Pubdate: Wed, 13 Aug 2014
Source: Times Herald, The (Port Huron, MI)
Copyright: 2014 The Times Herald
Contact: http://www.thetimesherald.com/customerservice/contactus.html
Website: http://www.thetimesherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2570
Author: Nicholas Grenke, Times Herald
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?275 (Cannabis - Michigan)

LEGALIZING POT GOING TO CITY VOTERS

Port Huron residents will vote Nov. 4 on whether to amend the Port
Huron city charter to decriminalize marijuana.

Port Huron City Manager James Freed said the initiatory petition
submitted by Laura Rigby on July 29 had enough signatures to get on
the ballot. Five percent of registered voters, or 1,054 people, were
needed to approve the peition.

City Clerk Sue Child said 1,095 of the signatures were valid. Rigby
turned in more than 1,600 signatures.

The petition seeks to legalize the possession and use of less than 1
ounce of marijuana by anyone 21 or older.

"Most (of the invalid signatures) were either people who were from
outside the city or not registered to vote in the city," Child said.

Michigan law requires submission of city charter amendments to Gov.
Rick Snyder's office. Freed said he anticipates the governor will
object to the amendment, but since the proposal was submitted by
initiatory petitions, it will go to the voters in November.

Rigby is the organizer for the Coalition for a Safer Port Huron, a
subgroup of the statewide Coalition for a Safer Michigan pro-marijuana
organization. The Michigan group has been a part of 10 similar ballot
initiatives in cities across the state.

"Obviously we are very happy," Rigby said. "It was lot of work, but it
was fun work."

Rigby said she plans to run an advertisement in support of the
amendment and ask area leaders to write letters of support for the
measure. She said she anticipates many voters will come out to vote on
the amendment.

"I'm sure we'll do the little paper signs (on Election Day)," Rigby
said. "My big goal was getting it on the ballot. Now I have to figure
out what to do -- I'm not sure it will be that hard."

Freed said he has spoken with Port Huron Public Safety Chief Michael
Reaves about the proposal.

"To be quite frank, this won't change much," Freed said. "Under state
law and federal law it will be illegal. It will be up to the courts.

"This will no doubt create a lot of confusion if passed. We would have
conflicting state and local laws," he added.

Freed said because of the federal and state laws, marijuana advocates
should have written their federal and state representatives. He said
he hoped voters would think carefully before voting.

"We've fought long and hard to defeat the drug culture in some
neighborhoods. It's certainly a moment to pause," Freed said
- ---
MAP posted-by: Matt