Michigan Marijuana Amendment Advocates Launch Legalization Campaign

Michigan activists are kicking off a campaign Friday to amend the state constitution to legalize marijuana.

If passed, the proposed amendment would end the prohibition of the cultivation, use, sale and distribution of the cannabis plant for adults over the age of 21. It would not permit the use of marijuana while driving a motor vehicle.

Committee for a Safer Michigan, the Detroit-based group sponsoring the effort, believes the law would allow law enforcement officers to focus their resources on violent criminals and other public safety threats.

The Michigan Medical Marihuana Act, passed by voters in 2008, allows patients who register with the state to use the plant for medicinal purposes. But activists say Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette's adversarial interpretation of the law helped spur the effort for full marijuana legalization.

Since taking office in 2011, Schuette has worked to shut down marijuana clinics, and to prosecute patients enrolled in the state marijuana registry.

A recall effort against Schuette is also underway. That measure would need 807,000 signatures by March to be placed on the November ballot.

The official announcement of the marijuana legalization campaign coincides with a major drug bust by Detroit Police on Thursday. Following a lead, police raided a warehouse on the city's east side and seized 800 marijuana plants. A 37-year-old man is currently in police custody as a result of the bust, according to the department.

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Comments

[abnaxus]

05:19 PM on 05/14/2012

The most important thing to remember right now is to sign the petition. Sign it right away. We only have until July 6th to turn them in. Go to repealtoday.org to find one close to you. No excuses, no apathy.

[ballbager6]

11:21 PM on 03/06/2012

smoke on brow!

[The Heavy]

07:40 PM on 02/24/2012

The Michigan State attorney general Bill Schuette said that the law has more holes in it then Swiss cheese.
The people don't need it to turn in to Limburger Legation though.
This will make the law way too Cheesy for the sick and dying people of Michigan.

Looks like Bill needs to find a Whey to smooth things out.

[Paul Paul]

03:37 AM on 02/14/2012

'' It would not permit the use of marijuana while driving a motor vehicle.''
You don't want to accidentally drop a burning joint in your crotch while your driving do you?

[Corie Lemmon]

06:05 PM on 01/23/2012

It should be legal, and I hope we get enough signatures to put it on the ballot. I am sick of wasting taxpayer money to keep someone in jail for a few years for possession....and our state would get some revenue too. Tax it, most marijuana smokers won't care if its taxed, as long as its legal. I for one, am disappointed in our attorney general for NOT doing what the people want. Medical marijuana became LEGAL, and he is trying to make it as difficult as possible for those who have cards to get it.

[George Van Setters]

04:12 PM on 01/23/2012

Its federally illeagal, well its also a lie they are spreading, Marijuana has no medical propertys, LIERS, Marijuana is worse than cocaine ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!!!!!!!!! Schedule 1 drug, DISGUSTING LIERS! That is your federal law, BS, and people that stand by LIERS, how do you sleep at night? TYLENOL kills more, the policy kills more, you are costing LIVES with these lies! PROOF! Kid " marijuana is not as bad as achohol, I drank and couldnt rememmber last night", feds " marijuana is a hallucinagen", kid "well they lied about marijuana I wonder what else they are lieing about? maybe we should try acid, its a hallucinagen" Kid trys acid, dies, or is a vegitable forever! Yeah great law! Way to promote murder as suttle as possible, THESE LIES NEED TO END NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The people supporting this BS need to do some truth and fact finding, your pitiful!

[systemoad]

01:52 PM on 02/23/2012

it is clear somebody had to wright this fer yall .read some information before the excrement dribbles from your mouth!

[Romen Haglund]

09:34 PM on 03/03/2012

The only way to stop the lies is to go back in time and not have the presidents that were scared of it elected XD

[stewie57]

08:01 PM on 01/22/2012

The MI Legislature has introduced several bills to change the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act, our AG is doing everything he can to interfere with the law, malign patients in the press and prosecute patients. Please, MI Residents, consider signing this petition or at least read the comments to become aware of our concerns. This petition is to express how we feel to Governor Snyder, AG Schuette, the Legislature because they don't seem to be listening to us patients. https://www.change.org/petitions/the-governor-of-mi-honor-the-will-of-the-people

[ray christl]

05:18 PM on 01/22/2012

Godspeed to these people in Michigan working to legalize our sacred cannabis...ONELOVE !!!

[Edward Standley]

09:47 AM on 01/22/2012

It's a simple choice. We can either have a "marijuana problem" or we can have a "marijuana/cartel/murder/gang/mob/shootout/overtaxed courts/overcrowded prisons- problem". Legalize it with a two year time limit and if we don't like the results, we can always go back to the "incredibly effective" system we have now.

[truthfinderddw]

07:51 AM on 01/21/2012

Another over-reach by our worthless Governor, the Legislature and Mr. AG himself. The original Law was written poorly, so the door was left open for manipulation. All three branches mentioned above have spent more time worried about pot, then they have on unemployement, fianance reform and foreclosure. They have added permently to the burden of inequity, taxing more, those that can least afford it. They think they will get away with it, and they have for a short time, in the end they will lose their jobs. Each and everyone of them!

[Toka313]

09:18 AM on 01/21/2012

Some folks won't like to hear this, but when you have short term limits legislation often gets written poorly. Time to extend those limits.

[dbrett480]

08:58 PM on 01/20/2012

Since it is highly unlikely that this will pass, perhaps a compromise can be reached. CA recently decriminalized marijuana by making it an infraction only (similar to a parking ticket).

[Thinking Clearly]

04:58 AM on 01/21/2012

I don't share the "unlikely" point of view.

[Toka313]

09:19 AM on 01/21/2012

I'm thinking the ballot would be about a 50-50 shot, but gathering enough signatures will be the tough part. Oh, and the feds might flat out go after this as well.

[Darlene1029]

08:13 AM on 01/22/2012

Then for some reason (undoubtedly profitable for someone) the Federal Gov/ Justice Dept (oxymoron) decided the ongoing useless war on drugs, corruption, killings, wasted money on trials and incarceration is a more profitable way to go for some, I personally would like to know who and why!!!!!

[AlfredE69]

07:27 PM on 01/20/2012

All right. All the best to you Michigan lovers of liberty!!

[Sabrae]

05:08 PM on 01/20/2012

Okay, wait a minute -

Cigarette smoking is the bane of mankind according to most people, but this isn't a problem?

[Thinking Clearly]

05:31 PM on 01/20/2012

Recent studies say moderate use does not cause the damage that smoking tobacco does

[Sabrae]

05:35 PM on 01/20/2012

And the second hand smoke? I'm all for personal freedoms, by the way. Just wondering.

[George Van Setters]

04:21 PM on 01/23/2012

It actually strengthens lung tissue!

[AlfredE69]

07:28 PM on 01/20/2012

If you smoke a cigarette, will you land in jail?

[Sabrae]

07:35 PM on 01/20/2012

No, not yet anyway. With our individual freedoms being taken away left and right, it could be coming.

[marijobama]

01:21 PM on 01/20/2012

We are trying to get a similar measure on the November ballot in Missouri. Wish us luck. DI-1957 is right, any elected official who will not support the INTENT of initiatives like Michigan's, is a PIG and should be hounded out of office.

[AlfredE69]

07:28 PM on 01/20/2012

I wish you the best in your quest for personal freedom in Missouri!!

[George Van Setters]

04:22 PM on 01/23/2012

Good Luck, I truely hope you can! Go Freedom!!!!

[Edwin Keever Jr]

01:10 PM on 01/20/2012

If Pot were made legal in the United States it would solve a lot of problems such as the violent drug wars in Mexico. But the main thing is this, the government could tax it. and the cops could work on more important things such as rape, murder, child abuse, I think you get the point unless your head is stuck up yout you know what!

[excaderesdesire]

06:38 PM on 01/20/2012

This will still not change the federal law... The federal government have been closing down the businesses who provide medical marijuana in California by putting pressure on landlords threatening them with forefiture of their properties if they allow these businesses to operate on their properties because the federal law superceeds any state or county laws...Good Luck ~~~

[Thinking Clearly]

05:08 AM on 01/21/2012

Federal laws in matters like this are never easy to change. Apathy of this sort over things on a State level leads to no change at all. Michigan voters asked for marijuana to be made available to medical patients that need it. Michigan needs to take its own State back first. Its quite obvious now that they are not working for the 63% of the voters in Michigan that wanted medical marijuana. I would think this legalization effort should make things a bit clearer to our Michigan State officials that its the voters they work for - not the Federal Government.

[George Van Setters]

04:03 PM on 01/23/2012

Federal law is BS, and you know it, Michigan is saying we dont agree with your lies, get it? Marijuana has medical purposes, and it is certainly not nothing as bad as herion, please with the "federal lies" even they agree its BS, soon that will be changes as it should have been from day one!!!!!

[RMForbes]

08:46 PM on 01/20/2012

If cannabis were completely legal then hemp could be again grown in American fields which would revitalize our manufacturing sector producing the more than 25,000 products that can be made better and less expensively from hemp.

Hemp is an excellent rotation crop that grows quickly without the need of chemical pesticides or fertilizers. Growing hemp on the 15% of American farmland that is left bare and not planted with any crops at all every year would produce enough high energy biomass to replace the energy we import in foreign oil and all the never to be clean coal we use to generate electricity with advanced biofuels produced from hemp biomass.

Local communities would be able to grow and produce almost all of their energy needs locally producing scores of green living wage jobs. Factories would begin to be built all across our nation to produce energy and/or the myriad of other products that can be from hemp keeping the hundreds of billions of our dollars we now send offshore for our energy here to circulate throughout our new greener and less centralized domestic economy.

[Edwin Keever Jr]

05:42 AM on 01/21/2012

I agree with you 100% but what you said is logical and our government doesn't understand logic because if it did we Americans wouldn't be in the mess we are in today, but maybe some day...