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Marijuana initiatives may pop up on many local ballots, since the state legislature seems to be paralyzed on the issue.

(MLive file photo)

This is huge or as one of the “hard core” insiders puts it, “We are planning a tsunami move in November 2014.”

A move on what you ask?

Local initiatives in at least eight cities and possibly a dozen more aimed at legalizing or decriminalizing possession, use or transfer of small amounts of marijuana on private property by persons 21 or older.

Sound familiar?

It should because similar proposals have been on the local ballot in eight other cities and the pro-marijuana coalition is batting 1.000.

Driving this effort is the attitude that the “Michigan legislature seems to be in a state of paralysis” and rather than sit around waiting for lawmakers to catch up with public opinion, the reasoning goes, “the best defense is a good offense.”

Hence they are taking it to the people not the politicians. “Time waits for no one,” this insider asserts in a memo to fellow grass-backers.

Behind the scenes the Safer Michigan Coalition is carefully hand-picking the local leaders who have “basic competence” along with the “legal and professional tools to run with.”

This has been one of the keys to the group’s success. Rather than parachute in some “outsiders” to run the show, they have recruited locals with ties to the police community and local leaders to get this job done.

At this juncture the background work to launch is “almost complete” as local charter amendments will need money, signatures, and - assuming enough names are gathered - a strategy to sell it to the voters.

The votes would come right in the middle of the race for governor, U.S. Senate and the Michigan House and Senate.

That means all those folks will be asked to take a stance on this expanded effort to move on the marijuana issue. Let’s just say some running for office may try to run away from this, but it will be tough to do.

While this continues to unfold, efforts are still taking shape for a 2016 "statewide legalization initiative" impacting everyone if votes say yes.



The coalition will run a poll later this year and if public support is there, "the likelihood of statewide funding gets closer then ever."

Out of state pro-cannibis forces have their eye on Michigan. Backers here hope to get their wallets next.

Watch "Off the Record with Tim Skubick" online anytime at video.wkar.org