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Mich. Supreme Court Allows Gr Decrim Marijuana Law To Stand


zachw

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The Michigan Supreme Court has let stand an amendment to the Grand Rapids city charter that decriminalizes marijuana.

 
The amendment was approved by Grand Rapids voters in 2012. It makes possession of or sharing marijuana a civil infraction punishable by fines ranging from $25 to $100 with no jail time.
 
It also makes marijuana cases a low police priority, and forbids city law enforcement officials from referring marijuana cases to the Kent County prosecutor’s office.
 
That caught the attention of long-time Kent County Prosecutor William Forsyth. He challenged the amendment as an illegal restriction on his power to enforce state drug laws, which continue to make marijuana possession a crime.
 
He lost in the Kent County Circuit Court and the Michigan Court of Appeals, which ruled in January there was no direct contradiction of state law in the amendment. Forsyth then took his appeal to the Michigan Supreme Court.
 
The appeal was rejected by the justices, which refused to take the case “because we are not persuaded that the question presented should be reviewed by this Court.”
 
But Republican Justices Stephen Markman and David Viviano, dissented, saying the case belongs on the court’s docket.
 
“I would have granted the application because I believe this case presents an important constitutional question concerning whether a home rule city may, through its charter, encroach upon a county prosecutor’s broad power to enforce state law,” wrote Viviano in the dissent.
 
But Markman and Viviano were in the minority among the seven justices, so the Grand Rapids charter amendment remains valid.

 

Here's the article.

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remember that he spent a long time fighting this in grand rapids before it came on the ballot (and lost), then he fought it after it was voted in (and lost). then coa appeal (and lost) and now msc appeal (and lost)...

 

you'd think he would get the hint.

 

here he is in 2012! fighting decriminalize GR

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2012/12/why_marijuana_decriminalizatio.html

 

3 years of court battles? that aint cheap!

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"But Republican Justices Stephen Markman and David Viviano, dissented, saying the case belongs on the court’s docket."And people in the program still vote Republican it boggles the mind man.

Exactly what I was going to point out. If we want more decisions like this, we better not vote for Conservative, Republican, Bible thumpers. These people are obviously not in touch with reality.

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Yes they can. When it passed in Ferndale the police chief immediately issued a statement saying nothing had changed, they would be enforceing the state laws no matter what the voters wanted.

 

But now there is a state supreme court ruling that will make it easy to challenge local prosecutors that bring such cases, no?

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"But Republican Justices Stephen Markman and David Viviano, dissented, saying the case belongs on the court’s docket."

 

And people in the program still vote Republican it boggles the mind man.

It's because you vote for a package and some people are more worried about other things in that package and they are afraid of unbridled dem control.  Unfortunately the party lost it's fiscal conservative side.  If it could be divided up I'm sure most repubs don't want the gov't going after MJ.  Be careful what you wish, we MAY get free on MJ but the country could collapse under the Dem agenda while everyone gets their rights.  I used to be MUCH more a dem till I opened my eyes.  I vote mostly 3rd party now.  Which is unfortunate because we really need 4 parties to avoid being controlled.

 

I can't believe all the dems are still in that voted in favor of the transport bill.  You can't even control your own party.

 

People can be pushed to the R side just from the scariness of the D voters not putting their own party to task.  It scares me.

Edited by Norby
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It's because you vote for a package and some people are more worried about other things in that package and they are afraid of unbridled dem control.  Unfortunately the party lost it's fiscal conservative side.  If it could be divided up I'm sure most repubs don't want the gov't going after MJ.  Be careful what you wish, we MAY get free on MJ but the country could collapse under the Dem agenda while everyone gets their rights.  I used to be MUCH more a dem till I opened my eyes.  I vote mostly 3rd party now.  Which is unfortunate because we really need 4 parties to avoid being controlled.

 

I can't believe all the dems are still in that voted in favor of the transport bill.  You can't even control your own party.

 

People can be pushed to the R side just from the scariness of the D voters not putting their own party to task.  It scares me.

The ONLY reason the two REPUBLICAN justices made the statement they did was to tell law enforcement they are still on their side. It's very clear to see. Keep it simple and you will go far. 

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It's because you vote for a package and some people are more worried about other things in that package and they are afraid of unbridled dem control.  Unfortunately the party lost it's fiscal conservative side.  If it could be divided up I'm sure most repubs don't want the gov't going after MJ.  Be careful what you wish, we MAY get free on MJ but the country could collapse under the Dem agenda while everyone gets their rights.  I used to be MUCH more a dem till I opened my eyes.  I vote mostly 3rd party now.  Which is unfortunate because we really need 4 parties to avoid being controlled.

 

I can't believe all the dems are still in that voted in favor of the transport bill.  You can't even control your own party.

 

People can be pushed to the R side just from the scariness of the D voters not putting their own party to task.  It scares me.

The train to Fear has left the station.

Courser, Gamrat , Jones, the list goes on and on.

They are the face of the GOP

We the People are on to you and we know exactly what we need to do.

Vote every repub out!

Reject Legal Lies.

Abrogate the prohibition on Cannabis.

 

United WE Stand

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It's because you vote for a package and some people are more worried about other things in that package and they are afraid of unbridled dem control.  Unfortunately the party lost it's fiscal conservative side.  If it could be divided up I'm sure most repubs don't want the gov't going after MJ.  Be careful what you wish, we MAY get free on MJ but the country could collapse under the Dem agenda while everyone gets their rights.  I used to be MUCH more a dem till I opened my eyes.  I vote mostly 3rd party now.  Which is unfortunate because we really need 4 parties to avoid being controlled.

 

I can't believe all the dems are still in that voted in favor of the transport bill.  You can't even control your own party.

 

People can be pushed to the R side just from the scariness of the D voters not putting their own party to task.  It scares me.

 

 

If I remember correctly, the closest the country has come to collapsing in the last 50 years was under a Republican administration. And yes, the reason for the near collapse was Republican policies. I hope we don't have to rehash what those policies were, but privatization and less government control were big on the list.

 

The last time we had a budget surplus was under a Democrat (Clinton). What is it about the Democrats that scares you?

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If I remember correctly, the closest the country has come to collapsing in the last 50 years was under a Republican administration. And yes, the reason for the near collapse was Republican policies. I hope we don't have to rehash what those policies were, but privatization and less government control were big on the list.

 

The last time we had a budget surplus was under a Democrat (Clinton). What is it about the Democrats that scares you?

Umm, you realize that policies can lead to the country going under?  Borrowing money, keeping people on unemployment instead of creating REAL jobs(another mcD is not real jobs), "FREE" trade, the healthcare system, the fact that the CDC and FDA can't even agree on their being a heroin epidemic.  It's only because you don't take into consideration other ways this country could collapse.  The dollar not being linked to oil anymore. Taking our guns away.

A house divided on itself can not stand.  The dems are not a "saviour" just another way we can collapse.  As soon as their competition is gone you'll see true colors and a split just like the Rep.

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The only scary thing about it are those fellow voters who can't remember getting flogged long enough to vote them out. 

 

Mark them in your mind and never forget. I don't care what else they have ever done that you think is good, their agenda is proven terrible now. 

Just like you guys did with all the D's who voted for the transport law, or are you just against rep who vote against MJ?

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The train to Fear has left the station.

Courser, Gamrat , Jones, the list goes on and on.

They are the face of the GOP

We the People are on to you and we know exactly what we need to do.

Vote every repub out!

Reject Legal Lies.

Abrogate the prohibition on Cannabis.

 

United WE Stand

How fuking funny.  You call Milegalize legal lies and then type in at the bottom united we stand.  You've pissed me off enough that I'm starting to hate abrogate, it's starting to only remind me of you and resto..  Fukin hippiecrite.  If you want help stop SHITTING on everyone else.  I really hope you heal some day and become bearable.  Cause right now you are pushing, at least me, to run far as I can from abrogate.  I wouldn't even sign a petition if I'm outside the store and someone is collecting sigs.  If abrogate fails you can pretty much hang some of the blame on resto and BB making this a personal fight.  Do you know that legalization is the opposite of prohibition?  Get your definitions straight, you sound uneducated.

 

You guys fuked off till there was an actual effrot going and now have a snowballs chance in hell and you want everyone to jump on your ship?  By mocking them?  The polling is just over 50% for legal, you really think most of them are against legal cause they want prohibition ended, in this state, that's walking all over patients and you want us to believe that crap too?  WAKE UP!

Edited by Norby
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Prohibition is a law or order forbidding something, or is the condition of forbidding something, or was a time in the U.S. during the 1920s and early 1930s when alcohol was illegal.
Read more at http://www.yourdictionary.com/prohibition#cTgyfTY35RGCum0t.99
 
: to make (something) legal : to allow (something) by law
 
Being able to grow 12 plants is the opposite of not being able to grow 12 plants.
 
 
So by your definition, nothing is legal?  I'll agree with that.  But that is a larger problem with gov't and you can't wrap that up in your definition of legal into the current movement.  Start another movement to get gov't off our backs and I'll be right there beside you but obstructing this effort because teh gov't is overstepping it's bounds in general I will not be behind.
 
And i am quite calm, you are just reading the wrong can't find the word, not context, well anyway I'm laughing not yelling, sorry.
Edited by Norby
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Play word games all you want. When you can't go to prison for growing marijuana then you have it right. Anything less is a step backwards. If you start paying people, using our own money against us, to have us put in jail, you have given ground we will never regain. 


Remember those two things and you will be on the right page all down the line and you will not need a thesaurus.


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