And as with medical marijuana, recreational growers would be permitted to grow up to 12 cannabis plants, which is also the household limit.Other states limit individuals to 3 to 6 plants, though a household limit of 12 is more common.

Follow the money

The Michigan initiative asks consumers to pay far lower taxes than many states ‒ a 10-percent excise tax compared with up to 37 percent elsewhere.

Tax revenue from Michigan pot sales first goes to the state treasury to cover the cost of regulating and enforcing the law.

After that, $20 million a year for the next several years is slated for one or more U.S. FDA-approved clinical trials to research the effectiveness of marijuana to treat medical conditions of U.S. veterans and prevent veteran suicide.

Of the remaining tax money: 35 percent would go to K-12 education and 35 percent to the state Transportation Fund for infrastructure repairs and maintenance. The other 30 percent would be split among municipalities and counties with a marijuana business within in their boundaries.

A 10 percent excise tax, to be levied at consumer point of sale, is the main source of revenue generation. Hovey said the coalition aimed for a rate that was “middle of the road,” drawing in new state funding while reasonable enough to squeeze out illegal dealers.

Scott Greenlee, president of the anti-recreational marijuana group Healthy and Productive Michigan, disagrees that the tax rate is moderate, saying Michigan “has the lowest tax rate of any (state that has approved) recreational marijuana.”