LSJ Editorial Board

Michigan voters approved the use of medical marijuana through a ballot initiative in 2008.

Ten years later, voters will decide via another ballot initiative Nov. 6 whether recreational marijuana should be legal in the state.

It’s a trend that’s been spreading across the country, with nine other states legalizing the growth, sale and use of recreational marijuana. Proposal 1 would legalize marijuana for those 21 years and older.

The LSJ Editorial Board endorses, with a healthy dose of caution, Michigan becoming the 10th state to legalize recreational marijuana.

Among the reasons:

There would be increased tax revenue opportunities: Marijuana purchases would be subject to the state’s 6% sales tax and an additional 10% tax that would be dedicated to implementation, clinical trials, schools, roads and municipalities where marijuana businesses are located. Revenues are estimated at up to $134 million a year.

Regulation would ensure safer product: There is a lot of unregulated marijuana on the streets. Legalization would bring about regulatory guidelines that would make the products safer and more consistent, allowing all marijuana users to have confidence in what they consume.

Legitimizing marijuana would increase urgency in addressing outstanding issues: There needs to be more research done on the medical benefits of marijuana and also potential negative effects. Scientists must develop better mechanisms for drug testing for a substance that can remain in a person’s system for up to a month. Workplaces must address how to balance legal use of marijuana with their no-tolerance policies.

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Communities would control their fates: Local municipalities have the authority to prohibit or restrict the number of marijuana establishments. Elected officials, with input from their constituents, can decide how to navigate a new landscape.

Employers would control their workplaces: The language of the proposal makes clear this act does not prohibit an employer from refusing to hire or disciplining an employee for violating workplace drug policy.

Legalizing marijuana would decrease drug arrests in minority communities: Despite roughly equal usage rates, blacks are 3.3 times more likely than whites in Michigan to be arrested for marijuana, according to a 2013 study by the American Civil Liberties Union. These arrests and subsequent criminal records can become barriers to employment, housing and overall success.

No doubt there are unanswered question about what legalization of marijuana will look like in Michigan.

Will health care professionals ask patients about marijuana consumption in the same way they ask about drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes?

Will pharmacists be trained about drug interactions with marijuana?

How will children be educated about potential dangers of the drug?

All these questions, however, don’t outweigh the potential benefits of legalizing marijuana.

Momentum is building across the country to legalize marijuana, and nearly 300,000 people in our state already carry medical marijuana cards.

Ingham County is among about half of the counties in Michigan where some communities allow medical marijuana dispensaries.

Michigan is better served to be on the front edge of this wave – capitalizing on opportunities, embracing regulation and pushing for more significant research on its uses.

– an LSJ editorial

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The LSJ Editorial Board speaks for the LSJ as an institution. Editorials do not carry an individual byline because stances on issues are never decided by one person. Contact the board by emailing opinions@lsj.com. For the full wrap-up of 2018 LSJ election endorsements, click here.