[420 Girl]

The state's medical marijuana program — begun in April — hasn't created headaches for Livingston County's law enforcement, but likely will as the program grows, said county Sheriff Bob Bezotte.

The Michigan Medical Marihuana Program allows patients with debilitating illnesses to grow and possess marijuana for medicinal purposes. Those approved receive cards that indicate their participation in the program.

The measure was approved by Michigan voters Nov. 4, 2008, and is overseen by the Michigan Department of Community Health.

As of Dec. 11, 11,517 program applications had been received, 6,439 patient registrations issued, 2,686 caregiver registrations issued and 1,981 applications denied.

The Department of Community Health doesn't have a county-by-county breakdown of the figures.
Bezotte said his department has yet to bust someone for smoking marijuana, then learn the person was smoking under a doctor's consent under the state program.

He said enforcement of the new law could become cumbersome in the county, which has reduced his force due to budget cuts. Extensive time could be spent verifying participants' cards, he added.
"It just creates so many more issues for us at a time when we have less people and more things happening. It's kind of frustrating, from our point of view," Bezotte said.

Enforcement aside, it remains unclear if the law is working as intended. In other words, it remains unclear if people with debilitating illnesses are gaining access to medical marijuana and experiencing physical relief from the drug.

Those eligible for the program must have or be treated for ailments that fall within three categories of debilitating illnesses. The list includes cancer, glaucoma, Crohn's disease, agitation of Alzheimer's disease and AIDS.
The state law doesn't allow the Department of Community Health to supply patients with seeds or starter plants, or give advice on how to grow medical marijuana.

This is one of several "gray" areas in the medical marijuana law, said James McCurtis, department spokesman. McCurtis said the department doesn't know where to obtain seeds or how to grow the plant in the first place.

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