Michigan's Medical Marihuana Act is a citizen initiated law which was approved by 63% of the voters in 2008.  Now in 2012, after a year of frustrations, supporters are gearing up to hit the streets (and now the internet) to gather enough signatures to bring a new citizen initiated law proposal to the people.  Recently approved language of the constitutional amendment aims to end the marihuana prohibition as we know it.  The proponents of the initiative have to gather over 322,000 qualifying signatures before July to put the proposal on the ballot in the general elections this November.  To be approved, it has to get more votes in support of the amendment than those against it.

The proposed amendment reads:

"For persons who are at least 21 years of age who are not incarcerated, marihuana acquisition, cultivation, manufacture, sale, delivery, transfer, transportation, possession, ingestion, presence in or on the body, religious, medical, industrial, agricultural, commercial or personal use, or possession or use of paraphernalia shall not be prohibited, abridged or penalized in any manner, nor subject to civil forfeiture; provided that no person shall be permitted to operate an aircraft, motor vehicle, motorboat, ORV, snowmobile, train, or other heavy or dangerous equipment or machinery while impaired by marihuana."

With over 129,000 registered medical marihuana users in the state, the required number of petitions may not be a difficult goal for the proponents of the bill to attain.  However, whether or not the voters will have the same acceptance for free recreational use compared to the 2008 support for limited medical use will remain to be answered on November 6, 2012.