GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — More than two dozen people were arrested from several counties across West Michigan after federal investigators said they discovered an elaborate illegal drug operation that supplied marijuana sales as far away as Ohio.
Dave Overholt is awaiting sentencing for a felony drug charge in an u-related case. He told Fox 17 that many medical marijuana growers are sometimes confused by the law.
“Are there a lot of people growing? Quite a few. Do most of them think they are illegal? Hardly any of them know about the zoning laws,” said Overholt.
Overholt says with different counties and cities enacting their own medical marijuana ordinances, patients have been forced to look elsewhere for their medicine.
The US attorney’s office says Shawn Taylor, Muskegon, operated several growing warehouses in Muskegon. There were 31 different locations searched on Wednesday.
Overholt said that if the allegations against Taylor are true, then Taylor was hurting patients and future legislation.
Overholt said that the safest way for Michigan’s medical marijuana laws to operate successfully is to allow dispensaries and collectives to keep their doors open to patients and care-givers.
“These places that try to put a safe environment with quality meds in front of them to their care givers, so they can give them to their patients, will no longer be around after a couple weeks,” said Overholt.
