Calling it a “pot dream come true for drug dealers,” a coalition of Michigan law enforcement, medical and antidrug groups has launched a campaign to shoot down Proposal 1, the medical marijuana initiative on the November ballot, reports the Detroit Free Press. Proposal 1 would allow the use of marijuana statewide for pain relief from chronic illness as approved by a doctor. The measure would allow registered users to grow their own marijuana.
The opposition group calls itself Citizens Protecting Michigan’s Kids. Its members say the proposal would put more marijuana within teens’ reach. Based on what they call failures in California’s medical marijuana laws, its members warn of pot shops in shopping centers and an increase in crime. “We don’t want to California-ize Michigan with that problem,” said Michigan Court of Appeals Judge William Schuette. Doctors are concerned about endorsing a treatment they cannot properly control, said Dr. Daniel Michael of the Michigan State Medical Society. A Free Press poll showed two-thirds of participants in favor of the legislation. Until the opposition announcement, Proposal 1 was virtually uncontested.
Link: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081003/NEWS06/810030393