Detroit, MI: Detroit residents will vote Tuesday on a municipal initiative that seeks to exempt qualified patients from citywide criminal penalties for the possession and use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.
If approved, Proposition M: the Detroit Medical Marijuana Act, would amend the Detroit city criminal code so that local criminal penalties no longer apply to any individual “possessing or using marijuana under the direction … of a physician or other licensed health professional.” The proposal also seeks to eliminate criminal penalties on the use and possession of marijuana-associated paraphernalia devices by qualified patients.
Campaign proponents, the Detroit Coalition for Compassionate Care, gathered nearly 10,000 signatures in 2003 to place the proposal before the Detroit City Council. The Council failed to approve the initiative, instead opting to place it on the August 3, 2004 municipal ballot.
Ann Arbor voters will decide on a similar medical marijuana initiative in November.
Full text of the Detroit Medical Marijuana Act is available online at:
http://www.mmdetroit.org
For a complete summary of this fall’s pending state and local initiatives, please visit:
http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6172