Jacob Bell
New Member
Matt Taylor is worried about Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette's "overly narrow" interpretation of the state's medical marijuana law.
Taylor, co-owner of Compassionate Apothecary in Mt. Pleasant, which was shut down after the Michigan Court of Appeals overturned an Isabella County judge's opinion on medical marijuana dispensaries, is concerned that terminal cancer patients will die before being able to get relief from the drug.
Referring to Compassionate Apothecary and similar businesses in Michigan as a "safe third option" for patients to get cannabis, Taylor went out of his way to stock non-smokable marijuana, called "medibles," for patients who don't want to smoke the drug.
Before closing the three locations of Compassionate Apothecary, Taylor said, he followed the law and was able to help patients get medical marijuana 21 days after filing paperwork for their cards by using certified mail receipts and the proper paperwork.
Under Schuette's interpretation of the voter-approved law, a certified patient can't get medibles in 21 days, but can obtain seeds to begin growing plants, Taylor said.
Those patients who are in the last stages of cancer have neither the energy nor the time to grow a crop, Taylor said.
"Now that that safe third option is gone, a lot of people could die (before getting medical marijuana)," Taylor said.
That's one reason he stocked medibles at Compassionate Apothecary.
Prior to the late-August court ruling that shut the business, Taylor and his business partner, Brandon McQueen, used safe-serve trained chefs to prepare medibles, which is the latest trend in the medical marijuana industry, Taylor said.
Marijuana brownies have been around since Woodstock or before, but other medibles have come on the market for medical marijuana patients who prefer to get doses of cannabis without lighting up.
Cookies, lollipops, crisp rice treats, truffles, peanut butter cups, oatmeal bars and other concoctions have become part of the medical marijuana business.
Taylor said chefs also create gluten-free and dairy-free products for medical marijuana patients.
While some don't like the taste of cannabis, medibles appeal to many patients and can be available when patients or caregivers are between crops, Taylor said.
Taylor said he is not a big fan of medibles, but they are good for pain relief and sleep.
Many medical marijuana patients enjoy cannabis butter, or "cannabutter," Taylor said.
It is an ingredient in most medibles and is made with waste product from marijuana plants but still contains THC, he said.
Anything on the plant that is not part of the flower, such as stems, contain can be used to make the butter, Taylor said.
In order to do so, the waste product is boiled down to an extract and mixed with butter, which is used in the making of brownies, cookies, muffins and other medibles, Taylor said.
Although Taylor complied with the cease and desist order that shut down his business, he is appealing the court of appeals opinion to the Michigan Supreme Court.
While he agrees with Isabella County Chief Judge Paul Chamberlain's opinion that the business was legal, he refuses to defy the court of appeals' ruling.
In the meantime, Taylor is pleased that there are medible businesses that continue to supply card-holding patients with the drug.
News Hawk- Jacob Ebel 420 MAGAZINE
Source: sourcenewspapers.com
Author: Susan Field
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: Source Newspapers
Website: 'Medibles' an option for patients who don't want to smoke
Taylor, co-owner of Compassionate Apothecary in Mt. Pleasant, which was shut down after the Michigan Court of Appeals overturned an Isabella County judge's opinion on medical marijuana dispensaries, is concerned that terminal cancer patients will die before being able to get relief from the drug.
Referring to Compassionate Apothecary and similar businesses in Michigan as a "safe third option" for patients to get cannabis, Taylor went out of his way to stock non-smokable marijuana, called "medibles," for patients who don't want to smoke the drug.
Before closing the three locations of Compassionate Apothecary, Taylor said, he followed the law and was able to help patients get medical marijuana 21 days after filing paperwork for their cards by using certified mail receipts and the proper paperwork.
Under Schuette's interpretation of the voter-approved law, a certified patient can't get medibles in 21 days, but can obtain seeds to begin growing plants, Taylor said.
Those patients who are in the last stages of cancer have neither the energy nor the time to grow a crop, Taylor said.
"Now that that safe third option is gone, a lot of people could die (before getting medical marijuana)," Taylor said.
That's one reason he stocked medibles at Compassionate Apothecary.
Prior to the late-August court ruling that shut the business, Taylor and his business partner, Brandon McQueen, used safe-serve trained chefs to prepare medibles, which is the latest trend in the medical marijuana industry, Taylor said.
Marijuana brownies have been around since Woodstock or before, but other medibles have come on the market for medical marijuana patients who prefer to get doses of cannabis without lighting up.
Cookies, lollipops, crisp rice treats, truffles, peanut butter cups, oatmeal bars and other concoctions have become part of the medical marijuana business.
Taylor said chefs also create gluten-free and dairy-free products for medical marijuana patients.
While some don't like the taste of cannabis, medibles appeal to many patients and can be available when patients or caregivers are between crops, Taylor said.
Taylor said he is not a big fan of medibles, but they are good for pain relief and sleep.
Many medical marijuana patients enjoy cannabis butter, or "cannabutter," Taylor said.
It is an ingredient in most medibles and is made with waste product from marijuana plants but still contains THC, he said.
Anything on the plant that is not part of the flower, such as stems, contain can be used to make the butter, Taylor said.
In order to do so, the waste product is boiled down to an extract and mixed with butter, which is used in the making of brownies, cookies, muffins and other medibles, Taylor said.
Although Taylor complied with the cease and desist order that shut down his business, he is appealing the court of appeals opinion to the Michigan Supreme Court.
While he agrees with Isabella County Chief Judge Paul Chamberlain's opinion that the business was legal, he refuses to defy the court of appeals' ruling.
In the meantime, Taylor is pleased that there are medible businesses that continue to supply card-holding patients with the drug.
News Hawk- Jacob Ebel 420 MAGAZINE
Source: sourcenewspapers.com
Author: Susan Field
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: Source Newspapers
Website: 'Medibles' an option for patients who don't want to smoke
