Ferndale Council Reverses Prior Vote, Turns Away Medical Marijuana Act Grant Funds

[Wild Bill]

Ferndale Council Reverses Prior Vote, Turns Away Medical Marijuana Act Grant Funds

(Crystal A. Proxmire, July 25, 2016)

 

Ferndale, MI – After unanimously voting to become a sub-grantee of a grant from LARA to The Oakland County Sheriff’s Department, Ferndale City Council revisited the issue with a 3-1 vote to decline up to $5,000 of grant money from medical marijuana act fees.

 

The money is collected by the State of Michigan from medical marijuana patient cardholders as a fee that is used for administration of the act.  The state recently made the money available to counties to help cover the cost of enforcement of the act.

 

Oakland County is making funds available to the 15 municipalities that participate on the Narcotics Enforcement Team if they chose to accept it.  Royal Oak Commissioners voted to accept the grant for their community.

 

Former Mayor Craig Covey, who is running for Oakland County Sheriff, gave his comments at Monday night’s meeting. He and other legalization supporters urged council members to change their mind about accepting the money.

 

“These funds come from patients and I want people to understand that,” Covey said.

He listed items from the Oakland County grant including sting operations, vehicles, evidence bags, and bulletproof vests.

 

Ferndale’s portion of the grant was limited to overtime hours for the Ferndale officer who serves on NET.

 

Councilperson Dan Martin made the motion to reconsider the July 19 vote.  “The county’s gonna do what the county’s gonna do and it’s nice of them to offer us money but in this narrow specific instance my heart’s telling me to say no,” he said.

 

Council members Greg Pawlica and Raylon Leaks-May both  decided against accepting the money.

“Our community as a whole has legalized.  To accept funds that are being used to arrest people for something we considered legal even if it may be in Clawson or Pontiac, I still have an issue with it,” Pawlica said.

 

Mayor Dave Coulter was not in attendance due to being out of state.  Mayor Pro Tem Melanie Piana renewed her stance on accepting the grant money and cast the only vote against the reversal.

The grant money will remain in the pool for the Sheriff’s Department to distribute among the remaining communities that accept it.

[outsideinthecold]

So let me get this straight. LARA collects fees from patients and then gives that money as grants to counties to spend on a ninja drug task force to arrest those same patients?

 

That's cold.

[trichcycler]

So let me get this straight. LARA collects fees from patients and then gives that money as grants to counties to spend on a ninja drug task force to arrest those same patients?

 

That's cold.

see that, what an important part of understanding the politico missed by so many. no offense. when I explain this point to some they simply do not believe it in its absurdity.

they make us pay for their investigation, they make us pay for their overtime used to steal our sex toys, cars and toys, they make us pay for the trailers that haul it away, they make us pay for the court costs and defense fees even when innocent. We pay them to arrest us, and then to jail us.  they convinced long time cannabis users to vote against cannabis legalization, whats next, one vile sweep on the state to rid it of all growers at once?

[bax]

the county funds were not in the original act. the legislature added that moo poo.

[Indigro]

Wow... A government council using logic and having a conscience... Kudos to ferndale. Good on them. For real, how often do we get hear such a thing?

[bax]

the current mayor stand in still voted for it.

[Norby]

Read "no thanks, we're making enough off of fining them and seizing their stuff".

[bobandtorey]

Ferndale Council Reverses Prior Vote, Turns Away Medical Marijuana Act Grant Funds

(Crystal A. Proxmire, July 25, 2016)

 

Ferndale, MI – After unanimously voting to become a sub-grantee of a grant from LARA to The Oakland County Sheriff’s Department, Ferndale City Council revisited the issue with a 3-1 vote to decline up to $5,000 of grant money from medical marijuana act fees.

 

The money is collected by the State of Michigan from medical marijuana patient cardholders as a fee that is used for administration of the act.  The state recently made the money available to counties to help cover the cost of enforcement of the act.

 

Oakland County is making funds available to the 15 municipalities that participate on the Narcotics Enforcement Team if they chose to accept it.  Royal Oak Commissioners voted to accept the grant for their community.

 

Former Mayor Craig Covey, who is running for Oakland County Sheriff, gave his comments at Monday night’s meeting. He and other legalization supporters urged council members to change their mind about accepting the money.

 

“These funds come from patients and I want people to understand that,” Covey said.

He listed items from the Oakland County grant including sting operations, vehicles, evidence bags, and bulletproof vests.

 

Ferndale’s portion of the grant was limited to overtime hours for the Ferndale officer who serves on NET.

 

Councilperson Dan Martin made the motion to reconsider the July 19 vote.  “The county’s gonna do what the county’s gonna do and it’s nice of them to offer us money but in this narrow specific instance my heart’s telling me to say no,” he said.

 

Council members Greg Pawlica and Raylon Leaks-May both  decided against accepting the money.

“Our community as a whole has legalized.  To accept funds that are being used to arrest people for something we considered legal even if it may be in Clawson or Pontiac, I still have an issue with it,” Pawlica said.

 

Mayor Dave Coulter was not in attendance due to being out of state.  Mayor Pro Tem Melanie Piana renewed her stance on accepting the grant money and cast the only vote against the reversal.

The grant money will remain in the pool for the Sheriff’s Department to distribute among the remaining communities that accept it.

 

 

Cary and i where at this meeting it was fun to here the other side but we helped to stop it