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DETROIT – Michigan voters decided on Tuesday whether to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes, making it the first state in the Midwest to do so and warn neighboring conservative states.
Three other states also have marijuana measures on their ballots. Voters in North Dakota decided the jar was not for them, while Missouri voters decided to legalize marijuana for medical purposes. Voters in Utah have also considered whether to allow marijuana for medical purposes, as have already made more than 30 other states.
Nine states and the District of Columbia had already legalized the pot of recreation for people aged 21 and over before the mid-term elections on Tuesday. And Canada, which shares borders with Michigan and North Dakota, has recently legalized the legal use of this drug by adults. However, the adoption of measures in one or the other state, which includes both Republican governors and Republican-controlled legislatures, would allow it to establish itself in the United States. Central America and could create tensions along their borders.
"Soldiers working along the state border are very aware of what is happening in the north," said the Indiana police sergeant. Ron Galaviz, a spokesman for the Fort Wayne Post agency, which stretches north of the Michigan line.
He added that if the referendum pbaded, "we know that some of our citizens will go to Michigan to take part." And those who come under the influence or in possession of the pot can learn the hard way that it remains illegal in Indiana and Ohio, which mbadively rejected a legalization measure of 2015.
"We will enforce our laws as they are written," added Galaviz, a Michigan native. "If you are traveling to or through our state, we really do not want you to report it here."
Such warnings could be justified. Surveys show that Michigan's public receptiveness to the legalization of marijuana is similar to that seen across the country. Recent polls Gallup and Pew Research Center have shown that it has the support of more than 60% of respondents.
Kristin Schrader, a 51-year-old Democrat from Superior Township, Washtenaw County, said that she had voted in favor of legalizing marijuana because she did not want people leaving the Michigan buy it.
"I do not have any attachment to marijuana myself, but I do not care to block the train coming down the rails. I do not want people to go looking for it in other states and spend their money elsewhere. If legalizing marijuana has an economic benefit, I want it to be in Michigan. "
The Coalition for the Regulation of Marijuana as Alcohol, backed by a national black-owned business organization and a group of retired Michigan police officers, supports this measure. Michigan is healthy and productive and many law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, chambers of commerce and religious groups oppose it.
In contrast to Michigan's move, North Dakota received no significant funding from outside groups and voters rejected it on Tuesday. This happened while the state was still putting in place its medical marijuana treatment system, which voters widely approved two years ago.
The Michigan measure would create a state licensing system for marijuana companies and allow cities and townships to restrict them. Proponents say it would align with the new medical marijuana regulatory system and generate about $ 130 million in additional tax revenue each year for road repairs, schools and local governments . They also say that this would allow for greater regulation of pot use and allow the police to focus on more pressing issues.
Opponents say that legalizing marijuana would increase the consumption of children, drug abuse and car accidents. According to them, the Michigan proposal would be too permissive by allowing people to have up to 2.5 ounces (71 grams) of drugs on them and up to 10 ounces (284 grams) at home. They also say that its tax rate of 16% is too low.
Missouri voters adopted one of three medical marijuana measures on their ballot. In conservative Utah, the Mormon church opposed the marijuana proposal for medical purposes but recently joined lawmakers and argued for an agreement that would legalize it in the state. The governor of Utah said he would summon legislators in extraordinary session after the elections to enact the agreement, even if the initiative failed.
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Authors Brady McCombs in Salt Lake City, Jim Salter in St. Louis and John Flesher in Traverse City, Michigan contributed to this report.
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Follow Jeff Karoub on Twitter at https://twitter.com/jeffkaroub and find more of his work at https://apnews.com/search/jeff%20karoub. Find full coverage of AP marijuana at http://apnews.com/tag/LegalMarijuana.
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For full AP coverage of mid-term elections in the United States: http://apne.ws/APPolitics
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