In a move that critics say is an attempt to further his congressional campaign, Republican State Sen. Wayne Kuipers of Holland, has scheduled a hearing on a package of bills that would change the public health code to reclassify medical marijuana as a schedule 2 controlled substance and require that it be dispensed exclusively by pharmacists.
The bills appear to conflict with the medical marijuana statute passed by voters in 2008.
Under this law the state Department of Community Health issues registration cards to patients with qualified medical conditions and registered medical marijuana users are allowed to grow and possess limited amounts of marijuana for personal use. They may also designate a caregiver to grow the marijuana for them.
According to MDCH 13,370 applications have been received since April 6, 2009.
“These bills are in fact “dead men walking,” Michigan Medical Marijuana Association Director Greg Francisco wrote in a blog post about the planned hearing, “This is about scoring points w/ the conservative base, the opening salvo of the 2010 election season. Medical marijuana is simply an all too convenient pawn in their political machinations.”
Kuipers is running for the congressional seat that will open up when Pete Hoekstra retires from Congress this year. This has been called the safest Republican district in the state.