Third Michigan Marijuana Measure Clears Initial Hurdle

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Michigan election officials have approved the language of a third ballot measure to legalize recreational marijuana in the state.

Abrogate Prohibition Michigan must now gather 315,000 legitimate petition signatures to get its ballot initiative in front of voters next November.

While the competing measures suggest strong interest in recreational marijuana legalization – with polls showing solid support – there are also concerns that having more than one measure on the ballot could undermine the effort by splitting the pro-legalization vote.

The proposal from Abrogate Prohibition Michigan is the least restrictive of the three measures. It wouldn’t assess taxes on cannabis cultivation, consumption or delivery. It would also allow for edibles, extracts and other forms of non-smokable marijuana.

There are already two other legalization measures in the signature-gathering phase, one from the Michigan Cannabis Coalition and another from the Michigan Comprehensive Cannabis Law Reform Committee.

The cannabis coalition’s measure would force the state legislature to create marijuana regulations, while the reform committee’s measure would leave that task up to local governments. The coalition would allow home growers to have two plants, while the committee would permit growers to have twelve plants.