Survey: Half Of Polled Michiganders Support Marijuana Legalization
LANSING (WWJ/AP) -- The legalization of marijuana seems to be gaining support throughout the state.
WWJ Newsradio 950's Lansing Bureau Chief Tim Skubick reports a recent statewide survey showed that half of Michigan residents support the legalization of taxed marijuana.
The figures are higher than those from a survey conducted in September 2013 -- rising from 47 percent to 50 percent. Four percent of the 600 people surveyed were undecided.
The poll by EPIC MRA -- which was paid for by the Michigan Chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws -- shows 46 percent are opposed to a proposal that would make the possession of limited amounts of marijuana legal for those 21 and older.
In November's election, the communities of Ferndale, Jackson and Lansing voted to allow citizens at least 21-years-old to possess an ounce or less of marijuana on private property.
Andrew Cissel, a licensed medical marijuana caretaker in Ferndale, said he was surprised the city's proposal passed by 70 percent of the vote.
"It's quite amazing. It really fuels for momentum to continue the progress that we need to do in the state," he said.
Marijuana users in the communities still face risks because state law bars marijuana use and possession unless it's medical marijuana.
In 2012, voters in several Michigan cities backed local ballot issues to decriminalize marijuana in some cases.
Opponents to the laws, however, say the decriminalization is an attempt to overrule state and federal law by legalizing marijuana use and possession.
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