Three localities in Michigan (Ferndale, Jackson, and Lansing) all voted in support of marijuana legalization today by huge margins. The three areas had similar proposals to remove criminal and civil penalties for personal possession of up to 1 ounce of marijuana.
Ferndale won by the largest margin with 72% of voters approving the measure. Jackson approved their ordinance with 61% support and only 39% opposed and Lansing passed theirs with 63% support. (Note: Official final vote tallies will be updated when they come in.)
“These votes in Michigan, along with the resounding vote in Portland, Maine illustrate that not only are the American people considering moving towards legalization of marijuana, they overwhelmingly are demanding it,” stated NORML Communications Director Erik Altieri, “Politicians must open their eyes to the political reality that legalization has arrived and is supported by a massive majority of voters. If they continue to drag their feet on the issue, we will take it to the people wherever possible, and we will win.”
I think this is great. Cannabis should be legal for all people everywhere!!!! It’s the best medicine our creator gave us. I just want everyone to know that I live in Illinois and I support ya’ll vote too. The people demand it to be legal and nature is also demanding it. If it doesn’t happen I can garente a revolution. The people will rise up for what should be freedom. If were all equal in america why are people getting arrested for possessing plants where i live and in Colorado they can buy it, grow it and consume it with no cops busting their ass for it. I think it’s all about money…. hmmmm Henry Ford made a car made of hemp and it ran off the hemp oil…. sounds like a fix to the gas/energy chrisis. I know the best Bird Feed is Pot Seeds 😉 Peace to all
When will Texas get its Bud
C’mon Muskegon and GR!
So now the question I do these ordinances get upheld?? And I am in Tennessee and this ordinance change has been an idea of mine here in Blount county tn for a while, I just can’t find a lot of information on how to actually get it changed, any help would be great people, my email is rrush865@gmail.com. Thanks people lets change these archaic laws!!!
This could be the answer to the state workers pension problem. Why isn’t that on the table. No let’s just raise taxes to pay for it.
In reply to “C’mon Muskegon and GR!” – Grand Rapids voted to decriminalize one year ago (2012 election). A lawsuit was filed and it took around 6 months to get cleared up before the changes took place. Since then there have been hundreds of cases that have avoided arrest.
Need it everywhere.
It’s hard to understand why we can legally drink ourselves stupid with no pharmaceutical gain, yet smoking we can’t. Personally I don’t do either but have several friends who are fighting health issues and find relief with pot. I have yet to see anyone who can’t function while under the influence of marijuana but we all have witnessed someone so drunk they can’t stand up. If pot is illegal, shouldn’t alcohol be as well? Hypocritical? I think so.
legalization is a sham! the EXCESSIVE sin tax imposed guarentees the sale of bootleg pot. Both law enforcement and the cartels win! This is nothing more than a bad joke!
[Paul Armentano responds: None of the citywide measures voted on yesterday address retail sales, commercial production, or taxes related to said activities. All of the measures approved simply eliminate criminal and civil penalties for adult marijuana possession in private.]
Much safer and more effective than all of the prescription drugs our pharmaceutical companies are giving us!!!
Further response to @john hanson:
Most opinion has it the drop in price, once the Law Enforcement Evasion Tax (cost of growers and suppliers hiding what they do from the cops) disappears, will make the price so reasonable you won’t mind the addition of a tax.
I hope to god Tennessee gets their heads out of their asses and legalized Marijuana!!!!!!!!!!
I pray kansas will embrace cannabis for this is the center of the nation and warehousing for distribution globally can be profitable.
Wow. The percentages of victory are staggering. Elections in this country usually run a lot closer — especially for something that’s been demonized for so long.
Hey norml….
Did anyone here read about the man who police thought he was hiding drugs up his butt so they took him to the doctor and had a warrant for a anal search. .. they xrayed and dug in his ass… they gave him the enemas. .. made him poop in front of the cops. .. found nothing. … where is the story. .. this will outrage people
[Editor’s note: Unfortunately, NORML was made aware of the horrible case on Tuesday. It looks like major lawsuits will be filed against police departments, doctors, hospitals and individuals in the criminal justice system in one or more county as this appears to be a huge miscarriage of justice conducted under the guise of a war on some drugs.
Read about the case here.]
I don’t smoke it but i would vote yes if they put an age on it to 21 years old and up. and , i’m sorry ,I wouldn’t want a Dr. or anyone in the medical field operating on me or my love ones smoking pot. or if your driving or working. there would have to be a limit on it. sorry, that’s how I feel.
For years people have been pulling out the old “if we tax it and make it legal, that will support (name the issue)” but that’s hardly the point. A plant should not be taxed for any reason, nor should a plant be illegal. It’s great to see these healthy legal changes. I expect to see more such changes back to normalcy, but unfortunately some parts of the US are still lagging behind. Many of those states are places where things like drug seizures and traffic tickets are about the only things supporting local economies.
…so, where florida is concerned….how does Charlie Crist really feel about legalizing cannabis?…..anyone?….this will be a part consideration on my vote as well as learning his platform….
@JJ and Editor
I followed the link to the butt search case. X-rays, fingers, and finally a colonoscopy. Let’s all make a note to stop fully as stop signs and not stand wrong if we’re stopped.
rick scott owns a drug testing clinic. thats why there’s so much drug testing in florida. VOTE OUT RICK SCOTT, AND PAM BONDI
@caryn foster: It’s true that no one should, say, operate a motor vehicle or perform surgery while impaired on anything, but given the choice between dealing with a driver on pot and a driver on alcohol, I’d prefer the pot driver every time, as they are objectively proven to be less dangerous on the road. When people replace alcohol use with pot use, the road accidents don’t go down, but the FATAL accidents go down. Same goes for a surgeon–I’d prefer the pot doctor to the booze doctor, because pot actually makes you more careful AND it doesn’t impair your motor skills anywhere near as severely as alcohol.
Why is it everyone whines about “what if a doctor was high on pot?” or “what if someone was driving on pot?” and never seems to consider that we have a much more dangerous and impairing substance used much more frequently by more people–in excess–that causes infinitely more problems and fatalities, and no one worries about that?
@scott: That has always been a given, hasn’t it? Go to any person who adamantly supports their failed Drug War and the scam drug testing industry and you will inevitably find someone who either owns a drug testing company or works at a drug testing company. The only other kind of person who supports drug testing is the kind of person who is woefully unaware of the problems regarding its inaccuracy and unreliability, not to mention the fact that it can and has been used to screen out people for protected problems. And that it has been objectively proven to actually increase the rates of cocaine use.
We need to start raising awareness about these facts to the masses. The drug testing industry has worked for thirty years to make sure their message is the only one heard, and to demonize those who disagree. But now, people are opening their ears to the pro-legalization side and we can speak freely without being regarded as users for the first time since the failed Drug War began! Now we can start talking too, and raising awareness against drug testing in the same way we’ve been able to raise awareness about the realities of marijuana!
Think about it: one reason our side is getting so much momentum is because the other side has had the monopoly on the conversation for forty years. EVERYONE knows their side of the story and has, in fact, had it beaten into their skulls every day of their lives, even in school. They have nothing new to say and nothing new to give.
WE, on the other hand, have a message they’ve never heard before, whether you’re opposing the Drug War, drug testing, or both. It’s the message they weren’t allowed to hear before, because we had to fear being branded as witches…I mean, communists…I mean, drug users ourselves. They are now sick of the failed Drug War and perfectly primed to listen.
And what’s even better is that we have actual facts on our side when opposing drug testing, not just forced propaganda based on ignorance and moral panic!
I’m beginning to think it’s about time I made a handout about this. Now that is an intriguing idea…
Thank you for the heads up JJ, I posted to face book and am printing copies of the story for hand outs. This War on us, must be stopped. See High Times to contribute to the marijuana war memorial. Thank you to everyone who is helping to educate our people.
horrible story about unwarrented search. police regularly “profile” and as part of their job, they need that skill to be effective….but that was waaaay beyond that. enjoy your retirement plan…all you had to put in was “6 cavity probes”, fair trade?
That is great that’s why we need more hippies constructing pot seed rubberband slingshots, an macine gun mike air compesser powered pot seed bb guns an radio controled vehicals even to dispurse seeds If nuthin else for shits an grins
Rolandf,
Consider this Brownspliff project, for dispersing INDUSTRIAL HEMP: ride bike at night with a sack of “spliffs” which are POTseed and POTting soil rolled up in a brown paper napkin or brown paper bag, along with a sharp-pointed “dibble stick” (look that up on google). When you find an old disregarded hedgerow or bush, dig a 3-inch hole among the roots and stand a spliff therein– it will get shade, storm protection, waterdrippage etc., and grow to seed UNNOTICED– next year, hemp everywhere!
After each planting, ride bike another hundred yards and plant another one.
WorldWideCannabis=WorldWidePeace
yes