Michigan Cities Consider Cannabis Legalization

Citizens of three Michigan cities, Lansing, Jackson and Ferndale, will decide whether to legalize cannabis for recreational purposes in today’s election. All three cities have ballot proposals that would allow for the use and/or possession of up to an ounce of cannabis by those over 21 on private property within their respective communities.

Michigan law, which allowed medical marijuana use in 2008, currently includes separate penalties for the possession and use of recreational cannabis.

“Regardless of whether the proposed amendment is approved by the voters, marijuana will remain a controlled substance under state and federal law,” Michigan district attorney’s chief legal council Matthew Schneider wrote in a September letter to the state’s governor. “City law enforcement will retain the authority to enforce criminal laws, without regard to any provision in the charter.”