Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
Supporters of legalizing marijuana in Michigan have tried repeatedly without success to get the issue on the ballot in recent years, using an army of volunteers to collect signatures. But in 2018, they'll have money, national expertise and momentum behind the effort to free the weed.
Advocates pushing for pot legalization in Michigan will rally on the steps of the state Capitol Monday; the petition drive to get the issue on the November 2018 ballot will begin in earnest in the next couple of weeks.
“We’re right on the precipice of being ready to launch this thing. It’s going to be very, very soon,” said former state Rep. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor, the political director for the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol.
Michigan has legalized the medical use of marijuana, but efforts to legalize it for recreational use have stalled in recent years. The coalition will have an advantage this year over previous efforts to get the issue on the ballot. The national Marijuana Policy Project, which has gotten involved in several other states where marijuana legalization has succeeded, has jumped into Michigan’s ballot drive.
“The Marijuana Policy Project out of D.C. is involved, and they bring some national expertise to the state,” said Josh Hovey, a spokesman for the coalition. “They’re helping make sure we do things the right way.”
As a result, the push this year and next is expected to be better-funded — between $8 million and $10 million is needed for the petition drive and ballot campaign. And there should be enough money to pay petition circulators to gather a minimum of 252,523 signatures from valid Michigan voters in a 180-day time frame, Hovey said. The last group to try to get the issue on the 2016 ballot — MiLegalize — gathered more than 350,000 signatures, but not within the 180-day time frame.
MiLegalize, as well as the Michigan chapter of the National Organization for Marijuana Legalization, or Norml, have signed on to the latest effort and will bring its army of volunteers to the push to legalize marijuana for recreational use.
“Our group decided the language of the ballot proposal was acceptable. We’ve got something that everyone can work with,” said Jamie Lowell, spokesman for MiLegalize.
The tentative draft of the petition, which is expected to be submitted to the Board of State Canvassers for consideration later this week or next week, would:
•Legalize the possession and sale of up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana for personal, recreational use for people who are 21 or older.
•Set up three classes of marijuana growers: up to 100 plants, 500 plants and 2,000 plants.
•Tax marijuana at the wholesale level, at $20 per dry-weight ounce, as well as at the state’s 6% sales tax on retail sales. Those revenues would be split, with 50% going to public education, community colleges and vocational schools, and the other half being split between cities and counties that allow marijuana businesses.
•Allow communities to decide whether they’ll allow marijuana businesses in their communities.
•Require testing and safe transportation of marijuana in the state.
The legalization would be a boon for state coffers, with $100 million in tax and fee revenues projected each year, Hovey said, and that’s a conservative estimate, given that Colorado, which legalized marijuana for recreational use in 2012, reported tax revenues of $200 million in 2016.
Eight states have legalized the recreational use of marijuana in recent years: Colorado, California, Alaska, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. So has the District of Columbia.
Arizona defeated a ballot proposal in 2016.
While law enforcement and business groups are waiting to come out with official stances on the legalization question until ballot language is available, their initial reaction is not supportive.
“There’s no good that I can see that will come out of this,” said Blaine Koops, executive director of the Michigan Sheriff’s Association. “One of the problems we have is that there’s no way to measure the level of intoxication from this drug. And an increase in criminal behavior in all likelihood will occur.”
Likewise, Mark Reene, Tuscola county prosecutor and the president of the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan, said he didn’t think legalizing marijuana was in the best interest of the state.
“Is legalization of marijuana going to make streets and communities safer? Will it be good for youth and businesses?” he said.
“This is a critical juncture for this state. We’ve made progress, and we’ve done it by overcoming a number of (economic) challenges, but we’re still at a very precarious position, and we’ve seen what happens at other locales. The federal government still classifies marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug because of the high potential for abuse.”
One person who's not jumping into the fight is state Attorney General Bill Schuette, a Midland Republican and possible candidate for governor in 2018.
"It’s up to the voters to decide," said Schuette's spokeswoman, Andrea Bitely. "We need to keep drugs out of the hands of children, but the voters in Michigan should decide the issue."
The Michigan Chamber of Commerce’s president and CEO, Rich Studley, said businesses worry about safety and productivity on the job and on the roadways.
“I don’t want to be working on an assembly line or construction site with someone who is drunk or stoned,” he said. “It’s fair to say we think it’s a dopey idea.”
Irwin, however, said the prohibition of marijuana has been a failure that has cost the state and communities millions from law-enforcement costs and 20,000 people their freedom after being arrested for marijuana offenses.
"Most adults can use alcohol occasionally and responsibly. We should have the same approach for marijuana, and the fact that we don’t has been a longstanding and costly failure," he said.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Pot activists push to put legalization on 2018 ballot in Michigan
Author: Kathleen Gray
Contact: Contact Us | Detroit Free Press
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: Detroit Free Press - Breaking news, sports, business, entertainment
Advocates pushing for pot legalization in Michigan will rally on the steps of the state Capitol Monday; the petition drive to get the issue on the November 2018 ballot will begin in earnest in the next couple of weeks.
“We’re right on the precipice of being ready to launch this thing. It’s going to be very, very soon,” said former state Rep. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor, the political director for the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol.
Michigan has legalized the medical use of marijuana, but efforts to legalize it for recreational use have stalled in recent years. The coalition will have an advantage this year over previous efforts to get the issue on the ballot. The national Marijuana Policy Project, which has gotten involved in several other states where marijuana legalization has succeeded, has jumped into Michigan’s ballot drive.
“The Marijuana Policy Project out of D.C. is involved, and they bring some national expertise to the state,” said Josh Hovey, a spokesman for the coalition. “They’re helping make sure we do things the right way.”
As a result, the push this year and next is expected to be better-funded — between $8 million and $10 million is needed for the petition drive and ballot campaign. And there should be enough money to pay petition circulators to gather a minimum of 252,523 signatures from valid Michigan voters in a 180-day time frame, Hovey said. The last group to try to get the issue on the 2016 ballot — MiLegalize — gathered more than 350,000 signatures, but not within the 180-day time frame.
MiLegalize, as well as the Michigan chapter of the National Organization for Marijuana Legalization, or Norml, have signed on to the latest effort and will bring its army of volunteers to the push to legalize marijuana for recreational use.
“Our group decided the language of the ballot proposal was acceptable. We’ve got something that everyone can work with,” said Jamie Lowell, spokesman for MiLegalize.
The tentative draft of the petition, which is expected to be submitted to the Board of State Canvassers for consideration later this week or next week, would:
•Legalize the possession and sale of up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana for personal, recreational use for people who are 21 or older.
•Set up three classes of marijuana growers: up to 100 plants, 500 plants and 2,000 plants.
•Tax marijuana at the wholesale level, at $20 per dry-weight ounce, as well as at the state’s 6% sales tax on retail sales. Those revenues would be split, with 50% going to public education, community colleges and vocational schools, and the other half being split between cities and counties that allow marijuana businesses.
•Allow communities to decide whether they’ll allow marijuana businesses in their communities.
•Require testing and safe transportation of marijuana in the state.
The legalization would be a boon for state coffers, with $100 million in tax and fee revenues projected each year, Hovey said, and that’s a conservative estimate, given that Colorado, which legalized marijuana for recreational use in 2012, reported tax revenues of $200 million in 2016.
Eight states have legalized the recreational use of marijuana in recent years: Colorado, California, Alaska, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. So has the District of Columbia.
Arizona defeated a ballot proposal in 2016.
While law enforcement and business groups are waiting to come out with official stances on the legalization question until ballot language is available, their initial reaction is not supportive.
“There’s no good that I can see that will come out of this,” said Blaine Koops, executive director of the Michigan Sheriff’s Association. “One of the problems we have is that there’s no way to measure the level of intoxication from this drug. And an increase in criminal behavior in all likelihood will occur.”
Likewise, Mark Reene, Tuscola county prosecutor and the president of the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan, said he didn’t think legalizing marijuana was in the best interest of the state.
“Is legalization of marijuana going to make streets and communities safer? Will it be good for youth and businesses?” he said.
“This is a critical juncture for this state. We’ve made progress, and we’ve done it by overcoming a number of (economic) challenges, but we’re still at a very precarious position, and we’ve seen what happens at other locales. The federal government still classifies marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug because of the high potential for abuse.”
One person who's not jumping into the fight is state Attorney General Bill Schuette, a Midland Republican and possible candidate for governor in 2018.
"It’s up to the voters to decide," said Schuette's spokeswoman, Andrea Bitely. "We need to keep drugs out of the hands of children, but the voters in Michigan should decide the issue."
The Michigan Chamber of Commerce’s president and CEO, Rich Studley, said businesses worry about safety and productivity on the job and on the roadways.
“I don’t want to be working on an assembly line or construction site with someone who is drunk or stoned,” he said. “It’s fair to say we think it’s a dopey idea.”
Irwin, however, said the prohibition of marijuana has been a failure that has cost the state and communities millions from law-enforcement costs and 20,000 people their freedom after being arrested for marijuana offenses.
"Most adults can use alcohol occasionally and responsibly. We should have the same approach for marijuana, and the fact that we don’t has been a longstanding and costly failure," he said.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Pot activists push to put legalization on 2018 ballot in Michigan
Author: Kathleen Gray
Contact: Contact Us | Detroit Free Press
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: Detroit Free Press - Breaking news, sports, business, entertainment
