Ingham County judge orders medical marijuana patient jailed

A medical marijuana patient in Ingham County is facing three days in jail for testing positive for marijuana. Livingston Thompson uses medical marijuana as a treatment for epilepsy.  Judge Richard Garcia ordered Thompson to stop using marijuana as part of a child custody case.    

But Thompson recently tested positive for marijuana, and the judge Tuesday ordered Thompson to be jailed for contempt for three days.  Matt Newburg is Livingston Thompson’s attorney.  Newburg plans to ask the Michigan Court of Appeals to stay the judge’s contempt order.  

 “The judge said…on the record…that he felt that (medical marijuana) card was a fraud…and it did not protect him.”   

Newburg says Michigan’s marijuana law protects medical marijuana patients from criminal and civil penalties.