Group Forms To Protect Patient Rights For Legalized Marijuana

DETROIT (WWJ) - A new alliance has been formed to uphold voters decisions to legalize marijuana for medical use.

The National Patients Rights Association is a new Michigan-based medical marijuana coalition — formed by leading medical marijuana advocates to protect patient rights.

Criminal defense attorney Paul Tylenda  believes the court system is simply not doing their job.

"There are plenty of stories where a patient or registered care giver through the state, where their status has been legal under state law  has been sidestepped and ignored in the courts who seek to avoid it, ignore it , treat it as a Trojan Horse for legalization," said Tylenda.

Part of their goal is to encourage legislators to uphold the vote of the people.

"If their voters come to them and express this as an issue, that needs to be addressed,  they'll make it as a priority, because that is what their constituents want. And if enough of these voters were to speak out in support of it, the political puppets would certainly mimic the words of the people that keep them in jobs," said Tylenda.

Tylenda doesn't know why this state statute is being fought so hard, and he hopes an awareness campaign will educate those who are opposed.

In 2008, the law was passed in Michigan with nearly two-thirds of the vote. The NPRA is backed by patients, caregivers, and a wide range of businesses.