Recreational marijuana officially became legal in Michigan today. And to celebrate the occasion, staffers from a Michigan newspaper gave away free joints to lucky passersby.
City Pulse Gives Away Free Weed
Today, members of the Lansing City Pulse gave away free joints. They stood outside Lansing City Hall, which is conveniently located across from the Michigan state Capitol. The giveaway was part of a celebration in honor of Michigan’s legalization of recreational cannabis.
According to local news sources, the journalists started out with around an ounce of weed that was rolled up into a number of joints.
Journalists from the paper gave the free joints to people when they walked past. Of course, City Pulse staffers checked for IDs first. If the person was 21 or older, they were offered a free joint.
Within just a few hours, City Pulse journalists were completely out of weed. They reportedly gave joints to at least 28 people.
Legal Weed in Michigan
Today marks the first official day of legal weed in Michigan. Last month, voters in the state approved a proposal to make recreational weed legal.
Now that the new laws are in full effect, adults 21 and older are allowed to possess and consume small amounts of weed. Similarly, adults are also allowed to cultivate small amounts of cannabis at home.
As of now, adults are allowed to possess up to 2.5 ounces of weed in public. But smoking or consuming weed in public is still illegal.
Although the possession and consumption of weed is now legal, there are still no recreational dispensaries in the state. In fact, Michigan still has not established a legal framework for regulating the commercial sale of recreational marijuana.
Experts think it could actually take as long as a year or longer for the state to set up a system for recreational retail.
Although there are no shops at which adults can legally purchase marijuana, it is legal for adults to gift small amounts of weed to other adults. In fact, that’s the law that made it possible for City Pulse to give away free weed without getting in trouble.
More Changes to Michigan’s Cannabis Laws
Michigan’s weed laws have been undergoing many changes in recent years. Along with recreational weed becoming legal this year, the state has recently overhauled much of its medical marijuana program. In fact, lawmakers are still working to finalize new licensing protocols.
In the wake of November’s elections, lawmakers began proposing a number of changes to Michigan’s new weed laws. Most notably, lawmakers are currently working on a bill that would release from prison people who were convicted of certain marijuana related crimes.
Additionally, there is another measure that could let people convicted of multiple drug related violations to apply to have their records cleared.
Beyond these proposals, lawmakers are also looking at a proposal that would prohibit home growing. This proposal has sparked controversy, as it would immediately reverse a key piece of the legalization proposal approved by voters last month.
Finally, there is another bill currently being examined that could cut marijuana taxes in the state from ten percent to three percent. This bill would also eliminate the requirement that weed taxes be spent on schools and roads.
