Legalized Marijuana in Michigan, For Real this Time? - by Ben Horner

The petition to legalize marijuana for adult use in Michigan, drafted by the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol (CRMLA), was approved by the Board of Canvassers last month. Similar to the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act of 2008, this petition is spearheaded by the Marijuana Policy Project, the preeminent cannabis lobbying group based in Washington DC. Local leaders joined the coalition after last years botched grassroots effort failed to gather enough signatures in the allotted time frame needed to be placed on the ballot in 2016.

Signature gatherers will have a six-month window to gather 252,523 valid signatures and turn  them into the state.  Once submitted, the state can either adopt new legalization, or it will go to the voters on the 2018 gubernatorial election ballot. Polling indicates that the majority of Michiganders support taxing and regulating marijuana.

“Prohibition didn’t work with alcohol and it has clearly failed with marijuana as well,” said Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Spokesperson, John Truscott, in a recent press release. “Our campaign will make Michigan a national leader by creating responsible regulations that will end the waste of law enforcement resources that goes into enforcing Michigan’s outdated prohibition laws while also creating jobs and generating much needed tax revenue for our state.”
   
If ultimately passed by Michigan voters in November 2018, the initiative would: 

·    Legalize personal possession, cultivation, and use of limited amounts of cannabis for adults 21 
     and older; 

·    Legalize the cultivation of industrial hemp; 

·    License marijuana businesses that cultivate, process, test, transport, and sell marijuana; 

·    Protect consumers with proper testing and safety regulations for retail marijuana; and 

·    Tax marijuana at retail levels with a 10 percent excise tax and 6 percent sales tax, which will 
     support K-12 public schools, roads, and local governments.