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State House Passes Bills To Change Medical Pot Law

LANSING (WWJ/AP) - The Michigan House has passed a package of bills aimed at clarifying the state's voter-approved law allowing the use of marijuana for medical purposes.

The House passed four bills Thursday, which now go to the Senate.

One bill seeks to better define the type of doctor-patient relationship needed before medical marijuana use could be certified. Another includes requirements for photographs to be included on identification cards that people certified to use medical marijuana must carry.

The legislation also calls for creating a 15-member panel of physicians and others to review petitions requesting to add medical conditions to the list for which the use of marijuana is approved.

"They're basically trying to clean up what everybody felt was a pretty poorly-drafted constitutional amendment adopted by the voters," said WWJ Lansing Bureau Chief Tim Skubick. "But they are not tossing it out, just revising it."

Backers say the 2008 law wasn't clear and contained loopholes. Critics say the proposed changes might make the drug harder to get.

(TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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