[420 Girl]

THETFORD TOWNSHIP, Michigan — A cancer survivor wants to open a medical marijuana clubhouse in Thetford Township.

Jessie Alvarado, 53, has plans to open a gathering place for marijuana patients and caregivers at Frances Road and Dort Highway.

Township officials, however, want more time before giving him an answer.

“I am personally not in favor of (medical marijuana),” said Township Supervisor Clyde Howd. “But I want to make sure that we, as a township, are going to be fair to any resident in our township that has this condition and has the right to use medical marijuana.”

Alvarado said he wants to protect people who use marijuana to treat medical conditions.

He spent a year on probation after a 2005 marijuana bust that he said happened while he was undergoing chemotherapy for liver and pancreatic cancer.

“I want to put an umbrella over patients so they don’t fall victim (to police),” said Alvarado.

Alvarado said he initially wanted to open a medical marijuana dispensary in the township but those are illegal.

He said he plans to apply for township approval of his clubhouse in January.

Medical marijuana has become a controversial topic for communities around the state after voters passed a law last year making the drug legal for people with conditions such as cancer and chronic pain.

Genesee Township recently gave the go-ahead to a medical marijuana clubhouse at Center and Richfield roads.

Howd, however, worries about potential safety concerns with such a place and said patients might drive away from a clubhouse still under the influence of marijuana.

Township Attorney Robert Swartwood, however, said the township could open a can of worms and open itself to a lawsuit if it puts too many regulations on such a clubhouse.

“This is a tough one because the people in the state of Michigan put it on a ballot and voted for it,” Swartwood said. “Those type of laws get interpreted a little bit different when you’ve got people telling you that this is what they want, and then you have some small political division trying to regulate or control it — you see where this can go.”

Swartwood said there aren’t enough legal opinions on the books about the issue and said the state’s attorney general has not weighed in on the matter.

“I’m just very fearful that if we put any kind of restriction in place at this point,” Swartwood said. “I think we need to proceed very cautiously.”

The Township Board voted unanimously Monday to have Swartwood and township Police Chief Bob Kenny study the issue and report their findings to the board at a later date

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