Medical marijuana law changes

Major changes to the 2008 Michigan medical marijuana law went into effect today.

The changes were approved by Michigan lawmakers in December.

Registered caregivers are now required to have no violent or drug felonies on their records, and they can have no felonies of any kind within the last ten years.

Marquette attorney Brian Bloch says he’s known marijuana patients dealing with subpar caregivers, and he says that until now, the medical marijuana law sometimes allowed drug criminals to hide in sheep’s clothing.

Marijuana cards will now be photo IDs, and they’ll be good for two years instead of one.

Doctor-patient relationship requirements have been tightened.

And the legislature is leaning on the Michigan Department of Community Health to handle applications faster.

Possessing marijuana in a vehicle, medical or otherwise, has been a misdemeanor since December.

Medical marijuana needs to be stored in the trunk.

For vehicles without a trunk, the marijuana must be stored in a case, as far out of reach as possible.