The passage of Prop 1 makes Michigan the 10th state in the nation and the first in the Midwest to legalize cannabis for \u201crecreational\u201d use, joining California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Colorado, Nevada, Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine and Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol<\/a>\u00a0declared victory late Tuesday night, as Proposal 1\u00a0garnered 57.7 percent of the vote<\/a>, with 53 percent of the precincts responding. By the time all of the votes were counted, Proposal 1 had comfortably won with 55.8 percent of the vote.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Proposal 1 campaign boiled down into one of fact versus fear,\u201d the Coalition\u2019s Josh Hovey\u00a0told the Detroit Free Press<\/a>\u00a0as the results came in. \u201cThe data from the nine other states to have legalized marijuana made clear that regulation and taxation are a better solution. Legalization of marijuana will end the unnecessary waste of law enforcement resources used to enforce the failed policy of prohibition while generating hundreds of millions of dollars each year for Michigan\u2019s most important needs.\u201d<\/p>\n Proposal 1, otherwise known as the\u00a0Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marihuana Act<\/a>, allows those 21-years-old and over to carry 2.5 ounces of cannabis in public and to have up to 10 ounces and 12 plants at home \u2014 as long as they are not grown in a location visible from outside.<\/p>\n The proposal will not allow cannabis use in a public place or a private location where the proprietor forbids it. The proposal will also not override workplace drug policies. This law will go into effect in 10 days, though it will likely be years before regulated shops will be opened.<\/p>\n The measure calls for licensing of businesses to cultivate, process, test, transport and sell cannabis. The plan calls for a 10 percent excise tax on retail cannabis sales in addition to the state\u2019s standard 6 percent sales tax. The plan is designed to align with a new, stronger\u00a0regulatory system for medical marijuana businesses<\/a>\u00a0in Michigan. Proponents say it could add millions annually in tax revenue.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re wasting $90 million a year enforcing a failed policy of marijuana prohibition and polls across the country show that 66 percent of voters want to see marijuana legalized and regulated,\u201d Hovey told Grand Rapids\u2019\u00a024 Hour News 8<\/a>\u00a0before polls closed. \u201cIf we don\u2019t get on top of this now with some strong regulations, it\u2019s going to get too far beyond us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLook at the never-ending cycle, especially in our urban areas, of young men and women getting arrested for something like a dime bag of weed,\u201d added Prop 1 advocate Jay Jones. \u201cThey\u2019re going into the system. They\u2019re not getting jobs so they\u2019re turning back to crime and it\u2019s just a never-ending cycle.\u201d<\/p>\n Others emphasized the coming challenge of crafting the new system with a sense of equity for the communities disproportionately impacted by prohibition.<\/p>\n \u201cWe still have to work out\u2026 restoring people\u2019s justice,\u201d said\u00a0Cannabis Legal Group<\/a>\u00a0principal attorney Barton Morris after victory was declared. \u201cThere are thousands upon thousands of individuals that have been disproportionately affected with cannabis-related convictions. We have to remove those convictions off their record.\u201d<\/p>\n Under Michigan\u2019s\u00a0constitution<\/a>, voter-approved initiatives \u201ctake effect 10 days after the date of the official declaration of the vote.\u201d That count doesn\u2019t start until the election results are certified by the\u00a0Board of State Canvassers<\/a>, a process that usually takes about three weeks. Then, before retail sales begin,\u00a0Michigan\u2019s state and local governments must establish regulations for oversight of the business. That is likely to take at least two years, with the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA<\/a>) given 24 months to draft the licenses.<\/p>\n The state\u2019s municipalities will be able to opt out of allowing retail cannabis sales. Localities will also be able to place a limit on the number of retail outlets they allow. So the availability is likely to be very uneven statewide.<\/p>\n It is clear that there will be local resistance. This is made evident by the organized opposition to Prop 1.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously the results of today\u2019s election were not what we hoped for. It is important to note that more Michiganders voted no on [Proposal 1] than on the other two proposals,\u201d a spokesperson for\u00a0Healthy and Productive Michigan<\/a>\u00a0told Detroit\u2019s\u00a0WXYZ<\/a>\u00a0after the vote. \u201cWhile our side lost tonight, it is important to recognize the level of responsibility that now rests on the shoulders of those who have voted yes.\u201d<\/p>\n TELL US<\/strong>, which Midwestern state do you think will be next to legalize cannabis?<\/p>\n The post Michigan Votes to Legalize Adult-Use Cannabis, a First for the Midwest<\/a> appeared first on Cannabis Now<\/a>.<\/p>\n
The passage of Prop 1 makes Michigan the 10th state in the nation and the first in the Midwest to legalize cannabis for \u201crecreational\u201d use, joining California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Colorado, Nevada, Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine and Washington, D.C. The\u00a0Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol\u00a0declared victory late Tuesday night, as ProposalContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":190,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[50,90,687,179,6414],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30444"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/190"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30444"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30444\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30445,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30444\/revisions\/30445"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30444"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30444"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30444"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}The State Eyes Windfall from Cannabis Taxes, Savings from Lower Enforcement<\/h4>\n
Michigan\u2019s New Cannabis Order<\/h4>\n
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\nRead More: Michigan Votes to Legalize Adult-Use Cannabis, a First for the Midwest<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"