A state-wide petition drive to decriminalize the use and possession of marijuana will kick off tomorrow at the National Symposium on Prohibition Reform Advocacy in Ann Arbor. Speaking in support of the campaign will be NORML Executive Director R. Keith Stroup, glaucoma patient Elvy Musikka, one of eight patients legally permitted to smoke medical marijuana under federal law, and petition organizer and Michigan State NORML Coordinator Gregory Carl Schmid, Esq. of Saginaw.
Michigan’s proposed initiative, known as the Personal Responsibility Amendment (PRA) of 2001, would decriminalize the possession and cultivation of small amounts marijuana within an individual’s private residence. The proposal would also exempt seriously ill patients who use marijuana medically from state criminal penalties, and provide additional funding for drug education and treatment. The Board of State Canvassers unanimously approved the initiative’s language on March 23. Supporters have until October 3 to collect the 300,000 signatures necessary to place the measure before a state-wide vote.
PRA organizers are hopeful that they will collect many of these signatures Saturday at the 30th Annual Hash Bash at the campus of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. Speakers for the event include R. Keith Stroup and former Michigan marijuana prisoner and activist John Sinclair.
For more information about the Personal Responsibility Amendment, please contact Gregory Schmid at (517) 239-9000 or visit the PRA website at: http://www.PRAyes.com.
