The Final Countdown

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]M[/dropcap]ichigan’s next attorney general will hold the key to how the state’s medical cannabis laws are enforced. The state’s Democratic Party is scheduled to endorse candidates on April 15 and formally nominate a candidate by August. On Nov. 6, the state will vote—and Michigan’s cannabis industry is on the line, as the state attorney general will have the power to carry out or ignore directives coming from U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who notoriously claimed that “good people don’t smoke marijuana.”

Some of Michigan’s attorney general candidates have voiced support for recreational cannabis. Patrick Miles, a former Grand Rapids-based U.S. attorney, has previously said he’d enforce whatever cannabis laws voters approved, good or bad, but recently spoke out in support of legalizing cannabis in Michigan. Democrats Dana Nessel and William Noakes, as well as Republicans Tom Leonard and Tonya Schuitmaker have also entered the race.

Nessel, however, earned an endorsement for Michigan attorney general from MI Legalize, the advocacy group behind the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol. “I’m the first candidate they’ve ever endorsed,” Nessel told CULTURE. “That speaks to how important it is to voters, patients, caregivers and advocates that we have elected officials who support legalization now, not who will decide after the fact or will be milquetoast in protecting the rights of caregivers and patients.”

Michigan’s incumbent attorney general, on record, hasn’t been entirely fond of cannabis. Michigan voters approved medical cannabis in 2008, but shortly after had a republican attorney general in office and a republican-dominated legislature who were hostile to implementing the law in the way that voters approved. “That AG, Bill Schuette, essentially said we could have medical marijuana but not sell it—which clearly undermines the entire spirit of the ballot initiative and makes it harder for caregivers to provide patients with (what we have agreed is) legal medicine,” Nessel delineated.

“Having an AG who supports marijuana legalization, unequivocally, as I have from the beginning, will be key in ensuring the will of the people is actually upheld.”

It’s been nearly a decade since Michigan voters approved medical cannabis, and the state is still ironing out the complicated details of licensure for provisioning centers. “Having an AG who supports marijuana legalization, unequivocally, as I have from the beginning, will be key in ensuring the will of the people is actually upheld,” Nessel explained.

If elected, Nessel would be the only attorney general in the history of the state’s office with experience as both a criminal defense attorney and a prosecutor. She’s also a proven ally of Michigan’s LGBTQ citizens. In her experience, Nessel has learned that Michigan’s public defense system does not provide adequate defense to those who cannot afford it. “Underfunded public defense units mean that a great lawyer still can’t do what they would like to for their client, because the resources to support their work just aren’t there. I’ve tried more than 500 cases, hundreds of them capital offenses. I’ve taken on the current AG and won. I’ve created a first-of-its-kind task force, the Fair Michigan Justice Project, that works with the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office to prosecute hate crimes against LGBTQ persons in Michigan.”

Nessel is aware of the impact of not only local governments, but also in the role that the federal government plays in cannabis reform. She was willing to comment on Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently rescinding cannabis protections including the Cole Memo. “Sessions’ reversal of the Obama-era policy is horrifying,” Nessel said. “The war on marijuana has proven to be a waste of time and money, it’s been completely ineffective in combating crime and addiction, and it unfairly targets people of color.”

While other attorney general candidates in Michigan have signaled support for cannabis, only Nessel is allied with grassroots-based cannabis advocates like MI Legalize.

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