Editor's Note: Some of these measures look a lot more like legalization than decriminalization. Regardless, legalization and decriminalization are showing no geographical borders–it's happening from East Coast to West Coast, and in between–with the 2014 election alone seeing legalization passed in D.C., Alaska, Oregon, and South Portland, Maine, and decriminalization passed in two New Mexico counties and 6 municipalities in Michigan. (Although, with Florida's defeat of Amendment 2, the constitutional amendment that would have expanded the state's medical marijuana program significantly, the South is demonstrating some opposition to the anti-prohibition movement. Texas, however, has a couple of bills on the table–one that would make adult marijuana possession a civil vs. criminal offense, punishable by a fine and no jail time, and one that would legalize medical marijuana. If Texas legislators pass these bills, it would be a major move toward ending prohibition in the South.)
LANSING – Marijuana decriminalization measures passed in six Michigan municipalities in Tuesday’s election, while five others denied similar measures.
In Metro Detroit, voters in Huntington Woods and Berkley approved city charter amendments that would lift local bans on the possession, transfer and transportation of less than an ounce of marijuana by a person above 21 years old. The marijuana must be on private property not used in public.
A third Metro Detroit community – Pleasant Ridge – voted to approve making marijuana-related offenses “the lowest law enforcement priorities” for the city.
