Medicinal and recreational marijuana is legal in the state of Michigan. The lawful use of medicinal marijuana began in 2008 via the Compassionate Care Initiative, which gained approval with 63 percent favorable votes.
The November 2018 Michigan Proposal 1, also called the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marihuana Act, was a popular initiative to legalize weed. It won approval with 56 percent favorable votes. The recreational weed sale licensed by the state began in late 2019.
This post will dissect the weed laws in the US state of Michigan, including possession, cultivation, distribution, and more.
Is Marijuana Lawful In The US State Of Michigan?
Yes, Michigan gives complete legality to marijuana. It was the thirteenth American state to legalize weed for medicinal purposes in 2008 via the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act. After ten years, the state also made recreational marijuana legal with the approval of 2018 Ballot Proposal 1.
Michigan became the first state in the midwest to legalize marijuana and enable qualifying patients and adults to use, obtain, or possess weed. Further, the chances of Michigan restricting weed legalization are low, given the favorable public opinion is in the majority.
Before legalizing weed across the state, various municipalities approved local reforms for marijuana decriminalization. They also adopted use and possession and minimized weed crime prosecution.
What Are The Laws For Weed In Michigan?
The development of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Program began the process of legalizing weed in the state. Nonetheless, only patients who possess RIC (registry identification cards) can purchase weed from registered dispensaries.
The Michigan Marihuana Facilities Licensing Act of 2016 was an initiative to enable authorized provisional centers to conduct medicinal cannabis trade rather than dispensaries. Marijuana got the official green light in December 2018, with the marijuana legalization for adult use in November of the same year.
Next year, in 2019, from 1st December onwards, Michigan residents were also able to purchase cannabis products like delta 8 pre rolls for recreational purposes.
Penalties For Weed Crimes In Michigan
While Michigan is comparatively lenient than other states in the Midwest, the state offers strict limitations regarding weed possession, distribution, cultivation, and usage. Most laws for marijuana in Michigan lead to fines. Michigan state also punishes individuals with imprisonment for breaking some regulations.
The MRTMA (Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marihuana Act) provides penalties for crimes related to cannabis. These include:
Possession Laws
Adults 21 and above can face civil infractions for holding between 2.5 and 5 ounces of weed. They will have to pay a fine of up to $500 for the first offense, along with material seizure. Further, it counts as a misdemeanor to possess above 5 ounces for the first offense and is punishable by a maximum $500 fine.
However, one can also face jail time if the judge finds the intention to sell and distribute or the violation is willful or habitual. It is also a misdemeanor or felony if a resident possesses weed inside or within 1000 feet of a park. The maximum punishment for this crime is two years imprisonment and a $2000 fine.
Possession Laws To Distribute Weed
The distribution laws allow adults to pass around 2.5 ounces to other resident adults without public advertising or involvement of compensation. However, it is a civil infraction to distribute up to 5 ounces of weed without any payment, leading to a $500 fine as punishment.
Individuals will be guilty of a felony for selling up to 5kg of weed and face four years in prison with $20000 fines. If found selling 5 to 45 kg weed, you can encounter a 7-year imprisonment with a $500000 fine. Further, you can face around 15 years in jail with a fine of $10 million for selling more than 45 kg of weed.
However, residents will not face any trouble for selling or purchasing marijuana equipment in the state.
Cultivation Laws
Residents in Michigan can be guilty of a civil infraction for cultivating weed plants apart from a safe area or in a place noticeable from a public location. In such cases, the person can face confiscation with a $100 fine.
Cultivating between 12 to 24 plants for private purposes is a social infraction and is subject to punishment by a $500 fine. One can be guilty of a misdemeanor for cultivating more than 25 weed plants for personal use. You can go to jail if the judge discovers the intent to commercialize or deems the violation willful, habitual, or involves violence.
Consumption Of Marijuana
You can use marijuana in Michigan only if you are above 21 years old and smoking or using it within the premises of private property. Employees or landlords can disapprove of using weed within a property and apply penalties for smoking weed.
Moreover, it is a civil infraction to smoke weed in public areas, which can result in a ticket. However, the punishment is much more severe for smoking marijuana near a playground or school.
Driving Under Weed's Influence
The laws for driving under the influence of weed comprise three offenses. The first offense includes the guilty party doing community service of around 360 hours. They can face a fine of as far as $300 with a potential jail time of up to 93 days (about three months).
For the second offense under seven years, one must pay a $200 to $1000 fine. Simultaneously, you must go through 30 to 90 days of community service, at least five days or over a year of incarceration, or both.
Individuals will be guilty of felony for a third or succeeding offenses within the ten years of the previous offense. The punishment involves a $500 to $5000 fine. Further, you can face either a 1-to-5-year jail time in state prison, county jail imprisonment between 30 days to one year with probation, or 60 to 180 days of community service.
Conclusion
Michigan may seem like a relaxed state in terms of its marijuana laws. Furthermore, the residents have a favorable opinion of legalizing marijuana compared to other states. However, the state still has some limitations regarding the cultivation, distribution, and possession of marijuana. Nonetheless, for adults 21 or above, you can use marijuana within your private property.
