Detroit Petitioners File Appeal to Keep Marijuana Measure on Ballot
Yesterday, organizers of the ballot measure to make up to an ounce of marijuana legal in Detroit filed an appeal to overturn the city election commission’s outrageous decision to remove the question from the November ballot.
In June, the Coalition for a Safer Detroit submitted more than 6,000 signatures to qualify for the ballot. Earlier this week, in an affront to democratic ideals, the Detroit Election Commission voted 3-0 to remove the measure, saying they were following a recommendation from the city’s law department, which was concerned that removing criminal penalties for marijuana in Detroit would be pre-empted by state law.
“If you’re on the cutting edge of social change, litigation is just a cost of doing business,” Tim Beck, the petition’s organizer, told the Detroit Free Press.
26 comments
City laws are usually made up of very few people and sometimes a single person. It always depends who can influence the city government. They violate State and Federal laws all the time. But when you have a large number of people who follow the rules and does not use bribes , then chances are they will be ignored. It almost sounds like President Obama’s Town Hall Meeting. A bribe can be as simple as a recommendation. It sounds very corrupting.
I’m very confident that the ballot will get an appeal because it followed all the rules. It will also bring more voters to the city elections.
I like to add this about city laws all over the United States:
(This brings up a lot of questions)
http://www.dumblaws.com/laws/united-states/
I ‘m hoping the appeal will go through,because really 3 ppl said NO to the will of the ppl again,and I think these council member’s better here from us and let them know we will remember come Nov.
2 of the 3 are elected officials, THROW THEM OUT come November!!
[...] Detroit Petitioners File Appeal to Keep Marijuana Measure on Ballot — MPP Blog RT @MarijuanaPolicy: Detroit Petitioners File Appeal to Keep Marijuana Measure on Ballot – http://bit.ly/dcpAIY [...]
november… remember!
call these folks and let them know you will remember in Nov.
“Detroit Election Commission
2978 West Grand Boulevard
Detroit, MI 48202-3069
(313) 876-0212
Chairperson
Janice M. Winfrey, City Clerk
200 Coleman A. Young Municipal Center
Two Woodward Avenue
Detroit, MI 48226
(313) 224-3260 (office)
(313) 224-1466 (fax)
(I guess Janice is not computer literate, no email address posted, but I know the city has assigned her one.)
Member
Kenneth V. Cockrel, City Council President
CockrelK@kcockrel.ci.detroit.mi.us
1340 Coleman A. Young Municipal Center
2 Woodward Ave
Detroit, MI 48226
(313) 224-4505 (office)
(313) 224-0367 (fax)
Member
Krystal A. Crittendon, Corporation Counsel
1650 First National Building660 Woodward Ave.Detroit, MI 48226-3535
Phone: (313) 224-4550 (VM)
Fax: (313) 224-5505
TTY: 311 or 313-224-INFO (4636)”
Rex Im curious why 2 of the 3 get voted out? why not all 3?
all 3 have ignored the will of the ppl,AGAIN. Im sick of these a—holes
This is off topic but the elected crooks will be out stumping for their party. We must ask them where they stand on cannabis reform in public. In Iowa yesterday several of them were out but did not take any questions from the public. My own gov Mr. Pawlenty was kind enough to show his vetoing face. We must get this issue out to the voting public, oh, wait didn’t we in Minn. pass a cannabis reform bill only to have Pawlenty veto it.Why do we in Mn. now have to wait till 2012 to get the constitution changed because the publics opinion does not matter to one person. This is just like Obama doing nothing that he said he would do. They all lie to get in and shit on those that elected them. We that want cannabis reform are going to be labled as enemy of our gov’t along with the Tea Party. I think the Tea Party could actually help. They want less gov’t they allow gays, they allow Mexicans, they allow Afro American. They want our freedom to choose to be free. They believe in America so they have to accept us. With 30 million cannabis users behind ona person we have a very loud voice. The three in Detroit have just ruined their carears. This will also make the national news when they are ousted. That is exactly what we need.
Electing city officials and their laws always seemed to thrive on voters apathy, but when there is a hot item on the ballot, record number of people will vote. It all sounds good unless you are a crooked city official who may lose their job or afraid that the law will pass.
Clarence- You state Obama isnt doing anything he said we was going to do? Yes he did he said in many videos before election that he was against legalization, but he knew that the marijuana laws were a failure. He has put forth knoledge that he doesnt want any raids on people complying with state and federal laws. now my question to you mate is name me another president that has done that or more? look forward to hear this answer. Sry Obama is dissapointing me in many ways yes but all I hear is this hate to him over this issue when he was clearly stating the same thing then as he is now.
Oh and yes these 3 in Detroit need to BE retired. they dont need to retire we need to retire them.
Robert. My bitch is this. Obama said before he was elected that cops had better things to do and he was going to let the people decide. Well to our GREAT surprise he gave the D.E.A. millions more than last year. It seems to me he has decided for everyone. He is trying to get an internet off switch so we will be silenced. He is on a socialist agenda with palosi and I want no part of it. Obama is still allowing raids in med mj states. Sure the arrest rates have gone down in some states but the D.E.A . still raids for cash and whatever else they can steal for auction or personel use. My opinion is the dems and repubs are eqully to blame for our problems and the only way to stay America is to vote all of them out.
You have alot of valid points but you still didnt asnswer my question:) he has still done more than bush, clinton,and i could go on . We finally have a president that has somewhat helped the cause. And 1 more thing is I dont believe the DEA would stop raids no matter what he says unless it is law it was only pretty much a recommandation.
All I am saying is we have had president after president that was 1000% agaist marijuana. (period) And yes Obama has problems but I hear more hate for this president that presidents that were 100% against any form of marijuana.
78 days.
California citizens can register online today to vote in the fall (see the link below). Citizens of other states can Google your state name and “voter registration” to find out how to register; a lot of states allow instant on-line registration. Do it now so you can vote in November.
As the discussion goes forward, I’ve asked myself, “If my child or grandchild got a little off track and got caught with a little marijuana, would I want him or her to go to jail, lose their college financial aid, spend a few days locked up with the sexual predators…?” Or would I rather have the chance to help them work through it WITHOUT a criminal record?
Californians: register to vote at
h t t p s://w w w .sos.ca.gov/nvrc/fedform/
Just take the spaces out of the h t t p s:// w w w part in order to activate the URL.
Conservative Christian Thank you very much, You put that beautifully.
Every body call or write your representatives and ask them where they stand on the Marijuana issue, both medical and for personal use.
Once you have their answer on that then ask them where they stand on other issues. This will help us weed out the liars.
Remember cannabis is not the only issue but it is quite possibly the biggest one at hand. Once we have our right to Cannabis back everything else will start falling in place, it WILL completely fix this country
The DEA has to stop if our commander in Chief says too stop the raids,so IMO he hasnt really said stop,the raids continue on the sick,so he told US he would stop this BS,but in a back room deal he said get em boys”
and the DEA raids have gone up not down with him as president.
Thanks, Robert 17. I think one of the best things we can do right now is work on voter registration so that people will be ready to vote in November (they’ve got to register now or they will not be allowed to vote later). People can google their state name and “voter registration” to find their own state’s voter registration process.
Some info for California:
h t t p s://w w w .sos.ca.gov/nvrc/fedform/
Just take the spaces out of the h t t p s:// w w w part in order to activate the URL. The link will take you to a voter registration form that you can print and mail.
California citizens can vote by mail:
h t t p://w w w .sos.ca.gov/elections/vote-by-mail/pdf/fill-in-vote-by-mail-app-instruct.pdf
Read about voting while in college in California:
http://www.brennancenter.org/studentvoting/states/california
Let’s keep spreading the word and get out the VOTE!
i begged mpp to stop endorsing obama early in the primary phase of the election. they said they weren’t endorsing anybody, but simply not using the word “endorse” doesn’t mean they weren’t doing just that. i told them he’s a liar and a fraud, but they kept pushing his sorry butt on an unsuspecting public. that’s when i quit supporting them. ron paul was the only candidate who has pushed for years to stop this war on our own citizens. it’s a war that has not and will not be won and which destroys lives and families. great job mpp. NOT!!!!
Way to go Tim Beck! Keep on fighting the “good fight”!
“MPP Insider” claims “activists in Detroit are now fighting to keep on the ballot a measure that would make marijuana legal for adults”. The truth is: the ballot measure would not make marijuana legal for anyone. It simply exempts from a Detroit city ordinance, possession of less than 1 ounce by persons over 21 on private property. Detroit Police will still be able to arrest under a more harsh state law. When asked about the motive for the ballot measure, organizer Tim Beck said Detroit was using city law to extort money from defendants whose cars were seized. The ballot measure only exempts possession on private property, while most cars are seized on public streets. The Detroit Election Commission clearly exceded their authority in blocking the measure, but the measure will have almost no effect.
[...] Detroit has had there bill rejected to even be voted on in the November elections. You can read the MPP article if you want there take on exactly what happened. While we normally support all groups that are pro [...]
Detroit and other cities don’t want to decriminalize anything right now because making something legal takes potential work and profit away from their agencies. Who are they going to harass and arrest over minor issues if they can’t pin a marijuana possession charge to hold the other “crimes” down. Think about the “industry” Detroit would be giving up. Lawmakers will blame it on citizens. They will say that if it is legalized the drug dealers will use it as an excuse-”oh i thought if I could sell this weed, what difference is ____”. Fear is a tactic that lawmakers and police officers and authority figures will use on those that are not prepared. Vote, stand for something, even if it is how you take care of your headspace in your own home.
Its got to be state law , the same thing Happened in Sun valley Idaho. Citys can’nt over rule state laws. If a City wants to make it law you can’nt talk on your cell phone while driving in city limits , the first person ticketed will have one hell of a law suit !
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