MUSKEGON, MI — Deven Halberda stood outside the Frauenthal Center for the Performing Arts waving at traffic and pedestrians while wearing a large, green costume.



The Spring Lake resident received different reactions from people because he was dressed as "Weedie" – a mascot for the first annual West Michigan Medical Marijuana Conference that runs from Friday, Nov. 7 to Sunday, Nov. 9.



"There were some people who walked up to me," Halberda said from inside the insulated costume. The outfit included five leafy points with ridged edges and two cartoonish eyes that were colored slightly red. "I got some not-so-good looks, but there have been a lot of good reactions with people giving me a thumb's up."



Inside the Frauenthal, located on 425 W. Western Ave., the three-day conference had several vendors who were there to hand out information and discuss the ways marijuana can help others medically.

Jule Geiger, hostess for the first-time conference, said the vendors were in Muskegon to promote not only their product, but the conference as well.



"All these vendors are here to just try to promote this," Geiger said. "There are classes on cloning for some of the growers that want to learn how to make more plants. There are also some certification people up there who can get you certified with a medical license if you have all the necessary slips from a doctor."



Having been in the works for at least a year and a half, Geiger said the conference came about from the efforts of Paul Miller, the owner of a registered non-profit called the Muskegon Medical Marijuana Caregivers Association.



Services offered each day of the conference include growing classes for those who are advanced or just beginning, cloning classes and patient talk sessions. On Sunday afternoon, they will be giving away trophies for certain categories as well as the Cannabis Cup to wrap up the weekend.



The conference is also holding rides on "The Magic Bus," which Geiger said allows people to take a ride to some of the local marijuana dispensaries.



"I'm told The Magic Bus will take a trail around the lake and stop at a couple of dispensaries," Geiger said. "It will allow some of its passengers to order some goodies if they have a medical card with them."



Randy Artibee, a Montague resident who is part of a company called Medical Marijuana Mix – known to others as M3 – was a vendor for the conference on Friday. Artibee and two others have an office in Ludington where they sell a form of soil that can be used to grow organic material.



"We call it a soil, but it's an organic growing medium," Artibee said. "It's almost like a hydroponic medium with nutrients that break down in time."



The three entrepreneurs have been involved with supplying a lot of different growth stores, which was where they first heard about the upcoming conference.



With the recent elections coming to a close, Artibee had a few predictions as to when Michigan would legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes.



"I think it's going to happen soon. People are starting to really understand that there is a value," Artibee said. "I really think it needs to have a handle on it. It needs to be tested. It needs to be safe. I hope they get a handle on it, because it's supposed to be helping us and not hurting us."



For more information on the West Michigan Medical Marijuana Conference, visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pages/West-Michigan-Medical-Marijuana-Conference.

Below is a list of upcoming events for the rest of the three-day conference:

SATURDAY, NOV. 8

Beginning Grow Classes, Noon-12:50 p.m.

Advanced Grow Classes, 1-1:50 p.m.

Cloning Classes, 2-2:50 p.m.

Patient Talk Time, 4-5 p.m.

SUNDAY, NOV. 9



Beginning Grow Classes, Noon-12:50 p.m.

Advanced Grow Classes, Noon-12:50 p.m.

Cloning Classes, 2-2:50 p.m.

Tony Wittkowski is a staff reporter at MLive Muskegon Chronicle. Email him at twittkow@mlive.com and follow him on Facebook and Twitter.