Medical Marijuana Clinic

Marijuana has been legal in Michigan to treat certain medical conditions for just over a year now.

A clinic is now open in Marquette to help patients sign up for the drug legally.

The Marquette Medical Marihuana Registration Center has been open for 3 weeks now in the city’s Chippewa Square office complex.

Staff have heard from patients in Sault Ste. Marie, Ironwood and just about everywhere in the U.P. in between.

Center manager Dave Guizzetti says he’s seen about 100 patients come in.

The center has a doctor on site to certify the medical conditions that patients come in with.

The certification costs $300, and you need to already have that in hand to apply for a Michigan medical marijuana card.

Guizzetti says patients with conditions ranging from glaucoma to cancer to spinal compression issues and other kinds of chronic pain have come in.

One important thing to keep in mind about the center — it doesn’t actually distribute the drug.

If you get approved to join the state program, you either have to grow the marijuana yourself or have a designated caregiver grow it for you.

As for law enforcement, Marquette City Police and State Police from the Negaunee Post both say they don’t have any oversight capacity over the clinic.

Neither does the Marquette County Health Department.

They told us it’s up to the Michigan Department of Community Health.

There’s a hefty backlog of patients joining the program statewide.

If you were to turn in an application today, you’d have to wait about 3 months for the MDCH to even look at it.

Again, the clinic does not distribute the drug.

However, there’s a local effort to start a medical marijuana distribution facility.

ABC 10 News Now senior reporter Mike Hoey will have more about that coming up on Monday.