FLINT, MI – Voters in November could be asked to decide whether or not to partially decriminalize marijuana possession in the city.

A group of activists turned in petition signatures this week calling for the ballot measure.

Organizers said the measure would exempt anyone 19 years or older with less than 1 ounce of marijuana from city code prohibitions of cannabis.

City Clerk Inez Brown confirmed that the group turned in the signatures this week and said they would be reviewed in the coming days. The issue could end up on the Nov. 6 election ballot.

"We're really hoping this will give the officers here in Flint the option to use discretion so they can spend better time dealing with the rampant crime happening in the city," said Brian Morrissey of the Coalition for a Safer Flint, the group that gathered the signatures.

"There are still quite a few people being arrested for minor possession of small amounts of marijuana... I think the citizens of Flint are definitely ready to see their police resources used more efficiently. I think this is a no-brainer."

The group acknowledges that even if it passed, marijuana would still be illegal under state law, outside of sanctioned medicinal use.

Morrissey said the goal is to give police "reason to de-prioritize offenses and use some discretion."

Flint Police Chief Alvern Lock said it's too early to say whether the measure would have an effect on enforcement.

"We're not ready to comment on that just yet," he said. "I haven't looked at it yet. I don't know just yet."

In response to the argument that marijuana arrests are a waste of time, Lock said "We just do our jobs, and if we get marijuana, then we get marijuana. If they think it's a waste of time, then that's fine, but we just do our jobs."

Morrissey said the group turned in about 1,300 signatures on Monday.

Brown said the number of valid signatures needed to get the measure on the ballot is 5 percent of the total votes cast in the last mayoral election.

According to Flint Journal files, Mayor Dayne Walling received 8,819 votes and challenger Darryl Buchanan received 6,868 last November, meaning at least 784 signatures will have to be validated.

The ballot effort comes after the Michigan Supreme Court last month cleared the way for Detroit voters to decide on a similar measure in August.

"We've been watching Detroit closely," said Morrissey.

A group in Detroit gathered signatures in 2010, but the ballot measure was held up when the city took the issue to court, arguing it could not amend an ordinance in a way that conflicts with state law.

But the state Court of Appeals ruled in February that the Detroit Election Commission had a "clear legal duty" to put the proposal before voters, noting the city could challenge the measure if it is approved, and the high court in June declined to hear a further appeal.

An effort is under way to legalize marijuana in Michigan, but it will require petitions with hundreds of thousands of valid signatures to qualify for the statewide ballot.