The Michigan State Bureau of Elections has recommended that the state Board of Canvassers approve the recreational cannabis use petition by the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol and put the issue on November ballots.
According to the recommendation, the agency determined that the petition contains 277,370 valid signatures. The advocates needed to collect 252,523 for the measure to move forward.
“We’re one more step along the path to ending the failure of marijuana prohibition in Michigan and stopping the massive waste of law enforcement resources. Regulation and taxation will bring much needed jobs and revenue for Michigan schools, roads and local governments.” – The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, in an Apr. 23 Facebook post.
The Bureau of Elections notes that the period to file a challenge against the petition closed on Feb. 9 “without an opponent having filed a challenge against this petition.”
According to a March poll, 61 percent of voters indicated they would support the reforms if they were to make the ballot.
In 2016, the Board of Canvassers ruled that 137,000 signatures on a similar petition were “stale.” The ruling prevented the measure from being considered by voters in that election. The Board of Canvassers still needs to approve this year’s petition. The body is expected to rule on the measure on Thursday.
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