The Oakland County Sheriff implementation in Narcotics

Narcotics The Oakland County Sheriff implementation team raided three businesses and homes and confiscated 12 marijuana Wednesday, $ 30,000 in cash, firearms, grow lights, patient records and two crocodiles guard, authorities said Thursday.

Prosecutors allege that operators of emergency clinics in Ferndale and all Coffee and herbal remedies, in Waterford, surpassing the number of people who could supply medical marijuana and provide drugs to people without proper documentation .

"You can not sell to anyone other than designated five patients," said Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper Thursday at a news conference. A two-month investigation found the stores were selling a dozen, he said.

"This is Michigan. This is not a Cheech and Chong movie," Oakland County, said Sheriff Mike Bouchard.

The operators pledged to fight the charges.

"What we do is legal," said Ryan Richmond, co-owner of the Relief clinics, who said their partner was in jail. "What they did with the raid was illegal."

Legal experts said the attacks could lead to a confrontation in court between prosecutors, who want to reduce their health care operations of marijuana, and those who want the new industry to grow outdoors.

The Oakland County authorities said the raid resulted in the arrest of 15 agents, employees and customers, and following an investigation into drug trafficking and alleged abuses of the Medical Marijuana Act of Michigan.

By law, people with licenses may possess up to 2 oz half of the pot. They have to suffer long-term pain, nausea or epilepsy or illnesses such as cancer, glaucoma and AIDS. Patients can grow pot or appoint someone else to. The law, however, does not mention whether patients or caregivers can buy it in clinics.

During the press conference, Bouchard displayed what he said is about $ 750,000 worth of marijuana seized in the raids, including plants, hundreds of bottles of marijuana and lots of bags filled with marijuana and marijuana laced brownies, cookies and candies.

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Recession is the reason of the lowest U.S. birth rate

The recession may be the reason why the U.S. birth rate declined for the second consecutive year in 2009 and was the lowest in a century, according to experts.

There were 4.136 million births in 2009, 2.7 percent less than the 4,251,095 births in 2008. There were more than 4.3 million births in 2007, more than any other year in the history of the nation, The Associated Press.

Data released Friday by the National Center for Health Statistics also showed that the birth rate in 2009 was 13.5 births per 1,000 people, compared to 14.3 in 2007. The health statistics center is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The fall of 2009 births is "a drop of good size for a year. Every month we present a decrease from the previous year," said Stephanie Ventura, a demographer who oversaw the report, told the AP.

"There is probably a relationship between the decline in births and the economic downturn," says the CDC. "More details on the demographics of the mothers who gave birth in 2009 are necessary to more forcefully in this regard."

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Medical Action Industries

Medical Action Industries Inc., a provider of medical and surgical products, said Friday it completed the purchase of Avid Medical Inc. for $ 62.5 million in cash plus transaction costs.

Avid makes custom procedure trays to serve the industry of health care. Medical Action said the purchase will increase its capacity to serve health care providers in places of intensive care and surgery centers.

Avid had about $ 136 million in revenue during the most recent fiscal year, which ended in March 1931. Michael Sahady, founder and CEO of Avid, will join the medical board of directors of Action, and Avid's president and chief operating officer Richard Setian will become vice president of sales and marketing.

The Medical Action shares rose 47 cents, or 6 percent, to $ 8.30 in afternoon trading. The stock has traded between $ 7.61 and $ 17.74 over the past 52 weeks.

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