GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- A judge has rejected a motion for preliminary injunction against a voter initiative that decriminalizes marijuana in Grand Rapids.

The decision, issued Wednesday, Jan. 23, by Kent County Circuit Judge Paul Sullivan, allows the city to implement the charter amendment decriminalizing marijuana pending final resolution of the case or other court orders.

“The case has nothing to do with whether the charter amendment is good or bad as a matter of public policy,” Sullivan wrote.

“The merits of marijuana criminalization or decriminalization are not at issue. The underlying question in this case is whether the charter amendment is allowed by law. There are also unresolved questions regarding whether plaintiff (Kent County Prosecutor William Forsyth) has legal standing to raise these challenges at this time.”

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Sullivan noted that his decision is only on Forsyth’s request for a preliminary injunction.

“The legal merits of a case are relevant when deciding whether to grant such an injunction, but that is only part of the test. … This is not done to signal a final decision regarding the issues discussed.”

Forsyth challenged the law because he said it wrongly prohibits Grand Rapids police from enforcing state law, or reporting marijuana offenses to county prosecutors.

His challenge halted decriminalization, which was to take effect last month.

Decriminalize GR, which was behind the ballot effort, said the law is patterned after Ann Arbor’s, which has been in effect for 35 years.

E-mail John Agar: jagar@mlive.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/grpressagar