LANSING -- Supporters of marijuana decriminalization proposals passed in five Michigan cities say the move is a symbolic step toward better regulation, but residents still might want to wait before lighting up, according to law enforcement officials. Ballot proposals expanding legal marijuana use beyond current state and federal laws earned voter approval by wide margins Nov. 6 in Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo and Ypsilanti. Voters in Detroit and Flint supported decriminalization of less than one ounce of marijuana for those older than 21 and 19, respectively. [continues 523 words]
DETROIT -- Should possession of small amounts of marijuana be legal? Detroit voters will decide in the Nov. 2 election. Tim Beck of the local organization Coalition for a Safer Detroit says yes. Beck is known for helping to get the law allowing marijuana use for medicinal purposes passed in 2004. He recently led the petition drive that garnered nearly 6,000 signatures to get the new initiative on the ballot. Only 3,895 signatures are required. The clerk validated enough signatures to put the question to the voters. [continues 431 words]
DETROIT -- Since 1970, residents seeking help with substance abuse have been able to rely on treatment and rehabilitation at the Herman Kiefer Health Clinic, including a methadone program. Employees at the City of Detroit Department of Human Services Drug Treatment Program say they've received notice that the division will close down in February. The closure will affect between 400 and 500 patients at the clinic -- releasing them into a community with few similar resources. According to Clinic Supervisor Kenneth D. Perry, staffers learned in November that they must stop servicing patients by Jan. 23. [continues 545 words]
LANSING -- Voters made it clear that Michigan can allow marijuana to relieve patients suffering from cancer, glaucoma and other debilitating medical conditions. Although the 63-37 percent ratio in favor of Proposal 1 makes the will of the public decisive, uncertainty reigns among state law enforcement agencies. The proposal takes effect Dec. 4. The Bureau of Health Professionals, under the Department of Community Health, will have 120 days after that date to draft and finalize rules for a medical marijuana program. The registry program will be complete by April 4. [continues 656 words]
Medical Marijuana, Stem Cell Research Supported by Majority in Polls DETROIT - The legalization of medical marijuana, Proposal 1, and stem cell research, Proposal 2, are the sole state-wide proposals on Michigan's ballot Nov. 4. While the chief excitement for voters will be the likely election of the nation's first Black president, Barack Obama, proponents of the amendments contend that they will aid many thousands of people in Michigan in very concrete ways. Detractors have their arguments as well, but so far polls show that they are in the minority. [continues 839 words]
Green Party Candidate Will Fight Killer Cops, Opposes Forfeiture Laws and the "Drug War" DETROIT -- Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy is currently the darling of major media commentators and suburbanites who supported the ouster of Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. Two potential Democratic opponents, attorneys Portia Roberson and Maurice Morton, withdrew from the Democratic primary in April. But Worthy is not without opposition on the November ballot. The sole candidate opposing her will be criminal defense attorney and Green Party member Matthew Abel. [continues 1037 words]
A new study by the Pew Center has just confirmed something we have known for quite a while. The United States went on an incarceration binge in the first Bush and Clinton administrations that now finds America holding one-quarter of all the prisoners in the world. It says that one of every 100 Americans is in jail, while one in every nine Blacks are there, with one of 15 Blacks between the ages of 18-39. Whether it is that America is embarrassed or, in the case of some politicians, see that the "tough on crime" era did not amount to crime reduction, or financial savings, or added safety, this approach to the drug epidemic did not work. And while 66 percent of crack cocaine users are white, policing drugs led to policing Blacks, resulting in the fact that 80 percent of those locked up are for petty drug offenses. [continues 693 words]
LANSING - Drug abuse can lead to criminal activity, but are the state's current drug laws too uncompromising? Many convicted drug violators are non-violent, but they are lumped in with other criminals who harm people, critics of the present sentencing rules say. But Rep. Paul Condino, D-Southfield, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, wants to revamp the punishment for possessing small amounts of marijuana. Condino is working on legislation to divert marijuana offenders from prison into drug courts and programs where rehabilitation and court-mandated screenings attempt to treat drug users. [continues 478 words]
