Since Michigan saw the passage of numerous medical marijuana laws in 2016, cities and municipalities have been charged with the decision of whether or not to allow for the establishment of dispensaries across the state. Soon, voters might have yet another decision to make. The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol is pushing for a question to be placed on the 2018 ballot: Should recreational marijuana be legal in Michigan?
The proposed law would serve to decriminalize possession of up to two and a half ounces of the plant in public, and would grant individuals over twenty-one the right to have up to ten ounces in private.
“Burying our heads in the sand and ignoring the adult-use side of the marijuana market isn’t going to solve any problems,” says Josh Hovey of the Coalition, who cites recreational legalization as the most, and perhaps only, responsible way to regulate the plant. Several states have already voted in favor of recreational marijuana, and the attitudes surrounding the plant are changing at a breakneck speed from the Reefer Madness-influenced paranoia of yesteryear. The people are making their voices heard, and one thing is certain: Marijuana is here to stay.
This is not the first time that such efforts have been made in Michigan. In 2016, MI Legalize put forth a similar petition. Unfortunately, it did not make it onto a ballot due to a lack of signatures acquired in the 180-day window allowed. MI Legalize took this issue to the Michigan Supreme Court, but the court declined to hear their appeal. Looking to the other organization’s efforts in the past, the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol has adopted a few different methods of pushing for legalization. They are working with not only MI Legalize, but also the National Petition Management, a professional signature-collection organization.
The effort to collect 252,523 signatures began in May. The signatures must be acquired over 180 consecutive days within a 250-day window of time. Hovey is confident that voters will be able to make their opinions on recreational marijuana heard come November 2018.
credit:420intel.com
