metro >> on the cover

A

Budding

Legal Specialty

Attorney Neil Rockind tackles some
of the state's biggest medical
marijuana cases.

Robin Schwartz I JN Contributing Writer

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

"Every day, if you sat here in our office,
you'd hear phone calls from people who've
been raided or people who have questions
or concerns:' Rockind says. "People are
afraid. So guys like me, we have our work
cut out for us:'
Rockind, 43, of Bloomfield Hills didn't set
out to become one of the state's top medical
marijuana attorneys; that distinction and
the legal specialty evolved in recent years.
After growing up in Detroit and West
Bloomfield, where he attended Congregation
B'nai Moshe (his father, Larry Rockind,
and late grandfather, Norbert Reinstein, a
Holocaust survivor, are past presidents),
Rockind graduated from the University of
Michigan and Wayne State University Law
School. He began his legal career work-
ing for the Oakland County prosecutor's
office and quickly earned the nickname the
"Rockweiler" because of his aggressive, no-
holds-barred demeanor in court.
"I just kind of got this reputation as
someone who would fight and wouldn't
back down and was not afraid:' he says. "I
have a certain way of speaking. I think I'm
pretty quick on my feet. I'm a tireless work-
er. I will never give up in a trial, ever."
Farmington Hills attorney Tom Loeb has
worked alongside Rockind on several cases.
"He's a very good lawyer and a pleasure
to work with:' Loeb says."He's somebody I
can trust. He cares about his clients, and it
shows in the way he practices."
In 2000, Rockind started his own
criminal defense firm. He's been named
one of Metro Detroit's top lawyers by Super
Lawyers magazine for the last several years.
This year, the magazine gave him an addi-
tional distinction, adding him to the list of
the top 100 lawyers in the entire state.
"I was always somebody who wanted to
defend the underdog, and there's no greater
underdog than a person charged with a
crime," he explains. "There are people who
can't or shouldn't speak for themselves.
They need someone to speak for them."

8

May 17 2012

Cultivating Clients
Rockind has the luxury of choosing which
cases he takes. He's represented people
charged with a variety of crimes including
murder. A few years ago, the home of one
client who uses medical marijuana was
raided by police. Rockind knew little about
Michigan's Medical Marihuana Act, but he
took the case and ultimately won.
"I dove into it with my usual reckless
abandon," he says. "I ended up getting a
few more medical marijuana clients and a
few more clients. Then, I was contacted by
the Marijuana Policy Project, an advocacy/
lobbying group in Washington, D.C. They
endorsed me, and we were inundated by
people who wanted us to get involved in
their cases."
In one high-profile case, the Oakland
County Sheriff's Department raided the
now-dosed medical marijuana dispen-
sary Clinical Relief in Ferndale. It was the
first dispensary to be raided in August
2010. Seven workers faced felony charges.
Rockind argued the clinic's owners believed
they were operating legally under the
Michigan Medical Marihuana Act.
Nearly a year and a half later, the judge
agreed and dismissed the case. Oakland
County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper insists
dispensary workers abused the state law
and plans to appeal.
The Michigan Court of Appeals has since
ruled that medical marijuana sales are ille-
gal — essentially criminalizing dispensa-
ries. The court also has reversed more than
a dozen cases where rulings were made
in favor of medical marijuana patients or
caregivers.
According to the state law, those eligible
to become registered patients must suffer
from a debilitating condition that includes
cancer, glaucoma, HIV, AIDS, hepatitis C,
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Crohn's dis-
ease, agitation of Alzheimer's disease, nail-
patella syndrome or a medical condition
that produces wasting syndrome, severe

and chronic pain, severe nausea, seizures
or severe and persistent muscle spasms.
Michigan has received more than 222,000
original and renewal applications since
April 2009; more than 131,400 patients are
registered.
"The vast majority of people I've repre-
sented have acted in good faith:' Rockind
says. "You don't know how medical mari-
juana has truly benefited some people.
There are people who abuse it. There are
people who abuse painkillers. There are
people who abuse alcohol. There are people
who abuse a lot of things in life. I don't want
to give up protecting the patients who really
do need medical marijuana. So, I'm going to
keep fighting away."

Marijuana Legalized?
Rockind believes someday marijuana will
be legalized. Until then, he'll keep waging
the battle on behalf of patients and caregiv-
ers in court. He recently spoke at a WSU
Law Review symposium and also testified
along with Loeb before Michigan's House
Judiciary Committee as they debated poten-
tial reform or modification to the Medical
Marihuana Act.
"I think eventually people will be less
hysterical about marijuana;' Loeb says. "I
think as the research continues, people will
realize, more and more, marijuana does
help those who are ill and in need, espe-
cially cancer patients."
The House went on to pass a package
of four bills May 3 that would add restric-
tions and clarify the law. Changes include
requiring patients to have a photo on their

ID card, offering stricter guidelines for a
"physician-patient relationship," making it
a two-year felony to sell marijuana without
the proper registry identification card and
making it a crime to transport medical
marijuana in a motor vehicle. The bills now
move to the state Senate for consideration.
"Except for a few members, and I mean
a few, Michigaris Legislature abandoned
medical marijuana patients:' Rockind
says."I'm disgusted to call those who sup-
ported the recent bills 'representatives' of
the people of Michigan. The changes make
things worse for patients and easier for law
enforcement to target patients. But, in the
end, unless they can pass a law that prohib-
its me from trying cases before juries, they
can't stop me."
When he's not fighting the medical mari-
juana fight, Rockind can often be found
throwing jabs at the Bad Boy Boxing Gym
in Royal Oak. He gets up at 5 a.m. to go
there. After work, he helps his children with
their homework and watches and cheers
them on at wrestling meets and football,
lacrosse, soccer and basketball games. He
and his wife, Karen, are raising Aliya, 12,
Harley, 11, and Jaden, 8.
Rockind also unwinds by reading fic-
tion legal dramas and watching movies. He
wears a red Kabbalah string on his wrist
to ward off "the evil eye and bad spiritual
energy." No matter what he's doing, you can
be sure criminal defense work is never too
far from his mind.
"The law is a very jealous friend:'
Rockind says. "It's hard to turn away from
it." El