Advocates say the state’s plan for administering a new medical marijuana law, approved by state voters on Nov. 4, focuses too much on law enforcement concerns and not enough on health.

Michigan’s medical marijuana law-which passed in every county while winning 63 percent of the vote-allows people with qualifying medical conditions to grow 12 marijuana plants and/or possess 2.5 oz. of marijuana for medicinal use. Those who use marijuana medicinally may also designate a caregiver to grow the drug for them. The mood-altering plant relieves chronic pain and nausea.

The Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) has proposed rules for the program a scheduled hearing of those rules takes place 9 a.m. Monday, Jan. 5, at the state secondary complex general office building in Lansing.

Patient advocates say they see many shortcomings in the proposed rules.

“I think they were written by people who don’t have a clear idea of how something like this would work,“ said Greg Francisco, director of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Association (MMMA), an education and advocacy group for patients and caregivers. “I think they [MDCH] took on some responsibilities and roles that were not given in the law.”

The rules suggest the state envisions its role as one of law enforcement, not administering a public health program, Francisco said, adding that MMMA has compiled 21 concerns with the draft rules which it will air at the Jan. 5 hearing.

One problem, Francisco said, is a requirement that caregivers or patients provide detailed cultivation records and track where each and every plant goes.

“This is akin to telling a farmer who grows beets he must track which beet goes to which processing facility,” he said.

The MDCH proposed rules require that any marijuana leftover when a patient no longer qualifies or dies be handed over to police-something Francisco said is unreasonable. Because medical marijuana remains illegal under federal law, he suggested that patients and caregivers might be hesitant to provide police with evidence by handing over excess marijuana.

MMMA has proposed that this provision be removed or modified to say that the caregiver or patient may provide the marijuana to another registered patient, may destroy it or may hand it over to law enforcement for destruction.

The rule also imposes an unfair double standard, Francisco said. “With other controlled substances, such as morphine and oxycontin, there is no requirement that these be turned over to law enforcement.”

Another burdensome rule, according to Francisco, is that if a patient designates a caregiver he or she must list all the other patients served by that caregiver.

Francisco described this provision as an invasion of privacy and unnecessary.

“This would be like me going to get a prescription filled and having to give the pharmacist a list of everyone else who got this prescription.”

And because all patients and caregivers must be licensed with the state anyhow, he said, the requirement is unnecessary.

Francisco said rumors are circulating that opponents of medical marijuana want to revise the state’s rules so that registered medical marijuana users would be required to wear a special medic alert bracelet.

Sgt. Tom Deasy of the Michigan State Police Executive Division said state police are not pursuing a bracelet requirement.

“The act is pretty clear about wanting to ensure some level of privacy, and [requiring bracelets] would seem to contradict that,” Deasy said.

He predicted the state police officials, now reviewing the new rules, would not seek major changes.

“If we have any suggested changes, it won’t be anything substantial,” he said, “Overall we do not have any substantial problems.”

The spread of medical marijuana, now allowed in 13 states, seems to be part of a growing interest in reforming drug laws.

More than a dozen of the top 50 questions submitted in the past month to the incoming Obama administration’s website, change.gov, have pertained to drug law reform.