Medical marijuana initiative to appear on 2008 ballot; polling indicates strong popular support statewide
Last update: July 9, 2008
On March 3, the Michigan Board of Canvassers officially certified that MPP's Michigan campaign committee — the Michigan Coalition for Compassionate Care (MCCC) — collected enough signatures to move the medical marijuana initiative forward. The nearly half a million signatures officially counted by the state came back with a validity rate over 80%, far exceeding what was needed to qualify.
The medical marijuana initiative then advanced to the Michigan Legislature, which had 40 days to either pass it into law or send it to voters in November. Those 40 days ran out on April 11, and it's now official: The medical marijuana act will be on the ballot in November 2008!
And the most recent survey of Michigan voters shows encouraging support for a compassionate medical marijuana law statewide. According to an independent poll conducted by the Lansing-based consulting firm Marketing Resource Group (MRC) and published in the newsletter Inside Michigan Politics, 67% of Michigan voters favor the passage of the initiative into law. This is a significant increase in support from polls conducted in previous years. It also cuts across all demographics, which bodes very well for making Michigan the 13th medical marijuana state this November.
The overwhelming level of support reflected in this newest poll is not altogether surprising: Five Michigan cities — Ann Arbor, Detroit, Ferndale, Flint, and Traverse City — have already passed local ordinances to protect seriously ill patients who use medical marijuana with their doctors' recommendations, and have done so by wide margins every time. And previous polling — such as a 2005 survey, which found 61% in favor of a compassionate medical marijuana law — has always indicated that a majority of Michiganders support reform.
But the MRC poll demonstrates that this support is surging statewide as voters hear more about the issue — 2 out of 3 Michigan residents would now vote to protect patients from the threat of arrest and jail for simply using their medicine.
This is testimony to the compassion and common sense of Michiganders, who clearly favor ending the cruel and unnecessary policy of arresting Michigan's seriously ill for simply treating the symptoms of debilitating illnesses.
Despite this encouraging poll, however, the fact remains that the campaign still has a long way to go, and substantial resources will be needed to maintain this momentum.
How you can help
Below are two ways you can help make the Michigan campaign a success at the polls in November.
#1
Donate to MCCC
On the cusp of a major campaign in a state with more than 10 million residents, anything you can donate today will tremendously increase our ability to compete.
#2
Volunteer for MCCC
We were only able to qualify the initiative for the ballot, on time and under budget, with the generous volunteer help of supporters all across the state. Now, with the next phase of the campaign about to begin, we will need this help more than ever, so please get involved today!
To stay updated on the status of marijuana policy reform in Michigan, be sure to subscribe to MPP's free legislative alert service, if you haven't done so already.
