Michigan is one big step closer to voting on marijuana legalization.
An initiative turned in its signatures to get on the 2018 ballot Monday.
The measure would legalize marijuana and regulate it like alcohol. So it would be taxed, and could only be used by people 21 years old and older.
Jeff Hank is with M-I Legalize. He says their organization has tried to legalize marijuana for several years.
“And after doing this for years, it’s very clear all across the state in every single district of people of every single background are ready for this proposal.”
So far, the measure hasn’t run into strong opposition. Josh Hovey is with the coalition. He says the lack of opposition right now doesn’t mean they can skimp on fundraising.
“Most successful ballot initiatives need to raise a total of about 8-million dollars. You know, we’ve raised about a million so far, spent about a million. We need to keep on raising money and do what we need to do to communicate to voters all across the state and that doesn’t come cheap.”
Jeff Irwin is a former State Representative. He says he isn’t counting on the Legislature to adopt the proposal.
You’d think they’d get their minds around the idea that this is a wasteful, failed, big government program that is arresting 20-thousand plus people every year and running them through the court system. But based on my experience working in that Legislature I don’t think we would have a majority of votes.”
Spokespeople for leaders in the House and Senate say they don’t have any plans for the proposal at this time. If passed, the measure would legalize marijuana and regulate it like alcohol.
