This past Tuesday, proposal one passed with a 64-44% margin making Michigan the 10th US state to legalize marijuana for recreational use. But what does this mean? What’s next?
Cannabis will not officially be legal in the state of Michigan until about ten days after the election results are certified. This might not be until early December. According to an article written by the Detroit free press, “marijuana won’t be commercially available for sale until probably early 2020.”
Now, individuals who are 21 and older can legally possess and purchase cannabis for recreational use. In addition, they are allowed to grow up to 12 plants for personal consumption. However, it is illegal for individuals to sell marijuana without licensing and testing by the state. Personal plants also must not be visible to the public.
Individuals are allowed to possess up to 10 ounces, but anything more than 2.5 ounces must be locked up.
Marijuana will be regulated similarly to alcohol. You are not allowed to smoke in public (just like how it is illegal to be publicly intoxicated). You can still be arrested for driving under the influence. You can even be denied of a job still if you have positive drug screening results, depending on the verdict of an employer or company.
The government will be imposing a 10% excise tax in addition to the 6% sales tax for purchasing marijuana. This has great potential to help our economy, generating more revenue, creating more jobs, and increasing housing values, according to Forbes.
The government can still make amendments to this law as they see fit, as long as it is a three-fourths vote.
The debate does not end here. There are still concerns how this will affect the overall public health. However, only time will tell the positive and negative impacts the legalization of marijuana will have on Michigan as a whole.