Doubt arises for Michigan marijuana legalization, here’s why
LANSING, Mich. A group trying to legalize the recreational use of marijuana in Michigan might not be able to put the measure before voters on the November ballot after the state elections bureau released an unfavorable report and Gov. Rick Snyder Tuesday signed into law a bill that might rule out thousands of signatures the group submitted last week.
On Tuesday, the state Bureau of Elections recommended in a report that the Board of State Canvassers which has the authority to approve the petition for voter consideration reject the petition because the group, MI Legalize, didnt submit enough valid signatures before the deadline. The report said MI Legalize couldnt prove that more than 100,000 signatures it collected were actually signed by registered voters.
Also on Tuesday, Snyder signed a bill that stops groups like MI Legalize from counting signatures gathered outside of a 180-day timeframe toward the roughly 250,000 it needs to qualify for voter consideration on a statewide ballot. Without counting signatures gathered outside of that window, MI Legalize does not meet the states required signature threshold, and the issue cant go before voters in November.
The bill Snyder signed into law was drafted after lawmakers learned the marijuana group was attempting to use a legal loophole allowing it to count ...
