US MI: Proposal to Legalize Marijuana in Detroit Won't Be on November Ballot

8/31/2010

PROPOSAL TO LEGALIZE MARIJUANA IN DETROIT WON'T BE ON NOVEMBER BALLOT

A ballot measure to legalize a small amount of marijuana in Detroit won't make the November election as originally hoped, petition organizers said today.

Organizers for the Coalition for a Safer Detroit warned that the battle to legalize up to an ounce of pot may be arduous and timely after a Wayne County Circuit judge upheld an Aug. 9 decision by the Detroit Election Commission to keep the proposal off the ballot in November.

The commission and judge said the ballot was pre-empted by state law banning possession of the drug.

"We have no interest in losing this on appeal, so we are not going to simply rush to the courthouse with a sloppy legal brief in hopes of getting emergency relief from the Court of Appeals at such a late hour," organizer Tim Beck said. "If we win, we will simply be on the ballot at a later date and will not have to gather signatures again."

Attorney and organizer Matt Abel said he plans to ask the judge to reconsider the decision. If that doesn't work, he said he will take it to the Court of Appeals, which could be a lengthy process.

Either way, Abel said the ballot initiative could come as early as February or as late as November 2012.

"Rather than feeling dejected and depressed, we are more energized than ever," Abel said. "This is an issue that needs to be settled."

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