“It gives parents back the authority over their children,” said Locke, who added that he began using marijuana as a teenager in 1980 for medical reasons and has used cannabis regularly for more than 30 years.

Who’s behind it? Locke said the initiative is a grassroots effort. Its website says the ballot committee has at least 286 volunteers.

How much money has it raised? The committee took in $1,330 in the most recent filing period from July 21 through Oct. 20, according to state records. It has raised $1,598 to date this calendar year. It had roughly $275 in the bank as of the October reporting deadline.

What’s the status? Locke said the group is early in collecting signatures. Constitutional amendment committees have until July to submit petitions, though Locke said his 180-day window runs until roughly the end of February.

What’s the opposition say? Josh Hovey, a spokesman for the larger of the two marijuana ballot drives, Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, said “we just can’t (imagine) the Abrogate proposal getting much traction” without regulations and provisions to keep minors from getting marijuana.

How to learn more? Read the proposed ballot language here or visit the committee’s website.

Michigan One Fair Wage (Raise minimum wage)

What is it? A legislative effort to create the Improved Workforce Opportunity Wage Act, which would gradually increase Michigan’s minimum wage to $10 in 2019 and to $12 by 2022. The higher wages also would apply to restaurant workers and other employees who receive tips, who today are paid below minimum wage.

The minimum wage in Michigan today is $8.90, and is set to rise to $9.25 on Jan. 1, 2018. Tipped workers currently earn a minimum of $3.38 per hour before tips, which will go to $3.52 per hour in January.

“If you work a 40-hour (per week) job, you should not have to go and apply for food stamps,” said Alicia Farris, state director of Restaurant Opportunities Center of Michigan, who is leading the initiative. “People deserve to get a decent living.”

The issue is important, Farris said, as the cost of living continues to rise and low-wage workers struggle to afford household necessities for themselves and their families. Higher minimum wages also could improve job retention, as fewer people hop to jobs that pay slightly better, she added.

Who’s behind it? The initiative is backed by the Restaurant Opportunities Center of Michigan, which advocates for better working conditions for metro Detroit restaurant workers. The group has given $125,000 to the ballot drive. It also has received nearly $300,000 from a ballot committee called Raise Michigan, which has led the initiative in past election cycles.

How much money has it raised? The committee took in $509,500 in the most recent filing period from July 21 through Oct. 20, according to state records. It had nearly all of that amount in the bank as of the October reporting deadline.

What’s the status? Ballot initiatives for legislation have until May 30 to submit 252,523 signatures. Farris said signature collection began Oct. 30 and the group has until the end of April before its 180-day window closes.

What’s the opposition say? The Michigan Restaurant Association opposes the effort. In a statement in September, President and CEO Justin Winslow called the effort “irresponsible and dangerously out of touch.” The group says eliminating tipped wages would hurt the restaurant industry and reduce job opportunities.

How to learn more? Read the proposed ballot language here or visit New York-based coalition One Fair Wage’s website.

Keep Our Lakes Great (Stop Line 5)

What is it? A legislative effort to stop the transmission of crude oil through the Line 5 pipeline beneath the Straits of Mackinac, owned by Canadian energy company Enbridge Inc. The proposed ballot language would end a 1953 pipeline easement in the Straits and require that pipelines that carry crude oil “over, through, under or upon the bottomlands of the Great Lakes” carry a $4 billion bond or insurance and $400 million in surety bonds.

Who’s behind it? The initiative is led by Phil Bellfy, a retired university professor and former Democratic legislative candidate, and Jeff Hank, who also leads the MI Legalize ballot committee that has worked on marijuana decriminalization. Neither could be reached for comment.

How much money has it raised? The committee took in no money during the most recent filing period from July 21 through Oct. 20, according to state campaign finance records. It has raised $3,170 to date this calendar year. It had roughly $634 in the bank as of the October reporting deadline.

What’s the status? The committee could not be reached for comment. Ballot initiatives for legislation have until May 30 to submit 252,523 signatures.

What’s the opposition say? The Michigan Chamber of Commerce opposes the effort “to suddenly and arbitrarily shut down Line 5, a critical oil and gas pipeline that crosses the Straits of Mackinac that has been safely operated for over 60 years.”

How to learn more? Read the proposed ballot language here or visit the coalition’s Facebook page.

The Committee to Ban Fracking

Yet another petition, from The Committee to Ban Fracking in Michigan, was not included on a list of potential 2018 ballot issues by the Secretary of State. The group continues to circulate a petition it started in 2015 to qualify for the November 2016 ballot. The committee is aiming to collect enough signatures to submit to the state in an attempt to challenge the constitutionality of the state's 180-day window for collecting valid signatures from registered Michigan voters and ultimately be placed on the 2018 ballot, said LuAnne Kozma, of Charlevoix, campaign director for the ballot effort.

Kozma said if the committee is successful at gathering the 252,523 signatures needed by May 30, the state likely will reject the petition for having too many signatures collected outside the 180-day limit -- thus prompting the group to challenge the requirement in court. The committee previously sued in 2016; in March 2017, the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled that the lawsuit was premature and the committee would have to challenge the law after the signatures were collected.

Committee website: http://www.letsbanfracking.org/