Milegalize Hosts Event In Mt. Pleasant

[bobandtorey]

John W. Getts firmly believes that he is still alive today because he uses medical marijuana.

 

 

Getts, of Big Rapids, said his urologist wasn’t receptive to his use of cannibis after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

 

 

But Getts didn’t agree, and used the drug to control pain.

 

 

Getts said it did more than that, and his urologist agreed.

 

On his last visit to the physician, Getts was told that medical marijuana may have slowed the spread of the cancer.

 

 

Getts has seen what medical marijuana can do to help people.

 

 

And he knows his time on Earth is limited.

 

 

On Sunday, during a volunteer training workshop at Veterans Memorial Library in Mt. Pleasant, Getts agreed to head a team of volunteers in Mecosta County to get petitions signatures for the Michigan Comprehensive Cannibis Law Reform Committee.

 

 

Beliving that he has little time left, Getts vowed to do what he can to get recreational marijuana legalized in Michigan.

 

 

“I’m going to do whatever I have to do,” he said. “My main goal is so people don’t go to jail.” Josey Scoggin, volunteer coordinator for MILegalize, led a discussion and provided a training session for people interested in circulating petitions for the ballot initiative.

 

 

Scoggin, who has been a medical marijuana patient since 2009, when she was 14 years old, said the group has six months to get 252,523 valid signatures.

 

 

She also told those attending the session that she is tired of seeing young people get arrested for having marijuana, and potentially ruining their futures.

 

 

In Michigan, 62 percent of all marijuana arrested are people between 16 and 25, and as a result of any conviction, those people are not eligible for educational funding, she said.

 

 

Scoggin outlined the proposal, pointing out that if it gets on the ballot and is approved by voters, it would protect recreational marijuana users in terms of banking, and having firearms and ammunition.

 

 

Scoggin stressed the importance of collecting signatures correctly, and urged those attending to travel to Lansing Thursday to sign petitions in front of the Michigan Capitol.

 

 

While explaining the signature collection process, Scoggin said validity rates historically for ballot initiatives involving marijuana are low for variety of reasons, including people being afraid they will be labeled as drug users or because they think that law enforcement will have access to the signatures.

 

 

Scoggin said the group has about 700 volunteers, and she used Power Point to show people how to properly collect signatures.

 

 

Biggby Coffee on Mission Street will be a petition hub, Scoggin said, where anyone interested can get petitions to circulate.

 

 

Petitions will be available at Biggby on Friday, she said.

 

 

Scoggin also said it is imperitive that volunteers not leave petitions anywhere for people to sign, and that they must make sure people are signing their names as they appear on voter registration cards.

 

 

Election law is complicated, Scoggin said, and she went over the intricacies to ensure volunteers would be able to collect legal signatures. 

 

 

Jim Moreno, an Isabella County commissioner who is a champion of human and civil rights, was at the event, and said the legalization of marijuana is an important issue.

 

 

Moreno also said marijuana was made illegal as a result of racial bias against Latinos, African Americans and the Chinese.

 

http://www.themorningsun.com/general-news/20150622/milegalize-hosts-event-in-mt-pleasant