Prolonging the Inevitable

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]I[/dropcap]t is appropriate that CULTURE’s themed issue for this month is all about “oil,” because the opportunity to throw a huge wrench into the struggle to repeal cannabis prohibition in Michigan just slid right through the greasy hands of some Michigan lawmakers, who wanted to pass the initiative and then neuter it in some dastardly way. Had the Michigan Legislature passed a legalization issue on June 5, they immediately could have amended it without reservation. However, some were much too eager to make it ineffective until it changes on a federal level and could not obtain the necessary House of Representatives votes.

Assuming that the voters are in favor of legalization, the legislature will have to wait one year before any amendments can become effective. Amendments will require a 75 percent majority vote in both the state House of Representatives and in the state Senate before being signed by the governor.

If the legislature passed the law, it would not have gone into effect until early 2019. Now with the voters deciding this issue, election law provides that the changes would take effect 10 days after the election. The general election this year is on Tuesday, November 6, 2018, and it is likely that the Proposal to Regulate Marihuana Like Alcohol in Michigan (RMLA) will be listed as Proposal 1 on the ballot.

Licensing of cannabis cultivation, processing and retail sales would be managed at the state level, and it may well take the full year of time provided for the transition of commercial businesses licensed in both the adult-use and medical cannabis markets.

Although the commercial market may be slow to develop, there would be some immediate benefit to the public at large. When the law likely takes effect, possession and private consumption of cannabis would be allowed for adults 21 and over, and products would freely be shared, without remuneration. An individual would be able to possess on their person up to 2.5 ounces, and would be allowed to keep up to 10 ounces at home. A person would be allowed to cultivate no more than 12 plants, with a maximum household limit of 12 plants. All medical cannabis protections would remain intact.

Another interesting provision of the initiative would allow for a municipality (defined as a city, township or village) to pass a local ordinance to license “micro-grow” establishments. A micro-grow license would be awarded by the municipality, and would allow cultivation of up to 150 plants on site with all processing and sales also to occur at that location. This provision was intended to operate similarly to the brewpub and micro-distillery industry. These new small businesses are expected to increase tourism, providing a sustaining boost to the economy in Michigan.

And speaking of boosting the economy, the RMLA initiative classifies any cannabis with THC content less than 0.3 percent as industrial hemp. Industrial hemp would be free from any sales or excise taxes, which could encourage us to develop a full range of useful products for food, fiber, building materials, fuel and many other uses. Cannabis was made illegal not only to persecute immigrants but also to preserve corporate domination in the marketing of paper, rope, plastics and pharmaceuticals.

Michigan grew tons of hemp before it was illegal. It was made into medicine at a company called Parke, Davis & Co. in Detroit. Decades ago, Henry Ford built a car with a body made from plasticized hemp. Michigan is a major agricultural state, and it stands poised to be a leader in rebuilding a successful hemp industry.

In the meantime, it is essential to make sure that everyone registers to vote. Remind others to register before it’s too late. Now is a crucial time to evaluate the congressional candidates running in the August primary elections next month (Tuesday, Aug. 7). Politics is not a spectator sport. Get involved. Identify good candidates and support them. Identify bad candidates and oppose them. We now are the majority, and we can make a difference.