Town Hall Meeting in Grass Lake Discusses Decrim

Legalization

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By Michael Komorn
Dozens of medical marijuana patients attended a Town Hall meeting in Grass Lake last night hosted by Representatives Mike Shirkey (R) and Jeff Irwin (D). As momentum builds for decriminalization nationwide and public opinion begins to sour towards our nation’s overzealous ”war on drugs,” citizens of Grass Lake and beyond assembled to discuss the prospects of decriminalizing marijuana in Michigan. Irwin, who has been a regular guest on my radio show, Planet Green Trees, said, “The public is coming around to the idea that marijuana prohibition isn’t working, and we spend way more money than it’s worth to enforce these laws.” How much money are we talking? According to a study out of Michigan State University, we spend $325 million every year arresting, trying and incarcerating marijuana users. That figure is in Michigan alone. Just imagine what this state could do with $325 Million every year.

(Related: Medical Marijuana Patients React to AG Eric Holder’s Speech)
Not everyone was pleased with the idea of decriminalization, however. Chief Assistant Prosecutor Brian Thiede of Mecosta County believes that decriminalizing marijuana would make it harder for his office to go after the suppliers, citing that users facing a civil infraction rather than a misdemeanor would be less likely to reveal who they got the marijuana from. Thiede labels the suppliers as “the really bad guys,” neglecting to address the fact that hundreds of state licensed caregivers, i.e. suppliers (bad guys?) have been raided and charged as criminals since 2008. While the representatives and the prosecutors debate the positives and negatives of decriminalization, it will ultimately be up to the voters in Jackson and Ferndale whether or not to reduce the punishment for possession of Marijuana in the Fall. Momentum is building, and I am confident that the same public that consistently delivers “not guilty” verdicts at the end of the drawn out, costly trials of medical marijuana patients and caregivers will resoundingly say yes to these proposals.
(Related: The Decriminalization of Marijuana)

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