LANSING – Marijuana legalization is 100,000 signatures closer to hitting the 2018 Michigan ballot.
The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol (CRMLA) says they have collected more than 100,000 signatures to place the issue on the ballot in Michigan next year.
The group needs 252,523 valid signatures to place the question on the 2018 ballot.
“The support we are seeing across the state has been fantastic. We are getting calls and emails everyday from people who understand that marijuana prohibition is a massive failure and asking where they can sign and how they can help,” said coalition spokesperson Josh Hovey. “If we can keep up this momentum, we will have all signatures in four months rather than the six months required by state law.”
If approved by Michigan voters in November 2018, the initiative would:
• Legalize personal possession, cultivation, and use of limited amounts of cannabis for adults 21 and older;
• Legalize the cultivation of industrial hemp;
• License marijuana businesses that cultivate, process, test, transport, and sell marijuana;
• Protect consumers with proper testing and safety regulations for retail marijuana; and
• Tax marijuana at retail levels with a 10 percent excise tax and 6 percent sales tax, which will support K-12 public schools, roads, and local governments.
Michigan voters legalized medical marijuana in 2008. Eight states have fully legalized the drug.