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LANSING, Michigan: This month Michigan lawmakers said they are planning to change Michigan's Proposal 1. Approved in 2008 with 63% of the vote, the measure allowed the medical use of marijuana. According to legislators it requires "clarification to ensure there's enough oversight of the research and marijuana use the ballot measures allowed." Lawmakers supporting the changes argue that the legislation is not an attempt to end the supply of marijuana to current patients but instead to implement a process to inspect marijuana growers and verify they're staying within their 12-plant limit. Medical marijuana supporters, however, fear that the new legislation could undermine the goal of the voter-approved Proposal 1.[1]
According to state law, the Michigan State Legislature can repeal and amend ballot initiatives by a 75% supermajority vote of each house or as otherwise provided by the initiative.
Medical marijuana, however, isn't the only measure being reviewed by legislators. Michigan's Proposal 2, also known as the 2008 "Stem Cell Amendment", is also under consideration for revision. In December 2009, the state Senate announced that they were reviewing the proposed state guidelines for embryonic stem cell research. The guidelines are opposed by university researchers and Proposal 2 supporters. According to stem cell researchers the proposed bill contradicts the intention of Proposal 2 and "would prevent the donation of embryos with known genetic defects that scientists most want to study."[1] [2]
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