East Lansing, Michigan Legalizes Cannabis Possession
The East Lansing (Michigan) City Council voted last night to pass an ordinance that legalizes the possession and use of cannabis on private properties. The vote was 4 to 1, including support from the city’s mayor.
The measure, which legalizes the private use of up to an ounce of cannabis for those 21 and older, makes it a civil infraction for those under 21. The civil infraction is a fee of no more than $25 as well as the potential of community service or a required substance abuse course.
The new ordinance goes into effect immediately in the city of roughly 50,000.
Earlier this year a group looking to place an initiative to legalize cannabis in all of Michigan on the November ballot collected over 350,000 signatures, more than the 253,000 required, but it failed to make the ballot after too many signatures were labelled as invalid (either a duplicate, from someone who isn’t registered to vote or from someone out of state).
According to polling released last year, 56% of Michigan residents support legalizing cannabis.