DETROIT — A Warren lawyer filed a lawsuit Monday against the city that demands up to $5 million in damages on behalf of 23 state-approved medical-marijuana users who say they’ve been harassed and ticketed by Warren police.

The lawsuit, filed in Macomb Circuit Court by attorney Michael Greiner, also claims that Warren zoning officials, Police Commissioner Jere Green and Mayor Jim Fouts cooperated in a policy to shut down a medical-marijuana transfer center — the Michigan Safe Transfer Center at 29601 Hoover, in an area zoned for a medical office — through a police raid and confiscation of the owners’ property, without a search warrant.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The Michigan Court of Appeals decision upholding the conviction of a Kentwood man for violating the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act does little to clarify a law many see as confusing.

In fact, a local attorney who specializes in medical marijuana defense says it shows that the act is so convoluted and frequently misapplied that the only solution may be legalization at the hands of the voters.

John Christopher Placencia, 42, was arrested in Kentwood in the summer of 2012 on charges of selling marijuana and operating a drug house.

The 2016 Election is not that far away, especially for campaigns. Signature deadlines vary across the country, but they will be up sooner than later. Campaigns are working very hard to get marijuana legalization on the ballot in many states, some having better chances than others of making it on the ballot. I was hopeful that over a dozen states would make the ballot in 2016, and maybe there will be some significant changes that help some states catch up. But for now, below are the states that I feel will make the ballot, and in the case of Nevada, already have made the ballot:

California

Lansing — The House Judiciary Committee touched off a new effort to legalize dispensaries and edible forms of cannabis for medical marijuana patients Tuesday, sending three new bills to the House floor for consideration.

The bills, containing tighter rules than in failed 2014 proposals and an 8-percent excise tax on gross retail income of provisioning centers, is a compromise plan designed to overcome law enforcement opposition.

A voter-approved medical marijuana law that took effect in 2008 doesn’t specifically mention dispensaries or edible marijuana products, whose legality has been clouded by Michigan Supreme Court and appeals court rulings in recent years. Lawmakers are trying to pass legislation that clarifies the law.

LANSING — For the second time, the case against a Lansing man involving the state’s medical marijuana law has been dismissed.

This time, the case against Michael Lewis, which has been in the court system since 2012, was dismissed by Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Rosemarie Aquilina when she granted a defense motion to dismiss on grounds of entrapment.

“Overall, I’m really proud of law enforcement on every level,” she said. Aquilina added that it’s a dangerous job and police officers get it right most of the time, but “in this particular case it is troublesome.”

Attorneys for the two other defendants, Daniel Corbin and Zebediah Dewey, charged as a result of the same undercover operation will have to file their own motions to dismiss.

U.S. Cannabis Benchmark Spot Index down 9% to $1,948 as harvest begins. The national price decreased by $185 per pound week-on-week, after reaching $2,133 last week, in what currently appears to have been the seasonal peak.

The fall harvest season has begun. Depending on local climate and the strains being grown, outdoor growers will generally harvest from mid-September to mid-November. Kushes and other indica-dominant strains are ready for harvest earlier, while sativa-dominant varieties require more time to mature if they are to be considered high-quality and exhibit fully the characteristics desired by consumers.

I receive the following legislative alert:

Yesterday, Rep. Jeff Irwin introduced HB 4877, a bill that would end marijuana prohibition in Michigan and treat cannabis similarly to alcohol. Marijuana prohibition is just as destructive, costly, and ineffective as alcohol prohibition, and it’s time for Michigan to choose a better path.

Please take a moment to encourage your representative and senator to support HB 4877.

Some of us are still processing this whole marijuana legalization deal. For many people, it’s kind of hard to believe legalization is actually really happening — it’s no longer simply a topic of discussion marijuana smokers debate over, it’s right here and right now. Imagine going back in time and telling yourself 10 or 15 years ago that in 2015, recreational pot would be legal in four states — and even Washington D.C.

Envision a day when you might stroll into a facility, something like a bar or a coffee house, have a seat at a table or possibly on a couch, and illuminate a joint.

Far-fetched? Maybe not so much. There was recently a movement afoot in Denver to obtain an initiative on the Nov. 3, 2015 tally; nevertheless, the effort was withdrawn on Sept. 3 so it will not be seeing the light of day this year.

DETROIT — With some medical-marijuana stores in Detroit now offering drive-through purchasing, the city's marketplace for medical pot has spiraled out of control and needs to be regulated, Mayor Mike Duggan said.

Dozens of dispensaries line 8 Mile and other major thoroughfares in the city, and a Free Press investigation found that at least three offer drive-through service.