State Officials Hesitate to Green Light 350,000 Pro-Pot Petitioners

Residents still might not get the chance to vote on legalized marijuana this November, despite presenting Michigan officials Thursday with more than 350,000 signatures from those who fancy the plant’s sale and use.

That’s because petition recipients at the Secretary of State’s Elections Division are questioning the method – specifically, the time frame – by which pro-weed group, MI Legalize, gathered the 61 boxes of “John Hancocks,” according to several reports.

“The 354,000 signatures is more than the 252,523 needed to send the decriminalization issue to voters,” reports mlive.com. “But the initiative will test a policy that gives organizations 180 days to gather the required signatures.”

The publication explores several recent controversies surrounding the 180-day rule, citing groups and attorneys who consider it unconstitutional. It also provides background on ever-evolving legislation that could impact the mandate.

“Michigan law allows you to petition beyond 180 days,” Jeffery Hank, executive director of MI Legalize, told Michigan Radio reporters in reference to the scrutiny. “The current law just deals with how do you verify those signatures that are beyond 180 days. We believe we have done everything we could to try to do that.”

The petition window mandated that activists meet the minimum benchmark for signatures by Wednesday, Detroit News reports, adding that it’s unclear how many of the Thursday-submitted notarizations will be considered valid.

The ballot item in the balance would ask voters if adults ages 21 years or older should be able to buy, have or use marijuana. A proposed 10 percent sales tax would reportedly foot the bill for infrastructure projects in schools and municipalities.

The accompanying photo is courtesy of ShutterStock