The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol turned in more than 360,000 signatures calling for its marijuana legalization initiative to be placed on Michigan’s November 2018 ballot. The state Board of Canvassers had approved the ballot language previously. The DKT Liberty Project has helped provide support for this grassroots effort.

“Collecting enough signatures to get on the ballot is always a massive undertaking and we’re thrilled to have gathered more than 100,000 signatures beyond the 252,000 required by the state,” said Coalition Spokesperson Josh Hovey. “Just like with alcohol, marijuana prohibition has been a huge failure. Instead of wasting law enforcement resources on a substance that is proven to be less harmful than either alcohol or tobacco, our initiative creates a tightly regulated system that will generate significant revenue for the state that will help fund our roads, public schools and local governments – three of Michigan’s most underfunded needs.”

If ultimately passed by Michigan voters in November 2018, the initiative would:

• Legalize personal possession, cultivation and use of limited amounts of cannabis for adults 21 and older
• License marijuana businesses with provisions for testing and safety standards for retail marijuana
• Tax marijuana at the retail level with a 10 percent excise tax and 6 percent sales tax
• Permit local governments to choose whether and where to allow marijuana businesses in their communities.

The DKT Liberty Project is pleased to have joined both national and local advocacy organizations in supporting this initiative.  If passed, Michigan will become the 9th state, along with Washington D.C., to fully legalize marijuana.