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Marijuana legalization backers nearing petition drive goal

Marijuana plant
USFWS

Backers of a ballot question tolegalize recreational marijuanain Michigan are approaching a milestone.

Organizers say hundreds of petition circulators have been busy during the Labor Day holiday weekend collecting signatures.

Josh Hovey is the spokesman for the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol. He expects their petition drive will collect its quarter-millionth signature this week.

“We’re expecting based on the rate that we’ve been going that we should be finished hopefully a month ahead of schedule, if not a little earlier,” says Hovey. 

The campaign needs 252,000 valid petition signatures to put the issue on the ballot. Petition drive organizers hope to collect more than 350,000 before November.  

If enough valid signatures are collected, voters would decide in November 2018whether to legalize recreational marijuana.

Steve Carmody has been a reporter for Michigan Public since 2005. Steve previously worked at public radio and television stations in Florida, Oklahoma and Kentucky, and also has extensive experience in commercial broadcasting.
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