Lottery to pick medical marijuana dispensaries in Grand Rapids

GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Grand Rapids will use a lottery system to determine the order in which medical marijuana facility proposals will be considered by the city planning commission.

Article here!

Marijuana law update: possible ballot proposal for 2018 to legalize marijuana for recreational use

Have you been asked to sign the petition? 

If approved, the petition would legalize personal possession, cultivation, and use of limited amounts of cannabis for adults 21 and older and license marijuana-related businesses. The petition also calls for testing and safety regulations for retail marijuana, legalizing cultivation of industrial hemp and taxing marijuana with a 10 percent excise tax and 6 percent sales tax.

Article here.

MILegalize files in US Supreme Court over denial of ballot petition in 2016 election

From a press release of the MILegalize office:

The MILegalize United States Supreme Court Petition for a Writ of Certiorari was filed yesterday. It will be in the docketing system in a week or so after standard security delay and processing.  MILegalize will make an official announcement with more details in the next few days after SCOTUS provides a docket number. Attached is an electronic copy of the filing. 

The state has been served with notice. Once a docketing number is issued third parties seeking to file amicus briefs have 20 days to request permission from the parties. MILegalize welcomes amicus briefs from anyone supporting this important battle to protect both petitioning and voting rights and sensible cannabis law reform. The case may set groundbreaking national precedent for both First Amendment rights and cannabis reform as an early test of the Trump administration and a new Supreme Court bench.

The case raises First, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendment due process and equal protection violations due to the gross injustices perpetrated by the Secretary of State, Board of Canvassers, and Bureau of Elections in refusing to process MILegalize's 354,000 signatures submitted for the 2016 election. The Petition seeks a declaration that both MCL 168.472a, the "rebuttable presumption" law and a 1986 Board of Canvassers policy are unconstitutional for placing undue burdens on the initiative petition process, and asks the Court to remand the case with an order to fairly canvass and qualify MILegalize's petitions for inclusion at the next regular election -- the 2018 gubernatorial race.

In this time of grave threats to the integrity of our democratic republic, MILegalize remains committed to fighting for cannabis reform and for protecting the fundamental rights of all Michiganders-- most importantly herein, our imperiled petition and voting rights, the very essence of government by We the People. The refusal to respect such rights by the State of Michigan requires supervision by the Highest Court in the Land. While the likelihood of the Court granting certiorari on any petition remains low, MILegalize made a commitment to the People of the State of Michigan it will not break-- we will fight as long as it takes for our Freedom. 

We continue to Demand that the Legislature Respect the Will of Michigan voters and enact the MILegalize plan immediately during lame duck, and also repeal all restrictions on the right of the People to petition, most especially PA 142 of 2016. As the likelihood for anything sensible out of this Legislature is slim, MILegalize is also gearing up to launch another petition in spring of 2017, MILegalize2018. Learn more at www.MILegalize.com.

Marijuana supporters petition Michigan Supreme Court to allow ballot in November

Believers in the right for Michigan voters to decide whether or not the state should legalize recreational marijuana use for people 21 and older are taking the fight to the state's highest court.

MI Legalize, the group behind the effort to place a question about legalizing recreational marijuana use on the November 2016 ballot, filed a motion for the Michigan Supreme Court to overturn a lower court's ruling that the state has no obligation to count all of the the submitted voter signatures.

Read the article here (on mlive.com).

Medical marijuana sales could generate up to $63 million annually, says report

The report, commissioned by the Michigan Cannabis Development Association, says Michigan could expect revenues between $44.3 million and $63.5 million per year. Regulation could also create about 10,000 jobs.

The amounts are based on the number of registered patients who can legally buy medical marijuana. The 2015 medical marijuana patient population was 182,091, according to the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory affairs, a press release said.

Article here (via mlive), Also: Michigan cannabis development association. 

Backers of Marijuana petitions feel confident regarding ballot proposals

Competing groups racing to put marijuana legalization questions on Michigan's 2016 ballot claim they are raising enough cash to get to the finish line, but one has temporarily "paused" signature collection and both still have miles to go.


The Michigan Comprehensive Cannabis Law Reform Committee, known as MI Legalize, raised about $137,000 in the latest fundraising quarter and has now pulled in around $308,000 for its petition drive, according to campaign finance records filed with the state on Monday.

Article here (via mlive). 

Two petitions approved for Marijuana legalization in Michigan

One group wants to give the legislature the ability to tax & regulate marijuana, the other wants it to be legal, but not under control of the legislature.

Article here (via the Freep).

What does this mean to the average Michigan voter? It means these two groups will be circulating their version of the petition, and if there are at least 253,000 signatures, and then it is "passed on" by the legislature, voters will see it on a ballot.

See more here: Michigan Cannabis Coalition website, and ballot language.

and here: Cannabis Reform Committee website, and ballot language.