DETROIT – A new lawsuit has been filed to stop a medical marijuana shortage in Michigan.
The state's ever-changing marijuana laws have forged ahead of regulation and it's causing more than just headaches for those who depend on cannabis dispensaries for their medical needs.
New regulations require licensed operators at every corner of the business. That ranges from growing cannabis to transport to testing. Those requirements have reportedly caused a medical marijuana shortage, and dispensary deliveries have ground to a halt.
Stage 4 cancer patient Sherry Hoover is a former nurse, a mother, a grandmother of six and a medical marijuana card holder. She's suing the state's licensing and regulation agency.
"I will not be able to get the medication that relieves my nausea, creates any appetite and eases my pain. LARA, the state, let me down and thousands of others like me down," Hoover said.
Hoover said the lawsuit isn't intended to give her money. She's just after what lawyers call declaratory action. Essentially, she hopes the lawsuit will get a federal judge to tell the state that it needs to allow patients like herself to obtain medical marijuana by letting dispensaries sell untested cannabis.
They requested the option to have patients sign waivers. Butzel Long attorney Michelle Donovan is representing Hoover in this case.
"We're asking LARA to do what they ultimately did before, to allow those caregivers to directly sell to those licensed dispensaries so these medical marijuana patients can get the products they need," Donovan said.
"I am just one person fighting for my rights, fighting for my life and a chance to see my grandchildren grow up," Hoover said.