Michigan voters lean toward approval of medical marijuana
Thursday, September 25th, 2008 at 8:00 pm | By: Radical Russ
Poll: Michigan voters lean toward approval of medical marijuana, stem cell research | The Detroit News | detnews.com
A majority of Michiganians is inclined to legalize marijuana for sick people.The latest Detroit News-WXYZ Action News poll found that the voters, by a 59-37 margin, favor the ballot proposal to allow terminally and seriously ill people to legally use marijuana if a doctor certified the drug could ease their suffering.
The statewide poll showed that the biggest backers were women (63 percent support), Metro Detroiters (60 percent) and Democrats (68 percent). Among men, the proposal garnered 51 percent support and 49 percent of Republicans favored it.
If Proposal 1 is approved by voters in November, Michigan would become the 13th state to legalize medical marijuana. Supporters estimate that as many as 50,000 Michigan residents would legally qualify for medical marijuana to treat a host of “debilitating” medical problems such as cancer, HIV /AIDS, hepatitis C, Alzheimer’s disease, Crohn’s disease and chronic diseases or their treatments that produce wasting syndrome, severe pain, sever nausea, seizures or muscle spasms, such as those caused by multiple sclerosis.
“I’m all for it,” said poll participant Jeff Bergel, a 52-year-old wholesale representative and father of two from Walled Lake.
“I lost a brother-in-law to brain cancer last year and I think marijuana could have helped make his more comfortable. My dad has glaucoma and I understand it could help him as well.”
Law enforcement groups are near unanimous in their opposition to medical marijuana, saying it’s part of a broader agenda to legalize marijuana for everyone. But there doesn’t appear to be any group ready to spend money on an ad campaign to defeat the measure.
Michael Opland, a 64-year-old father of three from Harrison Township, said he supports medical marijuana, although he believes a lot of people would get the marijuana even though their medical conditions wouldn’t warrant it.
“A certain number of people would probably take advantage of the law,” he said. “But it’s worth it to get marijuana to people who really need it.”
That’s the big point I always try to make to the opponents of medical marijuana – “So you’re telling me that cancer and AIDS patients can’t smoke weed because some healthy people might get high?” People aren’t stupid, they know that in any government system – any system, for that matter – there is a non-zero number of people who cheat the system. Most people are like Mr. Opland and figure that a few legal potheads who pay an annual registration fee and give their names and addresses up for a state database aren’t going to be much trouble, we might even save police time and money for not busting them with a baggie or a joint someday, and some really sick and hurting people can get some relief.
Nobody is putting up any ad money to oppose the measure because nobody likes wasting their money on a lost cause. The medical marijuana decision has been made in the court of public opinion – most people believe medical use should be allowed and non-medical use is not a crime. With the 13th medical marijuana state and the 1st in the Midwest this election, the momentum is building.
Oh, and about that broader agenda. My agenda is that nobody should be harassed for their personal private use of marijuana. So how could I not support sick and hurting people privately using marijuana? I’m supposed to say, “No joints for the cancer patient until we all get joints?” Of course marijuana “legalizers” support medical marijuana. That doesn’t make the marijuana any less medical or the need to get it to sick and hurting people any less urgent. Shame on you for wanting an AIDS patient to suffer because you don’t like my political viewpoint on cannabis prohibition!
