The Michigan Secretary of State must approve the validity of the signatures before the proposal can appear on the ballot. The proposal would allow a registered patient to possess up to 12 plants or 2.5 ounces of marijuana at one time.

Medical marijuana is already legal in 12 states, most of which are on the West Coast or in New England, and up to 200,000 people use it in those states.

That’s a pretty large minority and translates into about four times the size of East Lansing’s population.

Supporters of legalized medical marijuana say it can reduce nausea and increase appetite for AIDS and cancer patients.

Patients would only be able to use the substance in a private residence, and its use would be highly regulated.

Critics of the proposal say it could require an increased police presence to make sure patients aren’t using the substance in public, and Ingham County Sheriff Gene L. Wriggelsworth said it would be “an enforcement nightmare.” But the police should already be keeping an eye out for overt public drug use, and patients receiving medical marijuana would know the rules and the legal sensitivity of the substance’s use.

Legalizing medical marijuana won’t restructure society and won’t be a blight on law enforcement. Some abuse may occur and some patients may end up selling or giving away some of the prescription, but such instances already occur with most other prescription drugs with recreational or sought-after effects.

Marijuana is often glamorized because of its illegal status and its widespread use, but if this proposal makes it to the ballot and passes it won’t change anyone’s life drastically.

It’s just another treatment option and would only be prescribed when it’s the best option for the patient, at a physician’s discretion.

It works better for some people than for others, and like most other prescriptions, the patient could try it and other treatments until that patient finds the most comfortable solution for his or her medical issues.

Legalizing marijuana for a select few also won’t lead to a boom in illegal users. It’s already one of the most common and widely used illegal drugs in the U.S. — plenty of people already use marijuana and will continue to do so, regardless of the substance’s legal status.

If marijuana helps people suffer less, then it should be available for controlled prescription use, but that’s up to Michigan residents to decide.

Hopefully, the proposal gets placed on the ballot next November so the state can decide once and for all, and the arguments for and against the substance’s use can be quelled, at least for a little while.