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eridani

(51,907 posts)
Mon Nov 16, 2015, 01:43 AM Nov 2015

Michigan Prosecutors Pressured Lab on Medical Marijuana Results

http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/33498-michigan-prosecutors-pressured-lab-on-medical-marijuana-results

The Michigan State Police Forensic Science Division finds itself embroiled in scandal as newly released emails paint a picture of a crime lab in turmoil over how to classify marijuana. Attorneys and medical marijuana advocates accuse Michigan prosecutors of pressuring the state’s crime lab to falsely classify the origins of THC found in hash oils and marijuana edibles as “origin unknown.”

Prosecutors exploited the ambiguity to charge medical marijuana users for possession of synthetic THC, despite the fact that the personal use of medical marijuana has been legal in Michigan since it was approved by voters in 2008. Under Michigan law, possession of synthetic THC constitutes a felony, whereas possession of marijuana and its derivatives by someone who is not a licensed medical marijuana user is a misdemeanor.

The emails were obtained by Michael Komorn, lead lawyer for Max Lorincz, a medical marijuana patient who lost custody of his child and now faces felony charges after the lab’s misleading classification of hash oil found in his home.

“I’d never seen a lab report reporting origin unknown,” Komorn told The Intercept. “What was produced for us was the most unbelievable set of documents I’ve ever seen.”

The emails show that as Michigan forensic scientists debated how to classify oil and wax produced from marijuana plants, they were pressured by police and prosecutors to classify the products in a way that would facilitate harsher drug convictions.

“It is highly doubtful,” a forensic scientist named Scott Penabaker wrote in May 2013, “that any of these Med. Mari. products we are seeing have THC that was synthesized. This would be completely impractical.” And in February 2014, the supervisor of Lansing, Michigan’s controlled substances unit, Bradley Choate, wrote that a misleading identification of THC “could lead to the wrong charge of possession of synthetic THC and the ultimate wrongful conviction of an individual.” Lab inspector John Bowen, referring to the THC in edibles and oils, agreed: “Is it likely that someone went to the trouble to manufacture THC and two other cannabinoids, mix them up, and bake them into a pan of brownies? Of course not.”
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Michigan Prosecutors Pressured Lab on Medical Marijuana Results (Original Post) eridani Nov 2015 OP
can't be! Prohibitionists love to go on about how the government doesn't arrest medical mj users. Warren DeMontague Nov 2015 #1
K&R for visibility. To the greatest page! nt tblue37 Nov 2015 #2
It doesn't make any sense for synthetic THC to be illegal. Eric J in MN Nov 2015 #3
I think the so-called "synthetic marijuana" is causing some confusion with this eShirl Nov 2015 #5
Yes, that is FAKE marijuana, bogus, not marijuana at all. eppur_se_muova Nov 2015 #6
This is just plain wrong. Android3.14 Nov 2015 #4

Warren DeMontague

(80,708 posts)
1. can't be! Prohibitionists love to go on about how the government doesn't arrest medical mj users.
Mon Nov 16, 2015, 02:40 AM
Nov 2015

Oh, yes, our supremely reasonable drug enforcers never go after sick people. Right.

Eric J in MN

(35,620 posts)
3. It doesn't make any sense for synthetic THC to be illegal.
Mon Nov 16, 2015, 02:59 AM
Nov 2015

The FDA approves Marinol pills which are made from synthetic THC.

eppur_se_muova

(37,391 posts)
6. Yes, that is FAKE marijuana, bogus, not marijuana at all.
Mon Nov 16, 2015, 09:59 AM
Nov 2015

Journos need to drop the "synthetic marijuana" label (it is synthetic, but it's not marijuana/cannabis) and educate their readers as to the difference. If the phrase is used at all, it should be in the context of "misleadingly referred to as synthetic marijuana".

 

Android3.14

(5,402 posts)
4. This is just plain wrong.
Mon Nov 16, 2015, 05:51 AM
Nov 2015

The reason the police have such a bad rap is because they don't weed out the assholes who just like to destroy and torture people for amusement.

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