Grand Rapids
Michigan May Be Election’s Unsung Hero
Now that we are almost a week removed from the historic 2012 election, new stories are emerging in the aftermath. Colorado and Washington State are receiving most of the headlines in the world of marijuana reform for enacting landmark legislation that will see recreational marijuana legalized. Massachusetts has received some attention as well for approving a medical marijuana program and becoming the 18th state to do so. These stories cover both the west and east coast, but as was the case in the presidential election, the Midwest would have a lot to say about marijuana reform.
Michigan is known for its progressive medical marijuana program. It is one of the only states that allows for suffering minors to receive legal medical cannabis prescriptions. Its flagship city, is now going to take a more progressive approach toward rebuilding its ailing economy and crime problem. Last week, Detroit voters decided to decriminalize marijuana. Several other Michigan cities witnessed residents enact similar measures as Flint and Grand Rapids also decided to shift away from failed marijuana policies.
The tension between law enforcement and Michigan residents has been steadily rising for several years now. Even as Michigan residents have voiced their desire to alter marijuana laws, state Attorney General Bill Schuette has been notorious for disregarding the will of the people. Nobody likes a sore loser, and elections are set up to highlight which ideas win out. However, it seems that many are sticking their fingers in their ears and singing loudly and ignoring the vote tallies. Previously, those who lost the elections were expected to step aside.
In Michigan, we still now hear the losers resolving to carry on as if there was not some monumental election last week. Flint police Chief Alvern Lock said “We’re still police officers and we’re still empowered to enforce the laws of the state of Michigan and the United States. We’re still going to enforce the laws as we’ve been enforcing them.” We at marijuana.net are wondering exactly when Michigan police were granted the authority and time of day to act as enforcers of federal law. It would seem there is much to do in fighting crime in Michigan besides moving heaven and earth looking for artificial crimes. As Brian Morrissey of Coalition for a Safer Flint stated “”If the city police want to follow state law rather than city law, then maybe the state should be paying their salary.” Is there room for police in Michigan to moonlight as federal agents?
Even if officials are still desperately clinging to failed policy and false memories of the imaginary golden age of the 1950s, this election clearly showed the people are not living inside such ridiculous bubbles. Elected officials are not accustomed to answering to anyone, but they certainly have bosses. In fact, over 100 million of them casted their votes last week. Lawmakers and officers may not yet respect their bosses, but the writing on the wall is clear. There may be more peaks and valleys but marijuana reform is coming, via the will of the people and bureaucrats beware, suppressing the majority has a habit of accelerating change. Many analysts believe we saw this last week, as the non-white voter turnout was higher than ever and perhaps in response to voter suppression attempts. We would like to take this time to congratulate the voters in Detroit and to send a friendly warning to authorities. The Detroit metro area is one of the most populous regions in the America, located in one of the larger states. Politicians and law enforcement beware, you are drastically outnumbered in your misguided quest to fight the people. Even as the economy improves, nobody wants to be unemployed, most especially elected officials.
Updates on Upcoming Ballot Initiatives
We at marijuana.net are always trying to report on the newest developments for the upcoming 2012 election in November. Ballot initiatives have been the largest contributor to a restoration of rights that we have seen dissipate over the last century. Because of this, we would like to provide highlights on some of the ballot initiatives that could see result in more legalization and decriminalization of cannabis.
First we were happy to read about new polls that show Colorado residents seemed inclined to legalize marijuana this November. The group Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol collected enough signatures to get the issue to the ballots and will be voted on by the people. However, a previous 2006 vote in Colorado was rejected by the people so there is still doubt. Fortunately polls are showing that a majority of residents in Colorado seemed more likely to approve the measure this time around. A survey conducted by the Public Policy Polling group showed that 47% are currently in favor of Amendment 64 and legalization while 38% oppose the measure with 15% unsure. There appears to be a very real chance that Colorado will be legalizing and regulating marijuana after November.
Michigan has demonstrated the value of ballot initiatives for a while now. Kalamazoo had its residents vote and approve a measure that made marijuana the lowest priority for its police department. Additionally, Detroit will vote to drastically decriminalize marijuana this November. Grand Rapids appears to be the next Michigan city ready to take matters into their own hands. A group named Decriminalize GR collected enough signatures which had to amount to 5% (6,565 signatures) of the Grand Rapids population. The signatures were approved and were considered valid by the City Commission.
A failure of governing has resulted in the people taking the initiative. We need access to medication and a system of regulation that will tax, test, and dispense marijuana. As politicians have begged for the issue to disappear we can thank the people for accepting that cannabis is here to stay, and needs to be regulated.