medicinal benefit is to work with a “professional,” someone who understands the difference between the strains.

“Getting your marijuana on the street is not the therapeutically most effective way to do it,” Thompson said. “These dealers do not have the knowledge to recommend appropriate strains. That’s where dispensaries come in.”

For example, the “white widow” strain, Thompson said, is recommended to treat restless leg syndrome.

But when asked to describe what distinguishes someone as a “professional,” Thompson said: “personal experience. Also, you can get a lot of information on the Internet.”

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“With government less able to provide assistance to low income families, vets and seniors, these people need an alternative to treat the illnesses they face.”

Is marijuana a modern penicillin?

September 29, 2011 Daily Tribune

http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2011/09/30/news/doc4e85ec7945169748201317.txt?viewmode=fullstory

To hear Rick Thompson tell it, marijuana is the single most effective remedy to hit modern health care since penicillin, as adaptable as yoga and as harmless as buckwheat honey on toast.

“I think most people agree that it’s time for us to decriminalize marijuana,” said Thompson, executive director of Michigan Association of Compassion Centers.

“At the turn of the (last century, circa 1900) people grew it in their garden like mint and rosemary. It was used for ailments such as pain management and insomnia, Parkinson’s Disease, migraines andrheumatoid arthritis.”

Today, Thompson said, a growing number of doctors are coming out in support of the herb’s medicinal value.

“With government less able to provide assistance to low income families, vets and seniors, these people need an alternative to treat the illnesses they face,” Thompson continued. “Marijuana is no more dangerous than anything else we allow our society to consume. The best way to help these people is to stay out of their way.”

With these risks and benefits in mind, does the federal government have the right to prevent those suffering from chronic pain, disability or terminal illness from exploring every possible solution, despite the potentially dangerous side effects?

Rick Thompson, and others like him, says no.

“Many people can’t afford prescription drugs,” Thompson said. “We need to add alternatives to the pharmaceutical model. The citizens of this country should not have to wait another day for effective and affordable, medicinal therapies that could save their lives.”

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Michigan Medical Marijuana advocates discuss history in state

Oakland Press, September 20, 2011

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“We were determined to fight it out, but now there are charges filed against (four) individuals and our patients are finding themselves challenged in the street (by law enforcement) after leaving us. We can’t in good conscience remain.”

Medical pot producer leaving county

September 18, 2011 in the Daily Tribune and September 16, 2011 in the Oakland Press as “Medical marijuana facility leaving Oakland County”

The medical marijuana operation — possibly the last of its kind in Oakland County — will be closed up by Monday.
Rick Thompson, editor of Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine and a member of Big Daddy’s Management Group, spoke of a raid on the medical marijuana facility and hydroponics store in January.

“That raid only hardened our resolve to stay,” he said.

“We were determined to fight it out, but now there are charges filed against (four) individuals and our patients finding themselves challenged in the street (by law enforcement) after leaving us. We can’t in good conscience remain.”

The 6,000-square-foot building situated in an industrial park opened in March 2010. Seventeen people worked there, said Thompson.

“We were open six days a week,” said Thompson. On days when a physician was in, “we were quite busy,” he said.
Now the operations will be concentrated in Big Daddy’s Management facilities in Chesterfield Township, Sandusky (Michigan), Burton and Detroit. The corporate office will be in Detroit, he said.

Thompson said a raid by law enforcement this week had nothing to do with the move-out.

“Our decision was made prior to that,” he said. “However, it reinforced our decision as a smart one.”

Law enforcement entered Big Daddy’s at least twice in the last year.

In January, officers raided the business, seizing money but making no arrests.

“They were courteous to the 10 patients and employees, and even let one pregnant woman go to the bathroom.”

On Aug. 31, Thompson said Oak Park police came to the business on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. looking for two patients and returned at 10 a.m. to arrest them.

Four people eventually were charged with conspiracy and delivery of marijuana, he said.

Thompson said the incidents were reactionary, coming after state courts issued marijuana-related decision.

Video code:

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Why Big Daddy’s Hydro decided to close

Oakland Press, September 16, 2011

“We’re going from five locations in the state to four”

Medical Marijuana Company Leaves Oakland County After Raids

Detroit Free Press, Sept. 16, 2011

“We’re going from five locations in the state to four” — in Chesterfield Township, Detroit, Livonia and Burton near Flint, said Big Daddy’s spokesman Rick Thompson. The move from an Oak Park industrial park involves a dozen employees, Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine and a business that marketed indoor cultivation equipment, Thompson said.

_____

“It seems like our patients are being given undue attention and these are people that we would never want to put in a position where they have excessive attention from law enforcement. And if that means we have to shut down operations and move somewhere else so that those people are not put in jeopardy, then that’s what we’ll do.”

“I don’t see this as a victory for the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department. I see any time medical services are being denied to the public, it’s a negative. And anybody that says this is a win for them really has no intention of helping the sick and the injured in Michigan.”

Medical Marijuana Business Closes After Raid, Arrests

September 14, 2011 WWJ, CBS Radio Detroit,

OAK PARK (WWJ) – A popular medical marijuana facility in Oak Park is closing its doors Wednesday.
WWJ’s Sandra McNeill spoke with “Big Daddy’s Hydro” board member Rick Thompson, who said after the arrest of four people at the business last month, they’re moving out of Oakland County.

“It’s a sad day for us to leave Oak Park, but the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department has made operating in Oakland County just too difficult,” Thompson said.

“It seems like our patients are being given undue attention and these are people that we would never want to put in a position where they have excessive attention from law enforcement. And if that means we have to shut down operations and move somewhere else so that those people are not put in jeopardy, then that’s what we’ll do,” he continued.

The Oakland County Sheriff’s Department conducted a raid on the facility in August after officials say they received tips from arrested drug dealers who claimed they obtained their supply from the dispensary.

“I don’t see this as a victory for the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department. I see any time medical services are being denied to the public, it’s a negative. And anybody that says this is a win for them really has no intention of helping the sick and the injured in Michigan,” Thompson said.

The Sheriff’s Department said the arrests followed an ongoing investigation of such facilities that have nabbed suspects in Waterford and Ferndale as well.

The four are facing drug charges after undercover deputies bought medical marijuana using forged cards.

Collectively, the suspects are charged with 10 counts of delivery and conspiracy to deliver marijuana, with punishments ranging from four to seven years and fines of up to $30,000.

Thompson said Big Daddy’s will continue to operate their stores in four other locations, including one in Detroit and Chesterfield Township.

_____

“They cleaned the place out.”

Police raid marijuana operation in Commerce Township

September 14, 2011 by The News-Herald

Law enforcement officials raided a marijuana operation in Commerce Township Wednesday.

Rick Thompson, editor of Oak Park-based Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine, said he spoke with eyewitnesses who said officers were on scene since midnight, seizing items from the operation on Welsh Road.

“They cleaned the place out,” he said

Thompson was unsure if people at the operation were growing recreational marijuana or medical marijuana.
Thompson did not know the name of the business.

_____

“This is the truest expression of democracy there ever could be.”

MEDICAL MARIJUANA ADVOCATES RALLY AT STATE CAPITOL

September 8, 2011 The Oakland Press

Rick Thompson of Oak Park stood at the top of the steps of Michigan’s State Capitol Wednesday and surveyed the sea of medical marijuana advocates shouting below him.

“This is the truest expression of democracy there ever could be,” said Thompson, editor of Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine.

“People are here to let Lansing know that their vote counts.”

______

“It’s no coincidence that these charges came less than a week after the Court of Appeals ruling. … If there were any significant health or safety concerns, Oakland County could’ve closed the facility in January.”

“Big Daddy’s is arguably one of the most active organizations in the state supporting medical marijuana and community involvement in the issue. If they take us down, they think they can take the wind out of the sails of the movement.”

Darth Schuette

September 7, 2011, Metro Times

Tylenda says the complaints were dated before the Court of Appeals decision about Compassionate Apothecary came down, but some medical marijuana activists see it as part of a coordinated effort between the courts, Schuette and county prosecutors to attack medical marijuana activists. Particularly Big Daddy’s because the facility serves as the main office of the Michigan Association of Compassion Centers, a group that has organized protests at courthouses where medical marijuana cases were being heard, given legal support to defendants in some cases, and hired lobbyists to support medical marijuana in Lansing.

“There’s no question in my mind,” says Rick Thompson, a Big Daddy’s spokesman who is an organizer of a Sept. 7 rally at the state Capitol. “It’s no coincidence that these charges came less than a week after the Court of Appeals ruling. … If there were any significant health or safety concerns, Oakland County could’ve closed the facility in January. It seems the two are connected. Big Daddy’s is arguably one of the most active organizations in the state supporting medical marijuana and community involvement in the issue. If they take us down, they think they can take the wind out of the sails of the movement. ”

Another reason Thompson sees coordination coming from political and law enforcement higher-ups is the demeanor of the police at the raid. “We’ve never had problems with the city of Oak Park,” he says. “During the raid the police were apologetic. They said that the orders came from above. This is the second incidence where Lansing tells Oakland County to jump and [Sheriff Michael] Bouchard and [prosecutor Jessica] Cooper say, ‘How high?'”

Tylenda adds, “These officers are mere foot soldiers. They’re given orders; they follow orders. It all comes from higher-ups. These charges are more political than practical; more vindictive than something that finds a solution.”

_____

“The intent of the voters was not to restrict access to medical marijuana. The intent of the voters was to empower people, subject to a recommendation by a licensed physician. So, the actions that we’re seeing in the legislature and in the judiciary are not in alignment with what the people voted for in 2008.”

“Sickness crosses all boundaries. Sickness doesn’t care whether you’re wealthy, whether you’re poor, whether you’re in Auburn Hills or you’re in the Upper Peninsula, and when the ill are denied access to medical marijuana, everybody loses.”

Medical Marijuana Advocates Plan Lansing Protest

September 7th, 2011 CBS radio WWJ

A rally is scheduled Wednesday afternoon on the steps of the state capital protesting proposed changes to the state’s medical marijuana law.

Rick Thompson is with the Michigan Association of Compassion Centers, a group that helps patients obtain medical marijuana.

“The intent of the voters was not to restrict access to medical marijuana. The intent of the voters was to empower people, subject to a recommendation by a licensed physician. So, the actions that we’re seeing in the legislature and in the judiciary are not in alignment with what the people voted for in 2008,” said Thompson.

Just last month, Michigan’s Appeals Court ruled some sales at dispensaries to be illegal.

“This is the biggest civil rights issue that’s faced this state in 30 years. The people that are being oppressed are the sickest and the most injured people in the state. These are the people we should be protecting, not punishing,” said Thompson.

About 2,000 protestors from across the state are expected at the rally. The event starts at noon.

“Sickness crosses all boundaries. Sickness doesn’t care whether you’re wealthy, whether you’re poor, whether you’re in Auburn Hills or you’re in the Upper Peninsula, and when the ill are denied access to medical marijuana, everybody loses,” said Thompson.

_____

“There has been no action to improve issuance of cards. It takes four or five months to get a card issued at this time, and seven days for a driver’s license to be issued. We’re calling attention to the fact the Legislature shouldn’t change the law; they should honor the law.”

Medical Marijuana Rally At Michigan Capitol Draws Huge Crowd

September 8, 2011

Big Daddy’s spokesman Rick Thompson said about 30 bills are pending or about to be introduced to change the medical marijuana law passed by the state’s voters.

Thompson said the message to lawmakers in Lansing is: Honor the act as it is written.

“There hasn’t been any hearing to increase the number of ailments allowed,” Thompson said. “There has been no action to improve issuance of cards. It takes four or five months to get a card issued at this time, and seven days for a driver’s license to be issued. We’re calling attention to the fact the Legislature shouldn’t change the law; they should honor the law.”

_____

“Anything that makes it so law enforcement knows it is a legitimate patient and should be released without seizing his cannabis I’m in favor of.”

Patients rally for medical marijuana

September 08, 2011 Daily Tribune

Spokesman Rick Thompson said he expects 700 to 800 of the people on the capitol steps to be patients, caregivers and their friends and families who departed from the five Big Daddy’s locations, including one in Chesterfield Township.

They want to be heard as state lawmakers return from a holiday break. Thompson said about 30 bills are pending or about to be introduced to change the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act passed by 63 percent of the state’s voters in 2008.

The Lansing rally attendees support a couple bills, like speeding patient registration and putting patient photos on state-issued ID cards.

“Anything that makes it so law enforcement knows it is a legitimate patient and should be released without seizing his cannabis I’m in favor of,” Thompson said.

Thompson said the message to Lansing is: Honor the act as it is written.

“There hasn’t been any hearing to increase the number of ailments allowed,” he said. “There has been no action to improve issuance of cards. It takes four to five months to get card issued at this time and seven days for a driver’s license to be issued. We’re calling attention to fact the Legislature shouldn’t change the law; they should honor the law.”

_____

“This is the biggest civil rights issue that’s faced this state in 30 years.”

“The people that are being oppressed are the sickest and the most injured people in the state. These are the people we should be protecting, not punishing.”

Medical Marijuana Advocates Hold Lansing Rally

September 7, 2011 WWJ/AP

Hundreds of supporters of the medical use of marijuana rallied at the state capitol Wednesday to protest proposed restrictions on the practice in Michigan.
The Michigan Medical Marijuana Association president and others spoke at the rally, which began at noon outside the Capitol. Hundreds of people were present as the rally began, and more protesters were arriving.
State voters in 2008 approved the use of marijuana to relieve pain and chronic ailments. About 100,000 people have state-issued cards letting them have 2.5 ounces of “usable” pot and up to 12 plants. Registered caregivers also can grow marijuana for five people.

“This is the biggest civil rights issue that’s faced this state in 30 years,” said Rick Thompson with the Michigan Association of Compassion Centers.

“The people that are being oppressed are the sickest and the most injured people in the state. These are the people we should be protecting, not punishing,” he said.

______

“We want no changes” to the state law

Medical pot rally today at Capitol

Detroit Free Press, Sept. 7, 2011

Medical marijuana users and their supporters plan a rally on the steps of the Capitol at noon today — the first day of the Legislature’s session, Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine editor Rick Thompson said.

Buses will be traveling from across the state, Thompson said Tuesday. The goal is to counteract statements by political and law enforcement leaders who want to limit access to the drug by state-registered patients, he said.

“We want no changes” to the state law that allows certified patients to use marijuana, Thompson said. Before the three-hour rally, teams from the Michigan Association of Compassion Centers will go to legislators’ offices and engage them and their staffs in talks about the rights of medical marijuana patients, he said.

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“It is a less patient-friendly system,” Rick Thompson, editor of Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine, said of Delaware’s law. “What they’ve done is they’ve created a cannabis monopoly in each of the three counties.”

Red tape could keep medicinal pot from legal Delaware users

September 4, 2011, The News Journal

Critics of Delaware’s law argue it unnecessarily delays the ability of sick residents to get marijuana until 2013.
“It is a less patient-friendly system,” Rick Thompson, editor of Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine, said of Delaware’s law. “What they’ve done is they’ve created a cannabis monopoly in each of the three counties.”

Michigan’s law, approved by voters in a 2008 ballot initiative, allows registered patients and caregivers to grow up to 12 marijuana plants in their homes. Following a recent court decision that shut down Michigan’s commercial dispensaries, home-growing marijuana is now the only viable access for registered patients, Thompson said.

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“We have now completely shut down the Oak Park operation” but plan to reopen today “just for physician referral and networking help for patients,”

Crackdown Gets Tighter on Medical Marijuana in Michigan

Detroit Free Press, September 1 2011

“We have now completely shut down the Oak Park operation” but plan to reopen today “just for physician referral and networking help for patients,” Big Daddy’s spokesman Rick Thompson said after the arraignments.

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OCTOBER

Attorney General enters Chesterfield Township medical marijuana case

Published: Monday, October 24, 2011 all across the state
http://www.dailytribune.com/article/DT/20111024/NEWS/310249956

http://www.theoaklandpress.com/article/OP/20111024/NEWS/310249941

The state Attorney General on Monday was allowed to intervene in Chesterfield Township’s legal action to shut down a so-called dispensary for medical marijuana.

Judge John Foster of Macomb County Circuit Court in Mount Clemens approved Attorney General Bill Schuette joining the township in trying to close the Big Daddy’s medical marijuana facility on Gratiot Avenue. The township says it’s a public nuisance, and violates ordinances and regulations.

In the Chesterfield Township case, Foster also approved the township’s request to “compel the depositions” of Big Daddy’s owners Rick and Sue Ferris, and Rick Thompson, who is editor of Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine and a member of the Michigan Association of Compassion Centers. Also named as a defendant was the landlord, Pasquale Acciavatti.

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“This is the social revolution of our time.”

Pot Dispensary Lawsuit Could Have Implications For Statewide Policy In Michigan

10/27/11 Huffington Post

Big Daddy’s Hydroponics, a medical marijuana dispensary in Chesterfield Township, is the target of a high-profile lawsuit over the legality of Michigan dispensaries in a case that could have implications for statewide policy.
“This is the social revolution of our time,” Rick Thompson, a Big Daddy’s shareholder and editor of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine, told Patch’s Christy Arboscello.

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“Is the attorney general supposed to represent the view of the people?”

Medical marijuana Q-and-A a big hit at Delta

Midland Daily News Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Selected questions and answers from the event:
Rick Thompson editor of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine: In your (Ianni) presentation you talked about a super-majority being needed to change the medical marijuana act or an initiative.
What if I told you, and what would your thoughts be, if there was a poll that determined that in 2012 Michiganders would prefer to de-criminalize marijuana to a civil infraction with a small fine by a 58 percent margin as well as that being equally supported by both the liberal and conservative portions of Michigan? Aren’t you concerned that come 2012 the people will come back in a more aggressive form and reduce penalties for marijuana in general for all the population?

Thompson (second question): Is the attorney general supposed to represent the view of the people? We voted two-to-one to have this medical marijuana law and I’m confused why the attorney general is trying to do everything he can to undo the law.

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“This is not a proactive policy. They are not going to come to your home to see if you have guns.”

Feds say medical marijuana and firearms don’t mix

Flint Journal, Friday, October 07, 2011

Rick Thompson, editor of Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine, said the directive is an attempt to slow the spread of medical pot laws to other states. At least seven new states could see the issue on a ballot in 2012, he added.
“It’s a scare tactic,” he said.
Thompson and Rupinski said they don’t expect feds to start investigating or prosecuting users just because they own guns.
“This is not a proactive policy. They are not going to come to your home to see if you have guns,” Thompson said.

______
“Some physicians push the boundaries just like some patients and caregivers may push the boundaries. The vast majority of physicians are doing it the right way.”

Long wait for medical marijuana card

Thursday, October 06, 2011 Daily Tribune

Critics claim some patients are getting the recommendation without seeing a doctor in person.

“Some physicians push the boundaries just like some patients and caregivers may push the boundaries. The vast majority of physicians are doing it the right way,” Thompson said.

_____

“If it took five months to get a driver’s license to you, the Secretary of State would lose her job.”

“The reality is not issuing these cards in a timely manner puts people in jail.”

Simple forms, quick doctor visits, long wait for medical marijuana card

Wednesday, October 05, 2011 The Advisor and Source Newspapers, the Oakland Press

http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2011/10/06/news/doc4e8d0cc407f71874365832.txt?viewmode=fullstory

Currently, the bureau is issuing registry cards for original applications received in April.

“No one is being held accountable in government for this intolerable delay,” said Rick Thompson, editor of Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine and a member of the Michigan Association of Compassion Centers.

“It’s reprehensible and unfortunate,” he said. “If it took five months to get a driver’s license to you, the Secretary of State would lose her job.”

The MMRA advises patients to keep a copy of their application while awaiting notification from the state whether their application has been approved, denied or terminated, because the documents have the same legal effect as a registry identification card and can be shown to law enforcement officials.

But Thompson said police often doubt the validity of the forms because they are user-generated and can be forged easily. He thinks the state should issue a certified letter bearing the state seal and a patient ID number to applicants awaiting their card.

“The reality is not issuing these cards in a timely manner puts people in jail,” he said. “What might be acceptable at one marijuana distribution center might be different for another,” Thompson added.

Rejections by doctors are common, said Thompson.

“Often time patients misunderstand and think they need medical marijuana,” he said, citing anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder as examples of conditions that do not qualify.

The fee to submit the application: $100.

“The forms are very user-friendly,” said Thompson. “The intimidating part is paying $100 if you’re on a fixed income.”

A medical marijuana registry card is valid for one year. Critics say that’s too short. After expiration, patients hoping to continue medical marijuana use must submit renewal forms.

“Which means another visit to the doctor,” Thompson said.

Plus another $100 application fee.

In the wake of the Appeals Court ruling, Thompson fears that any potential changes to the law by the Legislature will cause more people to suffer.

“I’m worried they’re going to develop a lot of red tape and restrictions,” said the editor of Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine. “A lot of people are worried.”

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“It’s my fervent hope that today’s marijuana is more potent. It’s like comparing aspirin to Vicodin. To achieve a higher level of pain relief, we need more potent varieties.”

Marijuana potency rising

Wednesday, October 05, 2011 The Daily Tribune

Rick Thompson, a member of the Michigan Association of Compassion Centers, disagrees.

“It’s my fervent hope that today’s marijuana is more potent,” Thompson said. “It’s like comparing aspirin to Vicodin. To achieve a higher level of pain relief, we need more potent varieties.”

Though some strains of marijuana appear to be more potent than others, said Thompson — whose organization also operates Big Daddy’s Hydroponics in Chesterfield Township and Detroit, and three other Michigan locations — the key for those in need is to work with a “professional,” someone well versed on the differences between the strains.

“Getting your marijuana on the street is not the therapeutically most effective way,” Thompson said. “These dealers do not have the knowledge to recommend appropriate strains. That’s where dispensaries come in.”

For example, the “white widow” strain of marijuana, Thompson said, is recommended to treat restless leg syndrome.

“With government less able to provide assistance to low income families, vets and seniors, these people need an alternative to treat the illnesses they face. Marijuana is no more dangerous than anything else we allow our society to consume. The best way to help these people is to stay out of their way.”

_____

“Many people can’t afford prescription drugs. We need to add alternatives to the pharmaceutical model. The citizens of this country should not have to live without affordable, medicinal therapies that could save their lives.”

Patients say marijuana an effective treatment

October 04, 2011 Daily Tribune

Also published in the Heritage Newspapers Press and Guide (Dearborn), 10/04/2011 as “Pot- does benefit outweigh the risk” and Macomb Daily as “Marijuana: Ready or Not,” Oct 2, 2011, and the Journal Register as “Applying for Medical Marijuana”, 10/10/2011, the Source newspapers as “The Benefits of using, risks of abusing medical marijuana”, and “Is marijuana a modern penicillin?” in the News/Herald network and the Oakland Press

To hear Rick Thompson tell it, marijuana is the single most effective remedy to hit modern health care since penicillin, as adaptable as yoga and as harmless as buckwheat honey on toast.
“I think most people agree that it’s time for us to decriminalize marijuana,” said Thompson, a member of Michigan Association of Compassion Centers.
Thompson said that in the early 1900s people grew marijuana in their garden like mint and rosemary.
“It was used for ailments such as pain management and insomnia, Parkinson’s disease, migraines and rheumatoid arthritis,” Thompson said.
Today, Thompson said, a growing number of doctors are coming out in support of the herb’s medicinal value.
“With government less able to provide assistance to low income families, vets and seniors, these people need an alternative to treat the illnesses they face,” Thompson continued. “Marijuana is no more dangerous than anything else we allow our society to consume. The best way to help these people is to stay out of their way.”
Pain control, appetite stimulation, relief from restless leg syndrome, nausea and insomnia are currently the top five therapeutic applications for marijuana, Thompson said.
With these risks and benefits in mind, does the federal government have the right to prevent those suffering from chronic pain, disability or terminal illness from exploring every possible solution, despite the potentially dangerous side effects?
Rick Thompson, and others like him, says no.
“Many people can’t afford prescription drugs,” Thompson said. “We need to add alternatives to the pharmaceutical model. The citizens of this country should not have to live without affordable, medicinal therapies that could save their lives.”

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“I think it’s part of a campaign on a nationwide scale to deter states that are considering medical marijuana laws from adopting them and to deter medical marijuana states from expanding the protections that their patients and caregivers have”.

“How are you going to register for a city program to tell the officials where you are at in growing your marijuana plants, but then leave yourself with no means to defend yourself from intruders. This is a catch-22 that means people are going to get hurt in Michigan”.

ATF tells firearms dealers not to sell guns to pot users, Michigan medical marijuana advocates react

WXYZ TV 7 DETROIT 10/3/2011

http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/region/macomb_county/medical-marijuana-users-cannot-buy-or-possess-guns,-atf-letter-warns-firearm-dealers

CHESTERFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) – Under federal law, licensed medical marijuana users shall be treated like anyone who is addicted to any controlled substance when it comes to buying firearms or ammunition.
After receiving a number of inquiries, the Bureau of Alcohol. Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) recently sent an letter to law enforcement officials and firearms dealers to clarify federal law. The letter is meant to clarify existing law prohibiting any person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance from shipping, transporting, receiving, or possessing firearms or ammunition and explain that there are no exceptions for medical marijuana users.
Rick Thompson, Editor In Chief of Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine, tells Action News, “I think it’s part of a campaign on a nationwide scale to deter states that are considering medical marijuana laws from adopting them and to deter medical marijuana states from expanding the protections that their patients and caregivers have”.
Thompson is hoping to enlist the support of the National Rifle Association in opposing the ban and he says, “How are you going to register for a city program to tell the officials where you are at in growing your marijuana plants, but then leave yourself with no means to defend yourself from intruders. This is a catch-22 that means people are going to get hurt in Michigan”.

Video:

The magazine is sending a letter to the National Rifle Association “to inform them of their potential loss of membership in 17 medical-marijuana states.”

Have a license for medical pot? You can’t have a gun, U.S. says

Oct. 1, 2011

The ban is an insult to Michigan’s medical-marijuana community, said Rick Thompson, editor of the Chesterfield Township-based Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine.

The magazine is sending a letter to the National Rifle Association “to inform them of their potential loss of membership in 17 medical-marijuana states,” including Michigan, and to enlist the NRA’s help in fighting the ban, Thompson said.

“A lot of people who hunt are very upset,” he said Friday.

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NOVEMBER

“I cannot believe that the AG absolutely refused to honor his own state law, citing preemption by federal mandate,” said Rick Thompson, editor of the Michigan Medical Marijuana magazine. “Who does this man work for? The citizens of Michigan? Or U.S. Attorney General Holder?”

Michigan AG: Cops can seize, keep medical marijuana

http://detnews.com/article/20111111/POLITICS02/111110397/Michigan-AG–Cops-can-seize–keep-medical-marijuana#ixzz1dNNYqO9W

Law enforcement officers are not required to return confiscated medical marijuana to a patient or caregiver — even though a state law prohibits medical pot seizures, according to an opinion issued by Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette on Thursday.
Schuette said the provision in the state’s 2008 law directly conflicts with and is pre-empted by federal law.
“By returning marijuana to a registered patient or caregiver, a law enforcement officer is exposing himself or herself to potential criminal and civil penalties under the (federal law) for the distribution of marijuana or for aiding or abetting the possession or distribution of marijuana,” the opinion stated.

It is the latest move by Schuette, a vocal critic of Michigan’s Medical Marijuana Act. He campaigned against the issue before voter approval while he was an appellate judge. Since he’s been attorney general, he filed several briefs supporting prosecutors interpreting the act in a way that some consider narrow.

“I cannot believe that the AG absolutely refused to honor his own state law, citing preemption by federal mandate,” said Rick Thompson, editor of the Michigan Medical Marijuana magazine. “Who does this man work for? The citizens of Michigan? Or U.S. Attorney General Holder?”

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Chesterfield Rejects Settlement With Big Daddy’s

Nov. 8, 2011

http://patch.com/michigan/newbaltimore/chesterfield-rejects-settlement-with-big-daddy-s

Rick Thompson, Big Daddy’s shareholder and Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine Editor, spoke before the board prior to the closed session and expressed that medical marijuana users “are not criminals” and that the legal battle is costing the township more and more money as the court case continues.

Board members were advised by the township attorney not to speak about the decision after the meeting. Specifics about the settlement offer were not disclosed.

“Sixty-three percent of people in Michigan voted in favor of Proposal 1 in 2008. This is something we’ve already won,” Thompson said.

In recent weeks, the legal battle has been joined by the Michigan Attorney General’s Office and on Gratiot north of 23 Mile. The rally took place last week outside Macomb County Circuit Court in Mount Clemens, where an evidentiary hearing was held for the case.

Chesterfield and Attorney General Bill Schuette want the business closed on grounds it’s a public nuisance and it violates zoning ordinances.

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Medical Marijuana Activists to Protest as Chesterfield, State Try to Close Big Daddy’s

http://patch.com/michigan/newbaltimore/medical-marijuana-advocates-to-protest-before-big-dad13d3468822

“If the distribution model is struck down, it would signal a close to some of the remaining 100 distribution centers still servicing the sick and injured statewide,” Rick Thompson, Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine editor and Big Daddy’s board member, said in a prepared statement. “If it wasn’t hugely important, the A.G. would have just filed a brief–instead he chose to intervene.”

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Macomb Extends Moratorium on Medical Marijuana Sales, Dispensation

http://patch.com/michigan/macomb/macomb-extends-moratorium-on-medical-marijuana-sales-6cffd0cae3

November 23, 2011

In neighboring Chesterfield Township, trustees passed an ordinance banning medical marijuana dispensaries in the community on Dec. 6, 2010. However, that ordinance did not save the township and Michigan Attorney General’s Office from becoming embroiled in a court battle arguing that Chesterfield-based dispensary Big Daddy’s Hydroponics should be shut down on grounds it . Big Daddy’s in turn argues it doesn’t need to adhere to the township ordinance that wasn’t on the books when the business opened in summer 2010.

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Burton medical marijuana facility could be affected by Chesterfield Township suit against Big Daddy’s Management Group

http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2011/11/burton_medical_marijuana_facil.html

November 26, 2011

“If the attorney general is successful in interceding in this case he could get a ruling that the business model many distribution facilities are using is not compliant with the law,” said Rick Thompson, board member with Big Daddy’s and editor of Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine.

Macomb County Circuit Court Judge John Foster allowed Schuette to join the suit in October 2011 following an August ruling by a three-judge Michigan Court of Appeals panel that ordered the closure of an Isabella County dispensary.

The panel concluded the facility was illegal because patient-to-patient transfers are not allowed by the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act, passed in 2008 by more than 60 percent of the state’s voters. Caregiver-to-patient transfers were not addressed in the ruling.

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Big Daddy’s: We’re Not Stirring Pot, Have Right to Distribute Medical Marijuana

http://patch.com/michigan/newbaltimore/big-daddy-s-says-it-s-not-stirring-pot-wants-to-keep-6efe2d3614

November 2, 2011

But get Big Daddy Management Group shareholder and Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine Editor Rick Thompson talking about the business’ mission to sell medical marijuana, and he’ll say they’re not just blowing smoke.

“This is the social revolution of our time,” Thompson told Patch.

State Attorney General Joins Township in Lawsuit

For months, Big Daddy’s has been embroiled in a lawsuit Chesterfield Township filed to try to shut down the business. When it was filed in July, the suit . On Monday, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette announced he received permission to join the lawsuit unfolding in Macomb County Circuit Court—stating the business should be declared a public nuisance and closed.

“Across Michigan, our communities are struggling with an invasion of pot shops near their schools, homes and churches,” Schuette in a news release. “Local governments have the right to protect their communities from illegal marijuana dispensaries.”

Thompson says this case will play a prominent role in the debate over distributing pot in Michigan.

“Why is the attorney general becoming involved in this? Because if our case wins and we are not deemed a public nuisance, then dispensaries all over the state will reopen,” he said. “He’s made a career out of attacking medical marijuana since taking office.”

Big Daddy’s owners Rick and Sue Ferris as well as Thompson are expected to offer depositions Friday in circuit court, he said. The lawsuit also listed the landlord, Pasquale Acciavatti, as a defendant.

Thompson said they have every right to be in the township that did not have an ordinance on the books against dispensaries when they opened in summer 2010.

“The only way left to get us out of town is a nuisance (claim),” he said. “It’s not anything specific to us or our operation; it’s a general opposition to dispensaries.”

_____

Chesterfield Medical Marijuana Business at Center of State Dispensary Debate

http://patch.com/michigan/newbaltimore/chesterfield-medical-marijuana-business-at-center-of-127de85ba2

November 4, 2011

Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine Editor and Big Daddy’s board member Rick Thompson said, “This protest represents the best opportunity for medical marijuana patients to get justice from a court system that seems to have a hard time finding it.

“But beyond that, this is my livelihood at stake,” Thompson said.

In other court happenings, O’Connor served subpoenas to three witnesses for the hearing, including Thompson, while they sat in the courtroom to watch the case unfold. Meanwhile, Rasor said he subpoenaed a lawyer from her firm to give testimony for unspecified reasons. The case is scheduled to resume at 8:30 a.m. Friday…

_____

Schuette fires another salvo against MMJ

Another instance of his ongoing activism against medical marijuana is his joining a suit by Macomb County’s Chesterfield Township to attempt to close down Big Daddy’s Chesterfield Hydroponics and Compassion Club. The township wants Circuit Court Judge John Foster to find that Big Daddy’s is a public nuisance and have it shut down. Rick “Big Daddy” Ferris, his adult daughter Stephanie Ferris and two others also face charges stemming from a January raid at their now-closed Oak Park facility.

Schuette seems to be trying his hardest to put the marijuana genie back into the bottle. But voters came out for the MMMA decisively at the ballot box and have continued to support it in public opinion polls.

Last week, Kalamazoo voters again made their sentiments clear in a vote on the Lowest Law Enforcement Priority (LLEP) amendment to the Kalamazoo City Charter that would make possession of an ounce or less of marijuana by an adult the lowest priority for law enforcement to pursue. Schuette claimed that the amendment was illegal and asked Gov. Rick Snyder to reject it during the charter amendment review process because it was a contrary to state law. In spite of Schuette’s efforts, the charter amendment was placed on the ballot in Kalamazoo and voters approved it with an overwhelming 65 percent of the vote.

“I’m so proud of the city of Kalamazoo for passing the lowest law enforcement priority charter amendment,” says Rick Thompson, of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine and a spokesman for Big Daddy’s. “At a time when we’ve had a long negative public relations campaign against medical marijuana, for one community in the state it means that the conservative side is losing the public relations war even though they have a vast resource advantage over our side.”

https://www.metrotimes.com/detroit/schuette-fires-another-salvo-against-mmj/Content?oid=2147237

—

DECEMBER

December 6

Macomb judge orders Chesterfield marijuana dispensary closed

http://www.voicenews.com/news/macomb-judge-orders-chesterfield-marijuana-dispensary-closed/article_43597873-16f1-5cb2-813e-90c966c0521f.html

“The ruling was a real big shock, especially because the judge laid out a time schedule for the process to take place, and he rendered a decision very quickly,” Rick Thompson, Big Daddy’s spokesman, said.

—

Thompson and Big Daddy’s owners and operators pleaded their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

Thompson, who is a shareholder in Big Daddy’s and edits Michigan Medical Marijuana magazine, said Big Daddy’s is considering whether to appeal.

“His ruling is absolutely nothing new,” he said. “I believe the interpretation (of the law) being adopted by the courts and attorney general are an incorrect interpretation of the wording of the Medical Marijuana Act.”

He concedes that one part of the law requires a patient to list a caregiver but in another part the caregiver can transfer marijuana to “a patient,” which he believes means any patient.

Big Daddy’s operates three other facilities outside of Macomb County that Thompson said are not affected by the ruling.

Thompson wondered why Foster made the ruling without the benefit of legal briefs and oral arguments, especially since Smith testified that he had received no complaints about the facility.

“The judge Foster who wrote this opinion is not the same judge Foster we saw in the courtroom,” Thompson said.

He said the ruling is curious because Foster during the hearing seemed agitated with the plaintiffs in the case.

He suggested political motivation; it could be in response to protests by medical marijuana advocates against Schuette, who supports Mitt Romney for president, he said.

“Advancing the decision in this case, and doing so by surprise, seems to have been coordinated to avoid embarrassing, organized protests generating a great deal of negative publicity for Romney and Schuette at the expense of making Foster look like a judge who’s just following orders,” he says in the release.

_____

Following Court Ruling to Shut Down Dispensary Operations, Big Daddy’s Says It’s Leaving Chesterfield

http://patch.com/michigan/newbaltimore/following-court-ruling-to-shut-down-dispensary-operat7ef23a458d

December 8 2011

Within the next couple weeks, hydroponic supplies will be moved to different Big Daddy’s buildings and the township business, along with its currently closed medical marijuana distribution center, will seek to relocate outside of Macomb County.

“We will find another community that’s friendly to us,” Big Daddy’s spokesman Rick Thompson said. “We can’t stay where we’re not wanted – even though the people wanted us, the did not.”

The court ruling would have allowed the business to continue to sell cultivating supplies and equipment at the business on Gratiot between 23 Mile and 24 Mile, but Thompson said the warehouse-sized building is far too large for that alone.

The business has not determined where it will reopen. However, it does not believe another Macomb County community would welcome it. Big Daddy’s has found more success in Genesee County’s Burton, where it is one of multiple dispensaries in the city, Thompson said.

It also has another building on Mack Avenue in Detroit across from Grosse Pointe Park. That will be the new headquarters for the Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine that has been housed in Chesterfield. Thompson, the magazine’s editor, will work out of the Burton office, he said.

Battle to close Big Daddy’s attracted Attorney General, drew protests

Macomb County Circuit Court Judge John Foster’s Nov. 30 ruling for Big Daddy’s to shut down its pot-distribution portion of the business came as a shock to owners and shareholders since legal briefs were not due by then and oral arguments were scheduled for later this month.

“It doesn’t really seem as if they’ve given due process to this issue,” said Thompson, suggesting the sped up the process.

In his ruling, the judge stated the dispensary was not protected under the Medical Marihuana Act of Michigan because, “the Act does not permit qualifying patient-to-patient sales but only transfers between qualifying patients and primary caregivers who are connected through a registration system,” Foster was quoted in a Dec. 5 article in The Macomb Daily. “Defendants are not entitled to invoke any immunity offered by the Act.”

A majority of Michigan voters passed the act Nov. 4, 2008. Its legal interpretations have varied, often leading to dispensary closures in various communities in the state.

Chesterfield, its police chief, and the state had deemed Big Daddy’s Hydroponics, which opened in summer 2010, a public nuisance and violator of township zoning ordinances. Early last month, dozens of medical marijuana supporters, many of whom are patients, before an evidentiary hearing took place. Soon after, the township Board of Trustees offer from the business.

The township attorney and Michigan Attorney General’s Office could not immediately be reached for comment for this story.

Big Daddy’s said it will continue work with the Michigan Association of Compassion Centers to advocate medical marijuana patients’ rights.

“We will not be stopped in our effort to make this law the protective shield for patients that it was intended to be for the voters,” Thompson said.

_____

December 11

Gingrich flip-flops on pot

Speaking of Big Bad Bill (we won’t be referring to him as Sweet William anytime soon), he’s managed to chase Big Daddy’s Hydro completely out of Macomb and Oakland counties. The business’ location on Gratiot in Chesterfield Township shut down after Macomb County Circuit Court Judge John Foster ruled that it couldn’t run its marijuana distribution operations there although it could still sell grow equipment. Big Daddy’s shut down all operations there, but will continue at their locations on Mack Avenue in Detroit (across from Grosse Pointe Park) and in the city of Burton in Genesee County. Big Daddy’s was sued by the township for being a public nuisance. It’s a telling twist that Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith declined to join the suit while Schuette did.

“I’d like to think the rest of the state will take notice of what’s happened in Macomb and Oakland and see that this is likely to happen across the state if we continue to let the attorney general exceed his office,” says Big Daddy’s spokesman Rick Thompson. “He should not be suggesting changes to the law. He should be enforcing the law as written. He should not be coaching law enforcement on how to punish patients. And in this climate he shouldn’t discourage small business from helping Michigan economically.”

https://www.metrotimes.com/detroit/gingrich-flip-flops-on-pot/Content?oid=2147367

—

Detroit Free Press stories:
1. No one is outside federal marijuana laws, U.S. says
BILL LAITNER;DAWSON BELL; Detroit Free Press; Jul 8, 2011; pg. A.1;

2. Have a license for medical pot? You can’t have a gun, U.S. says
BILL LAITNER; Detroit Free Press; Oct 1, 2011; pg. A.1;

3. Medical marijuana firm leaves Oakland County
BILL LAITNER; Detroit Free Press; Sep 16, 2011; pg. A.8;

4. Medical pot shops declared illegal
JOHN WISELY;MEGHA;BILL LAITNER; Detroit Free Press; Aug 25, 2011; pg. A.1;

5. Schuette wants pot law modified
KATHLEEN GRAY; Detroit Free Press; Aug 11, 2011; pg. A.6;

6.
EVENTS:

High Times Cannabis Cup, Political Action Seminar Panelist, 2011
http://medcancup.com/detroit/

Clarion event, 2011 Panelist
Hash Bash
.

Radio/Television/Other appearances
Sept. 7th Rally, Lansing, featured speaker
Television interviews:
Udetroit café, Aug 25, 2011
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/16873068
Familyliferadio, oct. 10th
1310 am Steve Greene’s radio program Radio Weed Show
Just Good Radio show with Victor Vic and Roger Maufort
950 am interviews, royal oak and
sept 7th rally

Am 1400 interview
Sept 22, 2010, Planet Greentrees Radio program
just good radio
medical mike
family life radio

CMNtv appearance, panelist, 2011

Television Panelists to Discuss Medical Marijuana
http://troy.patch.com/articles/television-panelists-to-discuss-medical-marijuana
10/10/2011 5:49 AM
Michigan’s medical marijuana law will be debated tonight during a televised Town Hall discussion on CMNtv.
Medical marijuana will be the subject of tonight’s Michigan Town Hall discussion on CMNtv.

Attorney and legal analyst Charlie Langton will host a televised Michigan Town Hall discussion tonight on the topic of medical marijuana at the CMNtv studio in Troy.
The discussion, which will run live from 6-7 p.m. on Comcast and Wow Cable Channel 18 and online at CMNtv.org/Watch, will feature a panel of six people, including legal experts, politicians and the editor of Medical Marijuana Magazine, Ric Thompson.
Additional panelists will include Cooley Law School Professor Gerald Fisher; defense attorney Michael Komorn; criminal defense attorney Niel Rockind; Royal Oak City Commissioner Chuck Semchena; and Oakland County Commissioner and former Farmington Hills Police Chief Bill Dwyer.
Langton, an attorney and legal analyst for WJBK Fox 2 television and WWJR News Radio 950, will moderate the discussion. Members of the audience and viewers are encouraged to join in the discussion in person, through phone calls or online.

CMNtv taping- Town Hall, 4/26/2011
http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2011/04/26/news/doc4db60008b401f821192483.txt?viewmode=fullstory
<iframe src=”http://blip.tv/play/gtgWgrbPEgI.html” width=”480″ height=”390″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe><embed type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” src=”http://a.blip.tv/api.swf#gtgWgrbPEgI” style=”display:none”></embed>

Congressional testimony, SB 17, march 3, 2011
http://senate.michigan.gov/committees/files/2011-scm-hp__-03-03-1.pdf

photo credits
Washtenaw Voice, Real Detroit, HEAR magazine,
if they had to vote to let the police chief sue, then it can’t be the individual’s decision

The State Legislature lists six bills that would make changes to laws regarding medical marijuana (which the state spells “marihuana”).

In 2010:

— House Bill 6299 discusses the eligibility to be a primary caregiver for patients’ medical use of marijuana and prohibits individuals who have been convicted of any felony. The last action was June 30.

— House Bill 6394 involves the prohibition and formation of medicinal marijuana clubs or operation of medical marijuana bars. The last action was Aug. 25.

In 2009:

— Senate Bill 0616, involves amending existing law to include dispensing of medical marijuana by a licensed pharmacist. The last action was June 3, 2009, when it was referred to committee on Judiciary.

— Senate Bill 0618 would regulate medical marijuana as a Schedule 2 controlled substance and require the dispensing by a pharmacist and require the Health Department to license medical marijuana growing facilities. The last action was June 3, 2009, when it was referred to committee on Judiciary.

— House Bills 5288 and 5289 would require the dispensing of medical marijuana by a licensed pharmacist and would clarify marijuana as a Schedule 2 controlled substance. The bill would amend law to conform with public health code.

The last action was Sept. 9, 2009.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/planetgreentrees/2011/10/28/planet-greentrees-65
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_______

http://www.dailytribune.com/20111004/marijuana-potency-rising

Rick Thompson, a member of the Michigan Association of Compassion Centers, disagrees.

“It’s my fervent hope that today’s marijuana is more potent,” Thompson said. “It’s like comparing aspirin to Vicodin. To achieve a higher level of pain relief, we need more potent varieties.”

Best marijuana strains for different ailments

And with marijuana use now legal in Michigan for medical purposes, it’s important that users know what they are buying.

Though some strains of marijuana appear to be more potent than others, said Thompson — whose organization also operates Big Daddy’s Hydroponics in Chesterfield Township and Detroit, and three other Michigan locations — the key for those in need is to work with a “professional,” someone well versed on the differences between the strains.

“Getting your marijuana on the street is not the therapeutically most effective way,” Thompson said. “These dealers do not have the knowledge to recommend appropriate strains. That’s where dispensaries come in.”

For example, the “white widow” strain of marijuana, Thompson said, is recommended to treat restless leg syndrome.

But when asked to describe what distinguishes someone as a “professional,” Thompson said: “personal experience — also, you can get a lot of information on the Internet.”

And when asked to describe which strains were most effective in treating specific ailments, Thompson recommended checking out online resources.

___________

http://www.macombdaily.com/20110113/video-police-continue-medical-marijuana-raids-hitting-oak-park-dispensary-and-taking-thousands-in-cash

People at an Oak Park medical marijuana dispensary said officers entered their building Wednesday evening, searched people there and took money.

Rick Thompson, who writes for Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine, a publication located in the same building as the dispensary and Big Daddy’s Hydro, said between eight and 10 officers came into the building at 5 p.m.

“They were very polite, there was no yelling or flash grenades,” he said, noting three officers were masked.

“They were courteous to the 10 patients and employees, and even let one pregnant woman go to the bathroom.”

Thompson said he believes the raid was a response to recent court matters involving the DEA’s request for patient information.

“This was just reactionary action directed by Lansing to intimidate us and the Michigan Association of Compassion Clubs and our stand to protect patients’ rights,” he said.

A call has been placed to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office for a response.

Officers asked to see drivers licenses and medical marijuana cards.

“Since everybody had proper ID, there were no concerns,” said Thompson.

Officers seized $15,000-$20,000 and some medical marijuana, said Thompson.

No one was arrested.

“They didn’t take patients’ money or medicine, but they have done that in the past,” he said.

“They took some medication, whatever we had on hand, and brownies and suckers.”

Thompson said the dispensary uses a locker system, similar to one used at a Mt. Pleasant compassion club.

“It was found to be in compliance and we have a similar system of distribution,” he said.

He explained caregivers bring medicine in for their patients and then dispensary workers distribute it to patients “in a way that means caregivers don’t have to stay all day long,” he said.

“It’s safe and secure and legally correct.”

Thompson said he found the raid’s timing odd.

“What is odd is if they wanted to arrest someone for doing illegal transfers, they could have done that or if they had wanted to hal business for not operating within the law they could have done that. They didn’t toss the place but only focused on one or two rooms.”

Grand Rapids medical marijuana hearing postponed

A judge in Grand Rapids postponed a hearing Wednesday to determine if the state of Michigan should cooperate with a federal subpoena seeking medical marijuana records.

The delay Wednesday was due to a last-minute request to intervene by a group called the Michigan Association of Compassion Clubs.

Federal drug investigators have served a subpoena on the state seeking information on certain people with medical marijuana or marijuana caregiver cards.

The Drug Enforcement Administration won’t talk about the Lansing-area probe but says it’s not cracking down on medical marijuana users. The agency says it pursues large-scale drug traffickers. The state says it will comply if there is a court order.

More than 45,000 people in Michigan are registered to use marijuana to ease the symptoms of cancer and other health problems.

Thompson said officers said, “‘Don’t blame us, it comes from above.'”

No undercover officers first attempted to buy medical marijuana, he said.

“Now they (officers) come in almost apologetic,” he said

“This tells me this wasn’t directed by the Oakland County Sheriff.”

The Associated Press contribute to this report.

—

http://www.ourmidland.com/news/medical-marijuana-q-and-a-a-big-hit-at-delta/article_5ffbe195-c9c7-525e-8533-4d1c84b596fe.html

Rick Thompson editor of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine: In your (Ianni) presentation you talked about a super-majority being needed to change the medical marijuana act or an initiative.

What if I told you, and what would your thoughts be, if there was a poll that determined that in 2012 Michiganders would prefer to de-criminalize marijuana to a civil infraction with a small fine by a 58 percent margin as well as that being equally supported by both the liberal and conservative portions of Michigan? Aren’t you concerned that come 2012 the people will come back in a more aggressive form and reduce penalties for marijuana in general for all the population?

Ianni: I’m not going to get into a policy question. If that’s what they vote for our office would simply follow the laws that have been enacted. Whether the attorney general supports that proposal or not would be up to him. As of yesterday, in one poll, most of the people favored a bridge to Canada. If you ask one poll another poll says most of the people are against the bridge to Canada. I don’t know which poll to believe. If the public were to decriminalize it under state law we would still have the problem with the federal law.

2011

_______

Last Updated: November 11. 2011 1:00AM
Michigan AG: Cops can seize, keep medical marijuana
Kim Kozlowski/ The Detroit News

Law enforcement officers are not required to return confiscated medical marijuana to a patient or caregiver — even though a state law prohibits medical pot seizures, according to an opinion issued by Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette on Thursday.

Schuette said the provision in the state’s 2008 law directly conflicts with and is pre-empted by federal law.

“By returning marijuana to a registered patient or caregiver, a law enforcement officer is exposing himself or herself to potential criminal and civil penalties under the (federal law) for the distribution of marijuana or for aiding or abetting the possession or distribution of marijuana,” the opinion stated.

The opinion followed a request by state Rep. Kevin Cotter, R-Mount Pleasant, who asked the attorney general to clarify a provision in the law.

It is the latest move by Schuette, a vocal critic of Michigan’s Medical Marijuana Act. He campaigned against the issue before voter approval while he was an appellate judge. Since he’s been attorney general, he filed several briefs supporting prosecutors interpreting the act in a way that some consider narrow.

“There’s a pattern here of him trying to do several things to make the law so restrictive or prohibitive so that people can’t participate,” said Jamie Lowell, owner of 3rd Coast Compassion Center in Ypsilanti.

Proponents of medical marijuana were stunned by the opinion, which police can apply unless a court rules otherwise.

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20111111/POLITICS02/111110397/Michigan-AG–Cops-can-seize–keep-medical-marijuana#ixzz1dNNYqO9W

______

http://www.sourcenewspapers.com/articles/2011/10/05/news/doc4e8c831f20fd8194055553.txt?viewmode=fullstory

“No one is being held accountable in government for this intolerable delay,” said Rick Thompson, editor of Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine and a member of the Michigan Association of Compassion Centers.

“It’s reprehensible and unfortunate,” he said. “If it took five months to get a driver’s license to you, the Secretary of State would lose her job.”

The MMRA advises patients to keep a copy of their application while awaiting notification from the state whether their application has been approved, denied or terminated, because the documents have the same legal effect as a registry identification card and can be shown to law enforcement officials.

But Thompson said police often doubt the validity of the forms because they are user-generated and can be forged easily. He thinks the state should issue a certified letter bearing the state seal and a patient ID number to applicants awaiting their card.

“The reality is not issuing these cards in a timely manner puts people in jail,” he said. “What might be acceptable at one marijuana distribution center might be different for another,” Thompson added.

The process

Not all ailments qualify a person for the medical marijuana registry, which exempts qualified users from state laws that make possession and use of marijuana illegal.

Rejections by doctors are common, said Thompson.

“Often time patients misunderstand and think they need medical marijuana,” he said, citing anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder as examples of conditions that do not qualify.

Critics claim some patients are getting the recommendation without seeing a doctor in person.

“Some physicians push the boundaries just like some patients and caregivers may push the boundaries. The vast majority of physicians are doing it the right way,” Thompson said.

The elderly and others who are physically incapable of growing marijuana on their own can rely on a caregiver. Caregivers must attest that they are at least 21 years old, have no convictions of felony drug offenses and must provide the name of qualified patients for whom they provide marijuana. Patients under age 18 must have consent of a parent or guardian for medical decisions and must be the minor’s caregiver.

The fee to submit the application: $100.

“The forms are very user-friendly,” said Thompson. “The intimidating part is paying $100 if you’re on a fixed income.”

Cards expire too quickly?

A medical marijuana registry card is valid for one year. Critics say that’s too short. After expiration, patients hoping to continue medical marijuana use must submit renewal forms.

“Which means another visit to the doctor,” Thompson said.

Plus another $100 application fee.

“I think it should be a one-time deal. I don’t have to reapply for a driver’s license every year and I don’t have to apply for a credit card every year,” Rogers pointed out.

Thus far, patient and caregiver registrations have resulted in an $8.2 million profit for the state.

In the wake of the Appeals Court ruling, Thompson fears that any potential changes to the law by the Legislature will cause more people to suffer.

“I’m worried they’re going to develop a lot of red tape and restrictions,” said the editor of Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine. “A lot of people are worried.”

“Alan” of Macomb County added: “Prohibition has never worked on any level. It’s not going to work on marijuana.”

photo credits – art van book and that internet travel site
Video credits- posted online
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUints6CM6g medical marijuana radio show 12/3/2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjciW6ixWh0 medical marijuana radio show 12/20/2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zghLzKTKppM medical marijuana radio show 12/3/2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82EFbGqpyL4 medical marijuana radio show 12/21/2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvTvZjI38UA medical marijuana radio show 11/19/2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRb8t-Kbs60 medical marijuana radio show 1/7/2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBthUfaScwU medical marijuana radio show 11/26/2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1C3kgEYvbs medical marijuana radio show, 1/21/2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=de3vjImoPcs 11/29/2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNYxF_VOyPA 12/23/2011
Vote Green Initiative Project Panel Discussion- Flint, Michigan, November 7, 2011, Holiday Inn Gateway Centre
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JctTSqDKMgU part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-DYr5SfQG0 part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zghLzKTKppM&feature=related January 14, 2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJBspNYHWFU&feature=related 6 hour combined show block with Rick Thompson in the 2 hour segment from Planet Green Trees

CMNTV panel discussion with Rick Thompson, attorneys Michael Komorn and Neil Rockind, Royal Oak Commissioner Semchena, Cooley Law School professor Gerald Fisher and Oakland County Commissioner Bill Dwyer.
July 25, 2010, Medical Marijuana protest in Saginaw, Michigan.

Oakland County protest, September 15, 2010

http://www.mirsnews.com/capsule.php?gid=3707#29049

Mmj Advocates Say Schuette’s On Slippery Dope Slope

Nov 16, 2011 MIRS news service

Attorney General Bill SCHUETTE has been cracking down on medical marijuana users, most recently with an opinion stating police could keep pot seized from someone legally possessing it. But medical marijuana advocates say he could go farther.

“As Attorney General, he can issue opinions about different legal interpretation of the act, and all of those are going to rule as law of the land until they’re overruled by a court,” said Rick THOMPSON of the Michigan Association of Compassion Centers (MACC)…

Harder to overturn pot rules, though, would have to start in the Legislature, which is where Thompson thinks Schuette will be starting in 2012.

“This way he can move on getting these things taken care of without having to actually make any statements or take any actions that he can be held accountable for,” said Thompson.

But marijuana seems to be the AG’s biggest focus, according to the medical marijuana advocates. They said that of the five opinions Schuette has issued, three have been on marijuana.

In Thompson’s opinion, that means Schuette’s spent too much time on this issue.

“He will use every resource available to him to restrict patients and caregivers in Michigan,” he said. “And he’s spent more time being the campaign chairman for Mitt ROMNEY than he’s spent trying to put rapists and murderers in prison.”

_____

VIDEO: Police continue medical marijuana raids, hitting Oak Park dispensary and taking thousands in cash

Royal Oak Restricts Growing Medical Marijuana

Ann Arbor City Council tables medical marijuana issue

Oakland County pot raid stirs local anxieties

Medical marijuana complex raided

Medical pot raids continue

COPS: MEDICAL-MARIJUANA SITE SUPPLIED DRUG DEALERS

AA Council debates pot issue

Oakland Co. deputies raid medical marijuana complex

Royal Oak allows medical pot use, not production

Royal Oak law confuses pot growers following state law

Medical marijuana advocates: State has us in ‘Catch 22’

CMNtv broadcast – Town Hall Discussion: Medical Marijuana

Feds raid Oakland County medical marijuana dispensaries

Medical marijuana advocates expected to protest Monday outside Oakland County Circuit Court

Raids and aftermaths

Government’s memo on marijuana confusing to local residents

No one is outside federal marijuana laws, U.S. says

Oak Park medical marijuana facility reports arrests

4 arrested at Oak Park medical marijuana business

Could Court Ruling end medicinal pot shops in Michigan?

Prosecutor, advocates react to appeals court ruling barring marijuana dispensary sales

Ruling in Medical Marijuana case

Court ruling a blow for medical marijuana patients

Schuette gets cheesy

_____ Lawmakers to introduce bills to close marijuana loopholes

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette Wants Medical Marijuana Law Modified

Pro-marijuana rally planned

Not your grandfather’s pot

Is marijuana a modern penicillin?

Michigan Medical Marijuana advocates discuss history in state

Medical pot producer leaving county

Why Big Daddy’s Hydro decided to close

Medical Marijuana Company Leaves Oakland County After Raids

Medical Marijuana Business Closes After Raid, Arrests

Police raid marijuana operation in Commerce Township

MEDICAL MARIJUANA ADVOCATES RALLY AT STATE CAPITOL

Darth Schuette

Medical Marijuana Advocates Plan Lansing Protest

Medical Marijuana Rally At Michigan Capitol Draws Huge Crowd

Patients rally for medical marijuana

Medical Marijuana Advocates Hold Lansing Rally

Medical pot rally today at Capitol

Red tape could keep medicinal pot from legal Delaware users

Crackdown Gets Tighter on Medical Marijuana in Michigan

Attorney General enters Chesterfield Township medical marijuana case

Pot Dispensary Lawsuit Could Have Implications For Statewide Policy In Michigan

Medical marijuana Q-and-A a big hit at Delta

Feds say medical marijuana and firearms don’t mix

Long wait for medical marijuana card

Simple forms, quick doctor visits, long wait for medical marijuana card

Marijuana potency rising

Patients say marijuana an effective treatment

ATF tells firearms dealers not to sell guns to pot users, Michigan medical marijuana advocates react

Have a license for medical pot? You can’t have a gun, U.S. says

NOVEMBER

Michigan AG: Cops can seize, keep medical marijuana

Chesterfield Rejects Settlement With Big Daddy’s

Medical Marijuana Activists to Protest as Chesterfield, State Try to Close Big Daddy’s

Macomb Extends Moratorium on Medical Marijuana Sales, Dispensation

Burton medical marijuana facility could be affected by Chesterfield Township suit against Big Daddy’s Management Group

Big Daddy’s: We’re Not Stirring Pot, Have Right to Distribute Medical Marijuana

Chesterfield Medical Marijuana Business at Center of State Dispensary Debate

Schuette fires another salvo against MMJ

DECEMBER

Macomb judge orders Chesterfield marijuana dispensary closed

Following Court Ruling to Shut Down Dispensary Operations, Big Daddy’s Says It’s Leaving Chesterfield

Gingrich flip-flops on pot

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Lawmakers to introduce bills to close marijuana loopholes