In Pennsylvania, it only takes 1 ng/mL.

Colorado, Washington and Nevada are more lenient with a 5 ng/mL limit.

But in Michigan, a special commission is advising state lawmakers to NOT set limits on how much THC a person can have in their system before they’re considered too impaired to drive.

And as one of Michigan’s leading advocates for cannabis users, Barton Morris agrees.

Who Is Barton Morris?

In the world of cannabis law, Barton Morris has some serious chops.

Having developed expertise since 2008 with the enactment of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act, Barton Morris is considered one of the top cannabis law lawyers in Michigan.

As the principal attorney and founder of the Cannabis Legal Group, he specializes in all marijuana related legal issues including criminal defense, business law, licensing, consulting, land use and real property.

Morris is unique in that he is the only attorney in Michigan certified by the American Chemical Society as a Forensic Lawyer-Scientist maintaining a focus on marijuana related science.

He acts as a council member of the Marijuana Law Section of the Michigan Bar Association, as well as chair of its science committee.

Additionally, he is an official spokesman for the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol. Based on this last point, one might assume that he would want to put a legal limit on THC – given that there is a legal limit on alcohol.

But that’s not the case.

Alcohol and THC Metabolize Differently

The commission, known as the Impaired Driving Safety Commission, has spent the past year studying the effects of THC and then compiling a report.

In their report, they found there is no scientifically supported threshold for THC that correlates to impaired driving.

“It’s something that people want to compare it to alcohol,” says Morris. “It simply doesn’t exist.”

That’s because there are many ways to consume marijuana. And the way it affects people can vary widely. Chronic users can have high levels of THC in their blood and function quite well, while newbies with low levels of THC could be feeling an impact.

In fact, according to the report, studies show that people impaired by cannabis tend to drive slower, leave more space between cars and take fewer risks than when they drive sober.

No Legal Limit Means Sticking to the Facts

“The commission was very accurate,” Morris said. “There cannot be a THC concentration in blood that reasonably equates to impaired driving.”

And it’s not just defense attorneys who advocate the no legal limit for THC.

Most prosecutors appreciate the idea of having no recommended limit because they can remain focused on all of the other factors of the case including the driver’s ability to control the car, field sobriety tests and the police officer’s observations.

With no legal limit, “now it’s just a factor that must be taken into consideration,” Morris said.

It makes perfect sense to us. Especially since the state government is working toward expunging marijuana related charges – not adding more.

Seeking Consultation?

State and municipal laws involving marijuana change rapidly.

As an advocate for cannabis users and businesses, Barton Morris and the Cannabis Legal Group can provide you with complete marijuana business and compliance services to keep you running as efficiently as possible.

Then contact us to address your cannabis marketing needs.

Between our team and Barton Morris’s team, we’ve got you covered.

The post Barton Morris Continues to Advocate for Cannabis Users appeared first on GROW Cannabis Marketing.

The event began at 8 am and played host to nearly 75 Michigan residents eager to find their niche in the Medical Marijuana Industry as its rapid growth continues into 2018. At the event, Barton Morris and Craig Aronoff of the Cannabis Legal Group advised attendees on how to properly compose business plans and on how to follow all rules and regulations put in place by LARA (Licensing and Regulatory Affairs). Audience engagement levels were incredibly high demonstrating the power and persuasion of the Cannabis Legal Group’s words, and the audiences’ genuine interesting in positioning themselves as new entrants into the industry.

As the day progressed, the Cannabis Legal Group allowed various exhibitors to speak briefly about the services they offer and how they could help the conference attendees break into the industry using their services to create an advantage. First to speak was a solar energy company that demonstrated their ability to help potential growers save significant amounts of money on energy costs. Next to speak was GROW Cannabis Marketing’s own Mort Meisner. Mort briefly touched on the services offered by Grow Cannabis Marketing and then told a heartfelt and touching story about client little Bella, undoubtedly persuading the room to believe in the power of the services GROW Cannabis Marketing can garner. The final guest speaker was a representative of Precision Extraction Solutions. PES is one of the world’s leading extracting equipment providers, working with many of the industry’s largest processing companies to provide them with the resources to help differentiate themselves from the competition.

With another successful conference, the Cannabis Legal Group will continue to educate and inform those interested in breaking into Michigan’s Medical Marijuana Industry. At the conference’s culmination, satisfied attendees left with lots of information to ponder and positive information to use to position each and every one of themselves as potential difference makers in the industry.

With that, we give thanks to the Cannabis Legal Group for organizing such an informative and prolific event.

The post Cannabis Legal Group Conference appeared first on GROW Cannabis Marketing.

Unlike Aronoff’s colleagues in other states, there has not been enough room to make a career out of cannabis law in Michigan, for 90+% of the legal work is in criminal defense, while 5-10% involves more administrative work with a real estate touch. Fortunately for Aronoff, his skill set is very much aligned with the MMFLA, which will place himself and Cannabis Legal Group on the front line of the cannabis industry.

As Michigan advances toward its state licensing period, which begins December 15, 2017, Aronoff has a good idea about application requirements based on other state procedures. Not only is he working with townships directly, but he is helping to ensure business planning, capitalization, standard operating procedures, and security measures are compliant by creating vetting packages for his clients. That way, Aronoff and his team are aware of the nuts and bolts of each client they represent, leaving little to no room for surprises come time to apply.

Aronoff uses the classic toy Etch A Sketch as an analogy for medical cannabis and how people view it. He is determined to shake up people’s view of what medical cannabis really is by speaking to township supervisors about eliminating the ugly picture commonly associated with marijuana. Namely, a group of kids lounging on a couch smoking bongs. In actuality, there are a number of cannabis friendly products which do not create psychoactive effects. For instance, hemp, which is ecologically efficient and can be used for industrial purposes.

He continues to reshape medical cannabis in a way where people can picture themselves or someone they know not only using it, but obtaining it in a way that is safe, identifiable, and consistent. Cannabis can be packaged to look and produce like many other legal medicines readily available to consumers.

The only difference between cannabis and other pain relievers like Advil, Tylenol, and Aleve is that it targets the endocannabinoid system as opposed to pain receptors, both found in the human body. All of these medicines offer pain relief, so where is the harm? If cannabis is seen in a normal and relatable light, there would be less fear and more confidence in the program.

“Paint a different picture in people’s minds,” Aronoff says.

While attending a township hall meeting, Aronoff was approached by a retiree couple in the lobby. They asked why he was there, in which he responded, “I’m here to talk about medical cannabis.” Instantly, the elder woman turned to the town clerk and said, “Count me in!” Aronoff was taken aback, for this was a small, mainly conservative town. Just goes to show – you can’t judge a book by its cover. The couple’s daughter is a cancer survivor who became “a completely different person” once she started taking cannabis. It made her comfortable and able to endure pain better than before. Though the couple expressed their personal distaste for cannabis, they were receptive, kind, and undeniably supportive of the program due to their personal experience.

This encounter reenergized Aronoff’s passion for cannabis and its positive medical effects. Truth is, people are not that far away from somebody who has benefited from it. Cannabis offered a very sick person an alternative. A solution. A new option to replace poison that made someone very sick, very often.

Aronoff believes diving in head first is the only way, even if at first it feels uncomfortable. As a father of two, Aronoff has experienced this uncomfortability first-hand when explaining his job as a medical cannabis lawyer to his two daughters. Still, in order to create this new norm, and for it to be successful and thrive, we must make our personal experiences and situations about cannabis part of our day-to-day conversations.

Recently, Aronoff spoke at a public forum outside of Ann Arbor about growing, cultivating, processing, and selling medical cannabis. Twenty years ago, he would have never thought doing so would be likely. At this point, he is anxious to see what the next 20 years hold for the industry, particularly at the state and federal level, for countries such as France, Germany, and England are all studying cannabis, and their governments are positively invested.

Yet, in the U.S., universities and private corporations cannot receive grants to conduct studies and place their findings in a public forum.

As a professional who has attended a number of conferences as a lawyer over the years, where prejudices persist and everyone is out for blood, Aronoff believes there is an undertone in politics and social society that is underappreciated in the cannabis industry. Cannabis is completely bipartisan. Far-right, libertarian towns and very progressive towns in Michigan are all on the same page. The industry’s ability to bring people together around a product that is doing more good than harm is truly refreshing for Aronoff, for there are no barriers for communication or entry. Regardless of background, if someone develops a medicine that another can also benefit from, the opportunity is there.

Ultimately, cannabis is “a plant, not chemicals we cannot pronounce being mixed together in hopes the beaker won’t blow up,” Aronoff says.

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The post Michigan Attorney Helps to Change The Typical Perspective of Cannabis appeared first on GROW Cannabis Marketing.

Morris’s education, experience, and expertise sets Cannabis Legal Group apart, for he is knowledgeable about not only the ins and outs of the MMMA, but the criminal side of the industry. He attends and hosts cannabis conferences to further develop relationships, learn, educate, and engage others about the various aspects of medical marijuana, including processing, cultivation, dispensaries, and municipalities. By doing so, Morris fills necessary gaps for clients to be successful in their cannabis business ventures.

As the only attorney in Michigan certified by the American Chemical Society as a Forensic Lawyer-Scientist, it is safe to say Morris is fascinated by the science of cannabis, including chemical and microbiological testing. Moreover, he is attentive to the EPA, FDA, and Department of Agriculture’s potential involvement with the cannabis marketplace.

In addition, Morris is a board member of the Marijuana Law Section of the Michigan Bar Association and chair of its science committee, wherein he organizes and speaks at all of their events to further educate roughly 600 marijuana lawyers on the criminal and business side of marijuana law. He focuses much of his attention on issues in the field and supports the idea that more scientific research is necessary. Morris believes that 10 years from now, society will have enough scientific understanding of the significant medical benefits of cannabis, leaving people to question why it was suppressed so much for so long.

The reality is, marijuana is classified as a schedule 1 controlled substance with many misconceptions and stigmas surrounding it. The MMMA is nothing more than a defense. It does not legalize marijuana. In light of this, Morris continues to learn and understand not only how safe marijuana is and how it medically helps people, but how it should not be associated with drugs like alcohol, which is completely legal. As a criminal attorney, Morris has seen alcohol ruin lives, and says almost every criminal offense is somehow related to some kind of hard drug or alcohol abuse, generally not marijuana. He believes marijuana is something to be embraced.

Morris continues to tackle the many stereotypical and outdated attitudes toward marijuana by representing the industry in a positive and professional manner. In fact, DBusiness Magazine named Cannabis Legal Group the Face of Cannabis Law for 2016 and 2017. Ultimately, it is a great practice that is growing rapidly, and something he thoroughly enjoys. Being well versed in many sectors of law, he came into marijuana law knowing a lot more than he realized, and will continue to teach himself and those around him. This is just the beginning for Barton Morris and the Cannabis Legal Group.

Please visit Cannabis Legal Group’s website for further credentials and information: http://michigan-marijuana-lawyer.com/

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The post Cannabis Legal Group Led by Barton Morris Leads to Successful Business Ventures appeared first on GROW Cannabis Marketing.