Two days, two Michigan newspaper endorsements of medical marijuana initiative

Following hot on the heels of yesterday's Detroit Free Press endorsement of the Michigan medical marijuana initiative, the Detroit News followed suit this morning. Together, the Free Press and the News boast the overwhelming majority of Detroit's readership, so these endorsements carry substantial weight in the state's largest metropolitan area.

Today's endorsement not only rightly emphasizes that medical marijuana is an issue of compassion and common sense, but also stresses the safeguards written into the initiative. The editors conclude:

 "Proposal 1 seems to have been written to anticipate and address concerns that it is a backdoor route to full-blown legalization. The standard for obtaining a registry card is high and the penalty for misuse is steep.

 "Proposal 1 won't make pot any more publicly visible or available than it already is; all it will do is allow doctors, primary caregivers, and most importantly patients another option in managing serious and painful illnesses. Vote yes on Proposal 1."

Would you please consider donating $10 or more to the Michigan Coalition for Compassionate Care (MCCC) today, so that the campaign can seize the opportunity these endorsements have provided to get its message out? Momentum is clearly on the side of compassionate reform, but your help is needed to keep it going.

The need to maintain MCCC's momentum is greater now than it has been at any other time in the campaign: Yesterday also marked the first public appearance of formal opposition to the initiative. A group calling itself "Citizens Protecting Michigan's Kids" held several press conferences throughout the state announcing its opposition and making the standard false claims about medical marijuana that reformers have heard time and again. Ironically, the group's spokesman at one point specifically claimed that the measure is "carelessly and loosely written" ... a charge decimated by today's Detroit News editorial.

Still, the existence of organized opposition means the campaign will have to be prepared to challenge and refute the barrage of false claims and scare tactics we know are coming. Would you please consider donating what you can today, so MCCC has the resources to see this through to victory on November 4?

Thank you for supporting MPP and all of our allies. Together, we will make history this Election Day.