The Green Party of Michigan (GPMI) has endorsed MILegalize, the more grassroots of two officially approved initiative petitions on legalizing marijuana in Michigan.
Michigan Greens chair Chris Silva of East Lansing is personally working with MILegalize’s sponsors, officially known as the Comprehensive Cannabis Law Reform Initiative Committee, to put the measure on the November 8, 2016 ballot. He has described the petition’s proposal as a “craft beer” model of growing and production, in contrast with the “industrialized” approach taken in some other states and by a competing petition.
GPMI Elections Co-ordinator John Anthony La Pietra of Marshall notes that MILegalize would let adults grow up to 12 marijuana plants; allow cultivation, possession, and processing of hemp and hemp products;
give local governments power to regulate the “time, place, manner, type, and number” of marijuana establishments; and let local voters petition to allow or prohibit those establishments if their government doesn’t make the decision promptly. “That approach is in line with three of the Ten Key Values of Greens nationwide – Grassroots Democracy, Community-Based Economics, and Decentralization.”
Ferndale attorney Sherry A. Wells points out that marijuana legalization is also consistent with the Green value of Social Justice. “During my third year of law school, in the 1970s, many students were
scurrying to get their single criminal offense – one for marijuana – erased from their records so they could pass the Bar character and fitness procedure. A parent of a recent law school grad told me his son
did the same. However, one issue is the inequality, in which young black males are incarcera-ted for this offense (those white boys were not), and generally do not have the wherewithal to get that offense so
easily erased.”
MILegalize would allow civil infractions for violations of the law, but remove criminal penalties for possessing, growing, or distributing marijuana — except for sale to minors — and protect consumers from
search, seizure, and investigation by law enforcement for marijuana-related offenses. It would also put an excise tax of at most 10% on all marijuana products sold to consumers for purposes other than
medical marijuana. 40% of the money raised would support the state transportation fund, 40% would go to the school-aid fund, and the local government where the sale took place would get the other 20%.
La Pietra says that registered Michigan voters may legally sign different petitions once each for proposals on the same subject. But if two or more conflicting proposals get on the ballot, and pass, the state
Constitution says the proposal that gets the most “yes” votes will be the one that takes effect. “We urge the people to vote for MILegalize over all competing proposals.”
To read the official language on the MILegalize petition or a summary description of what the proposal will do, and to find out more about activities in your area, visit the initiative’s Website:
Ecological Wisdom * Social Justice
Grassroots Democracy * Non-Violence
Green Party of Michigan
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www.MIGreenParty.org
** News Release **
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July 5, 2015
For More Information, Contact:
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Chris Silva, GPMI Chair
[email protected]
(313) 815-2025
John Anthony La Pietra, GPMI Media Committee
[email protected]
