In addition to dozens of medical marijuana dispensaries lining busy areas and major thoroughfares in Detroit, at least three dispensaries now offer drive-through service, according to a Detroit Free Press investigation.

That’s got Mayor Mike Duggan concerned, as reported by USA Today.

As City Council gets ready to debate medical marijuana industry regulations next week, Mayor Duggan is stressing a sense of urgency about medical marijuana spiraling out of control in Detroit.

The current state of medical marijuana dispensaries in Michigan reminds me a lot of how things were in Oregon before the Oregon Legislature passed medical marijuana dispensary regulations in 2013. Medical marijuana dispensaries have existed for quite awhile now in Michigan, just as they did in Oregon well before 2013. Medical marijuana dispensaries are here to stay in Michigan, which is something that city leaders in Detroit seem to be recognizing because it sounds like they are drafting rules to regulate such establishments. Per Marijuana Business Daily:

September 11, 2015 – U.S. Cannabis Spot Index up fractionally to $2,133.  The national price may be at—or close to—its seasonal high.

A majority of Michigan voters want to legalize recreational marijuana, but they can't agree on how to make it happen, according to a new poll. Nearly 56 percent of Michigan voters supported legalization efforts, while 40 percent were against legal marijuana, a Michigan Public Radio Poll released Thursday found.

LANSING– Clarity about the support enjoyed by Michigan’s dueling legalization of marijuana ballot proposals was gained via a new poll released on September 8.

The Poll, conducted by Public Sector Consulting (PSC) and Michigan Radio, yielded an overall 55.7% Support for legalizing the adult use of marijuana in Michigan, with 40.2% Opposed and 4.2% Unsure. The poll involved 600 registered Michigan voters who identified themselves as Very Likely to vote in the 2016 Presidential elections.

Marijuana.(Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

As a lifelong Michigan resident, small-business owner, and friend to people whose lives have been changed by medical marijuana, I am deeply concerned about the inability for registered patients to safely access this potentially life-saving medication.

For the past seven years, the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act, approved overwhelmingly by Michigan’s voters in 2008, has provided some protections for patients, but not for the caregivers or the businesses who serve them.

I am sure we agree that patients, due to their serious illness, deserve to use medical marijuana as a complementary therapy.

Cultural icon Tommy Chong’s voice is drifting out over a vast portion of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, uttering these silky words:

“Support MILegalize… I do.”

The message is born on the radio waves of WUPS; the issue is legalization of marijuana; the breakthrough is the acceptance of marijuana issues by mainstream radio stations. The Black Tuna, Robert Platshorn, just announced a similar accomplishment in a few other states where radio spots in support of his The Silver Tour are popping up.

Michigan – Daily marijuana use among US college students continues to rise, even surpassing daily cigarette smoking for the first time in 2014. A new study found that one in every 17 college students is smoking marijuana on a daily or near-daily basis. But what is most concerning about the report is that the use of other drugs, such as cocaine and ecstasy, are also on the rise.

The research conducted by the University of Michigan created a series of national surveys for US college students to fill. The results showed that marijuana use has been growing in college campuses since 2006.

A University of Michigan study has found that drug use among college students has largely been trending up since 2007. Marijuana use has been on the rise, which should come as no surprise given recent legalization efforts. More worrisome, however, has been a rise in the use of other drugs, including cocaine and ecstasy.

The current rise in drug use comes after years of progress. For most types of drugs, use among college students actually dropped from the 1980’s through until about 2007. Drug abuse has been on the rebound over the last few years, however.

A man who tried to sell a backpack of dirty socks as marijuana has been sentenced to at least one year in a Michigan prison.

Michael Suarez was sentenced Thursday for committing fraud through false pretenses. An unarmed robbery charge was dropped.

Police say Suarez was pursuing a marijuana deal in July when he showed up at a home in Lenawee County's Raisin Township. But instead of carrying pot, he had a backpack stuffed with dirty socks.

Police say a purse with $2,800 was stolen from the home. Suarez and others were stopped after speeding through a stop sign.

Defense attorney John Glaser says the "false pretenses" were the dirty socks. Suarez will be eligible for parole after a year in prison. His maximum sentence is 7 ½ years.