Bill Would Legalize Recreational Mj In Michigan

[Norby]

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/bill-would-legalize-recreational-marijuana-use-in-michigan/56473295

 

 

For some reason it won't let me copy and paste anything.  Is this old news of a bill destined to go nowhere? Can't keep up with all I read.

[t-pain]

the website uses javascript to prevent you from copy/pasting. if you disable javascript you can then copy and paste again.

 

LANSING, MICH. (WZZM) - A state lawmaker has introduced legislation to legalize recreational use of marijuana in Michigan, a move he says will free up police to “focus on violent and property crimes.’’

 

Introduced by state Sen. Coleman A. Young II, D-Detroit, the bill is being called the “non-medical marijuana code.’’

 

Senate Bill 813 would regulate and tax marijuana, generating revenue for education and other public purposes.

 

The 23-page bill says use of marijuana should be legal “in the interest of allowing law enforcement to focus on violent and property crimes.’’

 

If approved, Michigan would join Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Alaska and the District of Columbia where recreational use of marijuana is legal. The bill has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

 

Young’s measure would regulate growing facilities, dispensaries and “marijuana lounges’’ where people could indulge in pot-infused brownies without fear of arrest. Smoking pot in public would not be allowed; violators could be hit with a $100 fine.

 

Under the measure, Michigan residents will be able to possess up to an ounce of marijuana and five marijuana plants. Non-residents would be limited to a half-ounce.

 

Marijuana growers would have to keep plants out of public view and “secure from unauthorized access.’’

 

The bill establishes an excise tax, including $50 per ounce of marijuana flowers and $15 per ounce for marijuana leaves. It requires growers to pay taxes to the State Department of Treasury on the 15th of each month.

 

Fifty percent of tax revenue would to go the state’s general fund, 30 percent is earmarked for education and the remainder would be split between the departments of Health and Human Services and Community Health.

 

Michigan is one of 23 states with laws legalizing marijuana use in some form. Michigan’s 2008 Medical Marijuana Act legalized the use of medical marijuana.

 

There are currently three efforts underway in Michigan to put legalization of recreational marijuana use on the November ballot.

 

The Michigan Cannabis Coalition has already raised more than $351,400 while the Michigan Comprehensive Cannabis Law Reform Committee has raised more than $610,000.

[t-pain]

to answer your question, this is new news.

but since the pro-mj bills from irwin (d) didnt go anywhere

and coleman a young II's (d) pro-mj bills didnt go anywhere either

and singh's (d) pro-mj bills didnt go anywhere either either

 

unless the republicanfucksticks ® in the michigan legislature get the idea to beat milegalize to the goal, this bill will probably also be dead in the water.

 

still its pretty impressive. i'm glad theres still some good reps out there.

[bobandtorey]

You said it like i would have 

 

 

javascript i guess Lol

[bobandtorey]

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2016/0226/Recreational-pot-gains-legislative-ground-in-Vermont-and-Michigan

[t-pain]

it passed the senate in vermont. thats pretty big news.

[AmishRnot4ganja]

Maybe it really will be legal before I have to get recertified in two years?

 

One can only hope.

[BirdHunter]

If they believe mi legalize has a shot they will enact this with changes to nullify the ballot initiative.

[BirdHunter]

Do you remember voting on two different nullified wolf initiatives a couple years ago?

[cristinew]

DOA   

[bobandtorey]

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - A Michigan state senator wants to make marijuana legal for recreational use.

He says it will mean more money for the state, and it will let police focus on more violent crimes.

But some are worried it could put health at risk.

The non-profit Prevention Works, in Kalamazoo, says marijuana is sending more and more kids to the emergency room.

While some say marijuana is bad for your health, others argue it helps some people who are already sick.

In Michigan, for some medical purposes, pot is legal.

But now if one lawmaker has his way, it could be used for the fun of it.

"I think people think that there are some good uses for it, but I believe the regulation should be pretty strict on it, like kids shouldn't have access," said Christina Woodman, of Kalamazoo.

"Marijuana has a lot of special benefits that can help people and a lot of their needs and issues, mentally and physically," said Marques Ware, of Kalamazoo.

Senator Coleman Young, from Detroit, says legalizing marijuana for recreational use in Michigan would pump money into the state's economy, and let police focus on violent and property crimes.

But critics are concerned about its effect on kids.

According to the non-profit Prevention Works students reported use of marijuana in Kalamazoo County is higher than state and national trends.

"Here between Bronson and Borgess, that our emergency visits with minors, the second leading cause for their admittance is marijuana use, behind alcohol," said Sarah Baker, with Prevention Works.

Prevention Works tries to help kids make healthy choices. According to them, reasons for ER visits from pot could be because of a medical condition; mixing marijuana with another drug; or smoking and driving.

"It's listed as an element of their admittance. And so it's a complicated factor," Baker said.

Under the proposal, you'd have to be 21 to use marijuana, and it would still be illegal if smoked in public.

Violators would be fined $100.

Back in 2008, Michigan voters chose to legalize marijuana for some medical issues.

Learn more about Prevention Works here.

 

http://wwmt.com/news/local/mich-state-senator-looks-to-legalize-marijuana-some-non-profits-object

[t-pain]

why do they keep talking about children when talking about legalizing marijuana for adults?

[AmishRnot4ganja]

why do they keep talking about children when talking about legalizing marijuana for adults?

Because they are stupid, ignorant blobs with their heads in the sand?

[t-pain]

more like they are trying to paint legalization as some kind of child endangerment.

 

even though marijuana is safer than aspirin, water, tobacco and alcohol!

 

 

heres a question, would you rather have your small child sitting around a bunch of marijuana (plants or buds) or sitting near a pool?

[AmishRnot4ganja]

If they can make marijuana as cheap and available as alcohol, I say go for it. Beer and wine is sold freely on every other street corner in Michigan and distilled spirits are available just a short drive from most homes.

I can pick up a bottle of booze for $20 and get high on it multiple times. I could kill myself if I drank the whole bottle at once! Luckily, no amount of marijuana can kill me.

If lawmakers can do for marijuana what they have done for alcohol, I should be able to pick up an ounce of Mother Nature's finest for about $20.

So come on you morons! Just Say Yes To Legalization! Bring an end to this lunacy sooner rather than later.

[trichcycler]

Popov vs Absolut

[ilynnboy]

If they can make marijuana as cheap and available as alcohol, I say go for it. Beer and wine is sold freely on every other street corner in Michigan and distilled spirits are available just a short drive from most homes.

I can pick up a bottle of booze for $20 and get high on it multiple times. I could kill myself if I drank the whole bottle at once! Luckily, no amount of marijuana can kill me.

If lawmakers can do for marijuana what they have done for alcohol, I should be able to pick up an ounce of Mother Nature's finest for about $20.

So come on you morons! Just Say Yes To Legalization! Bring an end to this lunacy sooner rather than later.

C'mon Amish, you know there will be high taxes heaped upon legalized cannabis.

What should be $100 an ounce will be $250. Or more.

Gotta pay the government off so that we can relax and enjoy our favorite herbal supplements.

Did you see where they (Leo) are asking for $470,000 from the MMMP fund for Law enforcement training?

What a joke ..Hey stop taking people's belongings first.

[beourbud]

more like they are trying to paint legalization as some kind of child endangerment.even though marijuana is safer than aspirin, water, tobacco and alcohol!

Driving, texting, pharmaceuticals, hunting, farming, gambling, living near a petro or chemical plant, jogging, playing sports, cleaning your gun, sex, high school football, Craigslist, swimming, or just being in the vicinity of a y'all Qaeda republican.

 

The list goes on and on....

All of these have proven to be deadly, unlike the benign herb Cannabiss

 

It use to be Shiit or get off the pot.

 

Now it's .... Shiit, get off my pot!

[bobandtorey]

This fall is an important one for the recreational use of marijuana and its potential legalization in Michigan.

A state lawmaker last week introduced a bill to legalize the recreational use of marijuana for adults in Michigan.

Senate Bill No. 813, a non-medical marijuana code, would allow the state to set up a regulatory system for retail marijuana sales.

According to the Detroit Free Press, three efforts are underway to put legalization of recreational use on the November ballot.
For a lot of people, this is exciting news.

A few states, including Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Colorado, have shown the influence of legal recreational marijuana usage on their respective economies, culture and crime rates.

The legalization of recreational marijuana use has far greater effects than just allowing some potheads to do what they do without fear or paranoia. There are plenty of benefits, but two specific benefits stand out the most to me when advocates speak about this issue.

First, the large amounts of money that the taxation of marijuana can bring to a state is proven to be an enormous benefit. 

The second benefit is legalization’s effect on crime rates. 

The number of adults 21 and older arrested in Washington for possession of marijuana decreased from 5,531 in 2012 to 120 in 2013, the year recreational use was legalized in the state. Likewise, Colorado saw its number of arrests for possession of marijuana decrease from about 741 per month to 133 per month in 2013. This keeps people out of prison and, in theory, also cuts some of the costs of prisons that American citizens are footing.

It’s fairly easy to see the benefits of legal recreational marijuana use. So, why wouldn’t you support such a measure? 

Well, it’s more complicated than that.

There are consequences that come with the legalization of recreational marijuana use, such as a spike in marijuana-related traffic accidents, higher rates of school expulsions due to drug-related violations and higher numbers of illegal parcels being shipped to and from each state.

This last issue is a little more pressing; bordering states who have not legalized recreational marijuana use have seen a large increase in the their drug-related crimes. Nebraska and Oklahoma have gone so far as to file lawsuits against the state of Colorado because of this.

The misuse of pesticides when it comes to growing these plants is another huge issue. Due to the fact that there are no commercially produced pesticides that are labeled “marijuana friendly,” growers have been forced to create their own pesticides, which can lead to contaminated and unhealthy plants being shipped out to dispensaries.

To debunk one of the aforementioned alleged benefits of this issue, some recent reports have shown that the legalization of recreational marijuana use has done very little to prison populations in these states. The idea that our prisons are filled to the brim with offenders who are there exclusively for marijuana-related offenses is actually a myth. To put this into perspective, only 1 percent of people sentenced to jail in Colorado in 2010 were sent exclusively for marijuana-related offenses.

It is also important to note that while possessing or growing marijuana is legal in the aforementioned states, it is still illegal to sell it or buy it from a non-licensed dispensary or individual. Also, the amount one can possess or grow at any time is limited. 

I have not yet decided if I am for or against this proposed non-medical marijuana code. The point of this piece is to educate students who, let’s face it, are the biggest demographic for recreational marijuana use. Legalizing marijuana is not as beneficial as some people may think; I urge everyone to look deeper into this issue.

There are many more benefits and consequences to legalization than are covered in this article. Sure, with time, these laws and regulations can be adjusted to account for any issues that arise. However, at the end of the day, much like tobacco and alcohol, the real goal here is to profit off an addictive substance. If I’ve learned anything in the last 23 years, it would be that this country is willing to do almost anything to keep its corporations safe.

Keep that in mind when voting this fall, Cardinals.

 

http://www.valleyvanguardonline.com/marijuana-may-be-coming-to-michigan/

Edited February 29, 2016 by bobandtorey