Lansing voters have largely approved a proposal to decriminalize recreational use of marijuana within city limits, according to unofficial election results from the Ingham County Clerk’s Office.
With all but one precinct reporting, about 63 percent of voters approved the initiative, which would allow the use, possession and transfer of less of less than one ounce of the drug when on private property for those 21 and older.
Whether this legalizes the drug is a matter of interpretation, as Lansing City Clerk Chris Swope previously told The State News. Local police still could arrest people for possession, as it remains a punishable offense under state and federal law.
Detroit and Flint, Mich. voters passed similar proposals to decriminalize less than an ounce of marijuana, and Kalamazoo voters approved a proposal to allow three medical marijuana dispensaries in the same year. The city already had decriminalized cannabis for those over 21.
Ypsilanti, Mich., voters also OK’d a plan to make pot the lowest crime priority for police officers.
Ann Arbor issues civil infractions for possession and has since the 1970s. Grand Rapids passed a similar initiative in 2012, voting to issue civil infractions for the possession of up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana.
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