New survey shows 66% of Michigan residents favor keeping or improving current medical marijuana law

Survey conducted by Epic/MRA on behalf of NORML of Michigan shows citizens do not want to remove or restrict caregiver and patient privileges

LANSING, MI, UNITED STATES, December 8, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Two-thirds of Michigan residents participating in a recent survey believe the state's current medical marijuana laws are either fine as they are or should be relaxed to give patients and caregivers greater rights and privileges. Only 21% of respondents felt the medical marijuana laws should be restricted.

The survey was conducted from November 30 through December 6, 2022. Epic/MRA¹ contacted 600 likely 2024 voters for the survey, of which 65% were contacted on their cell phones. The survey has an error rate of plus/minus 4 percent. The survey revealed 41% of respondents favor keeping the current system intact, 25% support expanding the rights and privileges of medical marijuana patients, and 21% prefer to restrict those rights. 13% of respondents were either undecided or chose to not respond.

The survey comes on the heels of a 2021-2022 legislative cycle where multiple bills were introduced in the Michigan House which proposed radically changing the patient/caregiver relationship, and would have restricted caregivers from cultivating cannabis in the manner described by the 2008 Medical Marihuana Act.

"Let this serve as the definitive statement on the issue: voters do not want to see Michigan's ill and injured put at a disadvantage through the lobbying efforts of big cannabis businesses," said Rick Thompson, Executive Director at NORML of Michigan. "Incoming and experienced lawmakers alike should take note and reject any effort to curtail the medical program in Michigan."

The question asked to survey participants was:

"Michigan’s Medical Marijuana Act of 2008 regulates the activities of registered medical marijuana patients and/or their registered caregivers – including placing limits on the number of marijuana plants they may grow for their own use or for use of a patient under their care. Based on your own experience or what you may have heard about how the medical marijuana law has worked over the
past fourteen years, do you think the law should be relaxed to permit greater rights and privileges to patients and caregivers, should it be changed to place greater restrictions on activities involving medical marijuana, or do you think the law is working well as it is and should remain unchanged?"

NORML of Michigan Board member and attorney at Detroit's Cannabis Counsel law firm, Thomas Lavigne, said, "In fact every amendment made by the legislature and every appellate court "[mis]interpretation of this people's initiative" has further restricted patients rights. The only amendment I want to see is to extend protections of patients rights to not be discriminated against in employment. It is unethical to allow the status quo to persist where patients are daily discriminated against in seeking employment because they are medical marijuana patients. Employers need to stop testing for marijuana as a condition of employment and a grounds for termination."

NORML is the nation's oldest and largest cannabis consumer advocacy organization, and NORML of Michigan is the state's oldest and largest cannabis consumer organization. Find more information at minorml.org

Rick Thompson
NORML of Michigan
+1 586-350-8943
email us here

¹ https://ssl2002.webhosting.comcast.net/epic-mra/pressroom.htm