Michigan marijuana rec campaign files suit to make ballot

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MILegalize, the Michigan campaign that gathered signatures for 11 months to get an adult-use cannabis initiative before voters this November, has filed suit against the state in a bid to get its measure on the ballot.

In its lawsuit, MILegalize argues that a requirement that ballot measure campaigns gather all of their signatures within 180 days runs contrary to the state constitution. The requirement only formally became law this year when the governor signed a bill on June 8 making it so, the Detroit Free Press reported.

MILegalize started collecting signatures last year, well beyond the 180-day window. For that reason, the Bureau of Elections last week ruled that the campaign was roughly 106,000 signatures short of the threshold for the ballot.

MILegalize’s suit in the Court of Claims targets the secretary of state, the state elections director and the board of canvassers.

“We have a litany of state and constitutional claims,” said attorney Jeffrey Hank, chair of MILegalize.