Michigan: Four Cities To Decide On Marijuana Depenalization Ordinances

Voters in four Michigan cities will decide this November on municipal ordinances seeking to legalize or depenalize local marijuana offenses.

Flint, Michigan skyline as seen from the Flint River (Wikipedia)

City officials in Flint, Michigan most recently approved a citizens initiative to amend the city code so that the possession on private property of up to one ounce of marijuana or cannabis paraphernalia by those age 19 or older is no longer a criminal offense.

Proponents of the ordinance submitted over 1,000 signatures from registered Flint voters to place the proposal on the November ballot.

Voters in Detroit will similarly decide this November on a local citywide measure, Proposal M, to remove criminal penalties pertaining to the possession on private property of up to one ounce of marijuana by adults over age 21.

Voters in two additional Michigan cities will also be deciding on marijuana-specific municipal measures this November. Grand Rapids voters will act on Proposal 2, which seeks to allow local law enforcement the discretion to ticket first-time marijuana offenders with a civil citation, punishable by a $25 fine and no criminal record. In Ypsilanti, voters will decide on a proposal to make the local enforcement of marijuana possession offenses the city’s lowest law enforcement priority.

Under state law, possessing cannabis is a criminal misdemeanor offense, punishable by up to one year in jail and a $2,000 fine.

Reprinted with permission from NORML.