Nearly half of all states in the U.S. have some form of cannabis legalization on the books, but that has not been enough to protect businesses from prosecution by both local and federal authorities. Broad and undefined state laws have allowed the industry to grow very quickly in many parts of the country, but have left businesses with little-to-no direction as to standards for legal compliance. This has left them out in the open with insufficient legal protection. While the freedom of broad laws allows a large amount of expansion and innovation, only comprehensive regulation provides legal protections for companies in the cannabis space.

LANSING, MI — Marijuana legalization is a "terrible idea," according to Republican presidential candidate and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, whose home state will see a pot proposal on the ballot this fall.

"It sends mixes messages to young people about drugs," Kasich told MLive.com on Tuesday as he wrapped up a two-day swing through Michigan. "I don't think we should do that. We need to tell young people to stay off drugs."

Kasich acknowledged the distinction between marijuana and harder drugs like heroin but suggested that legalization could cloud the issue for young people.

Patients with autism and Parkinson’s disease could use medical marijuana under a new effort to overhaul the system in Michigan.

The Michigan Responsibility Council (MRC) announced this week it will push lawmakers to make the state’s medical marijuana system safer and more accessible to qualified patients.

It announced it will include the specific illnesses in its efforts in the wake of a senior state official’s decision on Thursday to reject autism as a qualifying condition.

Medical marijuana was OK’d by Michigan voters with a 63% yes vote in 2008, yet implementation is always controversial. This week? A state official nixed treating autism, infuriating many parents . . .

Gov. Rick Snyder’s top state regulator on Thursday rejected a state panel’s advice to allow medical marijuana as a treatment for autism.

The decision followed three years of efforts by parents of autistic children, their lawyers and supporters to have Michigan become the first state to specify that marijuana could be used to treat autism.

CLIO —

The nation's largest marijuana expos "Cannabis Cup" took place in mid-Michigan.

This is the second year in a row the "Cannabis cup" has been in the Clio area.

Organizers say it's growing in popularity.

Last year there were about 4,000 marijuana enthusiasts who attended.

This year, about 6,000 are expected to pass through the Auto City Speedway near Clio.

The number of vendors has also doubled compared to last year.

People can buy items like gear for grow rooms.

Organizers say some politicians were also expected to attend.

FLINT —

The Auto City Speedway in Clio is being transformed into the Cannabis Cup for this weekend's trade show.

Dan Skye, Editor/Chief at High Times Magazine says, "We're show casing the cannabis industry here. Michigan is on the verge of something really, really special."

It's the third time the cup has been held in Michigan and each year it's gotten bigger, with nearly 6,000 people expected to show up.

Skye says, "This is a chance for the entire Cannabis Cup industry to network and find out about the industry. It's a great place for the public to find out what the industry is really about as well."

Medical experts have planned seminars and more than 175 vendors will be on hand.

The Got Meds Lounge sits at the intersection of Holmes Road and Cedar Street in Lansing.(Photo: Dave Wasinger/Lansing State Journal)

LANSING – Steve Green, 37, is a medical marijuana patient with a particular distinction.

Green has visited about 30 dispensaries currently open in Lansing and often jokes it only takes “two jars of pot and a lease” to get a local business started.

“There are no guidelines; there’s no licensing procedure,” said Green, a Michigan medical marijuana cardholder since 2010. “It’s kind of great because it allows for true commerce to take place. But it also allows people from other areas to seek haven.”

Marijuana plants sit on display at a Lansing store last spring. The state’s evolving medical marijuana law has left some prosecutioss lingering for years.(Photo: Dave Wasinger/Lansing State Journal)

LANSING – One law and the case against three men have been in limbo for years as the justice system tries to determine what’s legal and what’s not when it comes to medical marijuana.

The case against the men — Zebediah Dewey, Daniel Corbin and Michael Lewis Jr. — is an example of how the poorly drafted medical marijuana law that didn’t set up a clear legal mechanism for patients to buy the drug is still evolving in Michigan’s courts.

Prosecutors have dropped marijuana charges and will return items seized from a Kimball Township woman in the wake of a Michigan Supreme Court ruling last week, the woman learned Wednesday.

“I’m elated that this part is over,” said Ginnifer Hency. “It’s been a long year.”

St. Clair County Prosecutor Michael Wendling said about 18 cases were on hold while prosecution and defense waited on the Supreme Court decision.

“We re-evaluated the files that we had pending and at least five were no longer viable in light of the Supreme Court decision,” Wendling said.

“I think that’s an analysis that prosecutors across the state are undertaking.”

VICKSBURG, MI – Vicksburg officials say they will research a paralegal office for medical marijuana dispensing before deciding whether to approve it for the village.

Susan Bond, a paralegal currently based in the Grand Rapids area, has asked the Vicksburg Village Council for permission to set up the medical marijuana dispensary in which caregivers and growers could come in "with legal questions and marijuana overages."

Bond, who has met with Village Manager Ken Schippers and Police Chief Eric West, said the office would guide them and explain lab testing, would have a display cabinet with various types of lab-tested medical marijuana and "what the strain can do for the patient."