And all for being a caregiver who truly cares.

Working as experts in the industry for as long as we have, we’re still saddened by stories such as these. Even so, the 79-year-old caregiver facing possible jail time says she won’t back down.

Why Is a 79-Year-Old Caregiver Facing Possible Jail Time?

Michigan Medical Marijuana laws allow caregivers to grow up to 72 plants. With over 60 plants, Judy Pontius is well within the legal limits.

However, Ypsilanti Township was the first municipality in the entire state to force its caregivers to grow only in an Industrial Zone. No grow operations are permitted in homes with more than twelve plants. The (rather dubious) reasoning being that more than twelve plants is a nuisance to the neighbors.

As such, a judge ordered Pontius to get rid of her plants.

Pontius has stated that she’s aware that she’s violating the township ordinance. Yet, she has no intention of removing the plants and is ready to go to jail. She has seen how marijuana helps her patients manage chronic pain and is unwilling to leave them hanging. “You gotta do what you gotta do,” says Pontius.

A Long Legal Battle

Pontius has been fighting this legal battle over the past two years – taking it all the way to Michigan Supreme Court.

She’s not demanding special rights to continue to grow over 60 plants. She’s merely asking for enough time to finish her current grow for her ailing patients so they can maintain symptom management while finding a new caregiver.

The township refuses budge on their stance though and has now ultimately given her ten days to thin out her crop to just twelve plants.

Pontius has hired Cannabis Legal Group attorney Barton Morris to try to overturn the Supreme Court decision before more townships start taking away caregiver’s rights.

With marijuana being decriminalized and dispensaries all over the place, Morris says it’s wrong to crackdown on caregivers. “You can have even more than what you’re supposed to have and it’s still not punishable by jail.”

And yet Pontius, a grandmother and great-grandmother, is being threatened with just that. “Isn’t that ironic?” asks Morris, with frustration.

At this point, Pontius has used up her retirement savings fighting this battle. There’s now a GoFundMe page to help her raise money to complete this venture so her patients aren’t left in a lurch.

“I’ll fight to the end,” she says – the embodiment of a true caregiver.

Staying On Top of Cannabis News

The notion of a 79-year-old caregiver facing possible jail time for just wanting to complete care for her patients is beyond ludicrous. And we’re doing our part to get the word out about it.

So if you’re interested in staying up to date with cannabis news (both good and not-so-good), keep checking back with our blog. We’ve got the connections.

The post 79-Year-Old Caregiver Facing Possible Jail Time appeared first on GROW Cannabis Marketing.

It’s true. Even steeped in the world of cannabis marketing as we are, we’ve only recently discovered that if you want to dabble in the business of medicinal cannabis, Oklahoma is a medical marijuana hotbed.

Who knew?

Well, more than a few folks, it turns out.

The Pioneering Renegades of ‘Tokelahoma’

Take a little cruise through rural Oklahoma and you’re likely to see more than your fair share of wide open fields, work sheds, and greenhouse tunnels. But what they’re growing in those greenhouses might surprise you.

Chip Baker

Chip Baker is among the folks that have discovered the beauty and relative ease of growing marijuana in Oklahoma for medicinal purposes. And he’s no newbie. This is a guy who’s been in the industry, as it were, since he was 13.

He’s grown the leaf in places as varied as the woods of Georgia to the lakes of Switzerland. Of course, he was part of the magic as it exploded throughout Colorado and California. A few years ago, he and his wife set up shop (or greenhouse) when Oklahoma voted to legalize medical marijuana.

“I love California weed, I love California growers. But there’s a certain snobbiness and ‘we’ve done it all,’” said Baker. “But in Oklahoma… it’s this newness. Adventure. That’s partly why we’re here.”

David Lewis

David Lewis, on the other hand, is a lifelong Oklahoman. He’s now the COO of the state’s largest indoor grow house. He was baffled to learn that 10 percent of the population have medical marijuana cards. “I never would have thought we’d have almost 400,000 patients consuming medical marijuana. It’s shocking,” he said.

Oklahoma has this image of outlaw country. Yet, just because people are conservative, work on the land, and/or go to church, that doesn’t mean they aren’t benefitting from cannabis.

Taly Frantz-Holly

Frantz-Holly was one of those who found huge benefits from cannabis.

Suffering from PTSD, she found that certain prescription pills left her suicidal. But cannabis helped in a way that nothing else had. And she feels it saved her life.

Taken with the effectiveness of cannabis, she now grows it herself. But for a long time, she could only get cannabis through the black market.

“I literally got drug charges when I was 21 for a joint. And did 30 days in county jail. For a joint!” said Frantz-Holly. “And now I’m picking up 75 marijuana plants to go home to my commercial grow.” She’s among the 7,000 other commercial growers across the state.

The Ease of Medical Marijuana in Oklahoma

Baker says Oklahoma makes it simple and affordable to break into the business.

The application fee for growers, processors, dispensaries, and transporters is $2,500. It’s only $100 for patients and just $20 for disabled veterans. While Baker waited two years to apply in other states, he said it took him only 15 minutes to apply in Oklahoma.

“Oklahoma is the reddest of the red states. And I think what that translated to in medical marijuana was a free market approach,” said Baker. “The government wanted the free market to settle out who the winners and losers would be. As a result, you saw very limited restrictions on getting into the market and a lot of people participated.”

It seems to have worked. Baker says that industry-wide, the business grew 50 percent last year. So yeah. If you’re looking to break into medical marijuana, Oklahoma is the place to be.

Apparently, the cornstalks aren’t the only things as high as an elephant’s eye…

Do You Own a Marijuana Business?

Whether you’re just starting up in Oklahoma, or firmly rooted in Michigan (or elsewhere), we can help with your marketing and PR strategies.

Contact us today for a free consultation. And find out how we use our connections and years of experience in cannabis marketing to put your company in the spotlight.

The post Oklahoma Is a Medical Marijuana Mecca appeared first on GROW Cannabis Marketing.

So one of the first orders of business for Governor Whitmer has been to help find a way for these patients to regain access to their medicine.

Thus, two days ago, the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) recommended that the Medical Marihuana Licensing Board (MMLB) adopt a resolution to help those folks.

And on January 16th, the Board voted 5-0 in favor of that resolution.

That means that in the next few days, you can expect to see dispensaries reopening to serve medical marijuana patients.

What the Resolution Proposed

Under the direction of new Head Director of LARA, Orlene Hawks, the department recommended to MMLB that they allow temporarily operating facilities to reopen without it affecting their future licensure.

Furthermore, licensed facilities would be able to source product from caregivers without being penalized.

“This recommendation will extend the temporary operation of facilities and allow licensed businesses to remain competitive during this transition period,” said Hawks on Tuesday.

And the MMLB clearly heard her.

No Disciplinary Action Will Be Taken

These six words make all the difference.

So here’s how it all breaks down.

It is now CLEAR that disciplinary action will not be taken against an applicant in the following circumstances:

For Temporarily Operating Facilities (through March 31, 2019)

• The applicant’s proposed facility is within a municipality that had an authorizing ordinance in place by December 15, 2017.
• The applicant applied for a license no later than February 15, 2018.
• The applicant notifies the Department within one business day of knowledge of any adverse reaction to a marijuana product sold or transferred.

For Licensed Provisioning Centers (through March 31, 2019)

For these centers, there will be no disciplinary action taken for purchasing marijuana products from either a registered primary caregiver or from a temporarily operating facility. The licensee must meet all the following criteria:

• Obtain signed patient consent prior to selling any marijuana products that have not been tested in full compliance with the law and administrative rules.
• Enter all inventory into the statewide monitoring system immediately upon receipt from a caregiver or from a temporarily operating facility.
• Verify and confirm – before any sale or transfer – with government issued photo identification and the statewide monitoring system that the customer holds a valid registry identification card.
• Enter all sales in the statewide monitoring system and determine that sales will not exceed daily purchasing limits.
• Notify LARA within one business day of knowledge of any adverse reaction to a marijuana product sold or transferred.

For Licensed Growers or Processors (through March 31, 2019)

The Board will not take disciplinary action against a licensed grower or processor for purchasing marijuana products from either a temporarily operating facility or a registered primary caregiver, as long as the licensee does all the following:

• Enter all marijuana products as inventory into the statewide monitoring system immediately upon receipt.
• Tag or package all inventory that has been identified in the statewide monitoring system.
• Only transfer marijuana products that have been tested in full compliance with the law and administrative rules.
• Notify LARA within one business day of becoming aware of any adverse reaction to a marijuana product sold or transferred.

The transition from just medical marijuana to recreational marijuana legalization hasn’t been easy. But Michigan isn’t alone. Other states, such as Colorado, ran into the same issues.

Fortunately, LARA and MMLB have opted to not make life harder for medical marijuana patients who were already struggling.

And as far as we’re concerned, it was the right thing to do.

Watch for Dispensaries Reopening to Serve Medical Marijuana Patients

They should all be operational again by the end of this month – at the latest.

And if you’re among those dispensaries reopening to serve medical marijuana patients, let us help you get your name out there.

We so appreciate what you’re doing for the community.

The post Dispensaries Reopening to Serve Medical Marijuana Patients appeared first on GROW Cannabis Marketing.