Kalamazoo City Marijuana Charter Amendment (November 2011)
A Kalamazoo City Marijuana Charter Amendment measure was on the November 8, 2011 ballot in the city of Kalamazoo which is in Kalamazoo County.
This measure sought to make the possession of 1 ounce or less of marijuana by a resident of the city at least 21 years of age, the lowest possible offence. This measure was brought to the ballot through a petition drive, though there were legal issue to contend with before it was placed on the ballot. The Governor, Rick Snyder, noted that he objected to this measure, but the city Attorney stated that although he found the measure troubling, he did not think it would bar Kalamazoo city police from enforcing state laws that still make pot illegal. The assistant state attorney also commented that the amendment would only be enforceable if the city enacted an ordinance which allowed for the possession of marijuana, but there is no such ordinance. So even though the measure was approved, police officers will not be required to follow it if it interfered with state laws.[1]
The main advocate for the measure, Louis Stocking, noted that although the measure would not be enforced all the time, since it was approved it will act more as a symbolic gesture to show the government that the people do want marijuana decriminalized.[2]
Election results
| Kalamazoo City Marijuana Charter Amendment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 Yes | 4,649 | 66% | ||
| No | 2,416 | 34% | ||
Source: Kalamazoo Gazette, Live election coverage: Kalamazoo marijuana ballot initiative approved
Text of measure
The question on the ballot:
| Shall the Kalamazoo City Charter be amended such that the use and/or consumption of one ounce or less of usable marijuana by adults 21 years or older is the lowest priority of law enforcement personnel?[3][4] |
See also
Additional reading
- WMUK News, "Supporters of marijuana charter amendment consider next step," November 14, 2011
- The Republic, "Kalamazoo voters decide charter amendment telling police to go easy on marijuana enforcement," November 8, 2011
- Kalamazoo Gazette, "Kalamazoo voters to decide whether to make marijuana lowest priority for law enforcement," October 10, 2011
- Kalamazoo Gazette, "Passage of marijuana measure in Kalamazoo would have 'little to no impact' on police practices, says city manager," October 3, 2011
Footnotes
- ↑ Kalamazoo Gazette, "Gov. Rick Snyder objects but marijuana ballot measure to go before Kalamazoo voters in November," September 7, 2011
- ↑ Kalamazoo News, "Marijuana initiative meant to highlight Kalamazoo's attitude toward pot, advocate says," September 9, 2011
- ↑ Kalamazoo Gazette, "Marijuana ballot question explored at Kalamazoo forum," October 25, 2011
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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