Sec. 2. The people of the State of Michigan find and declare that:
(a) Modern medical research, including as found by the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine in a March 1999 report, has discovered beneficial uses for marihuana in treating or alleviating the pain, nausea, and other symptoms associated with a variety of debilitating medical conditions.
(b) Data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation Uniform Crime Reports and the Compendium of Federal Justice Statistics show that approximately 99 out of every 100 marihuana arrests in the United States are made under state law, rather than under federal law. Consequently, changing state law will have the practical effect of protecting from arrest the vast majority of seriously ill people who have a medical need to use marihuana.
(c) Although federal law currently prohibits any use of marihuana except under very limited circumstances, states are not required to enforce federal law or prosecute people for engaging in activities prohibited by federal law. The laws of Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, Rhode Island, and Washington do not penalize the medical use and cultivation of marihuana. Michigan joins in this effort for the health and welfare of its citizens.
You can read the entire text of the proposal here.
Of course, the people opposing this law are invoking families and public safety, with names such as Citizens Protecting Michigan's Kids and No Pot Shops. This is the same sort of jibberish that the anti-gun people pulled back in 2001 when they tried to repeal Michigan's concealed carry laws.
Does anyone remember the group called People Who Care About Kids? This was the group that opposed the CCW laws. Thanks to the Internet Archive, you can take a look at their web site by clicking here. It's humorous to read their dire predictions:
We need 151,356 signatures by March 27, otherwise the lead will start flying on July 1 [2001].
...
One of out 50 residents carry a gun on them at all times. In the shopping malls, movie theaters, parks or even in courtrooms. You're at your kid's soccer game, and a bunch of people around could be packing heat.
...
Violent crimes like murder, rape and robbery will skyrocket.
Well, of course, none of these dire predictions came to fruition. In fact, as the state police are required to report each year, concealed carry licensees are in fact much less likely to commit a crime than a non-licensee.
The same sort of, well, just plain stupid arguments are used against medical marijuana in Michigan. The opponents fret about "pot shops" and the harm to children. I suppose the opponents prefer drug houses and dealers. But that is beside the point, because this law requires state approval to get the marijuana.
This is a simple matter of freedom and common sense. Marijuana is harmless. No one has ever overdosed on marijuana. If someone is ill and can't keep food down because of chemo, cancer, or AIDS, then why not let them help themselves in this way? The process would be regulated by the state and drug dealers would not be involved.
It's time to continue expanding personal freedom in Michigan by approving 2008's Proposal 1!