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This page has analyses of issues that will appear on Michigan's statewide ballot at the November 4, 2008 general election. The Citizens Research Council of Michigan does not endorse candidates for office or take position on ballot issues. In analyzing these ballot issues, CRC hopes to provide more information so that voters can make better informed decisions in formulating their vote.
September 23, 2008. Two statewide ballot questions are scheduled to appear on the 2008 ballot.
- Proposal 2008-01: A legislative initiative to allow under state law the medical use of marihuana.
Proposal 2008-01 on the November 4 statewide ballot would make Michigan the first state in the Midwest to legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes. This was one of the findings of the analysis of the proposal released today by the Citizens Research Council of Michigan.
"Twelve other states have medical marijuana laws, all located in the west or northeast" said Jill Roof, CRC research associate. "We have been able to use the experience in some of those states in developing our analysis."
The proposal would seek to protect qualified patients and physicians from arrest and other penalties for using or recommending marijuana for medical purposes. It would require the Michigan Department of Community Health to administer a medical marijuana registry and permit a primary caregiver to provide marijuana to patients upon written certification by a physician. No patient could have more than one caregiver and no caregiver could assist more than five patients.
"A significant issue is the acquisition of marijuana," said Ms. Roof. "The law does not set up a legal supplier network and the quality and potency of the drug may be uncertain."
The law would not legalize recreational use of marijuana and there is no convincing evidence from other states that legalization of medical marijuana has led to an increase in illicit use.
If adopted, the law would create a potential for conflict with federal drug laws in Michigan, although federal law enforcement tends to be limited to manufacture and sale, rather than use.
- Proposal 2008-02: A proposed constitutional amendment to permit with certain limitations stem cell research in Michigan.
Michigan would join 47 other states in permitting research on human embryos and the creation of new embryonic stem cell lines in Michigan if Proposal 2008-02 is adopted by the voters on November 4. Current Michigan law is among the most restrictive in the nation. It prohibits non-therapeutic research that jeopardizes the life or health of a human embryo, fetus, or neonate, thereby precluding research on embryos to derive human embryonic stem cell lines. Researchers may, however, conduct research on embryonic stem cell lines created outside of Michigan and may study adult stem cells. The Citizens Research Council of Michigan has released its analysis of the proposed constitutional amendment that would remove these prohibitions.
Embryonic stem cells are derived from embryos by in vitro fertilization. A greater number of embryos are produced than are necessary or suitable for implantation resulting in "excess" embryos.
"Fertility patients have four options for these embryos," said Jill Roof, CRC research associate. "They can store them, donate them to others seeking fertility treatment, discard them as medical waste, or donate them to research. If Proposal 2008-02 passes, Michigan scientists will be able to conduct research using donated embryos and derive their own embryonic stem cells rather than relying on those from other states that may not meet their needs."
Voting Information
Election Day: November 4, 2008
Michigan's Voter Information Center
An online source for one-stop election information. View your ballot and election calendar, map your polling location, and find out how to use your voting equipment.
Michigan Secretary of State's Information for Voters
Information about registering to vote, absentee voting, election officials, and state law.
View Analyses of 1996 Ballot Issues
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The Ballot Proposal Process in Michigan: A Synopsis
There are four methods whereby a proposal can be placed on the statewide ballot in Michigan: (1) statutory initiative, (2) voter referendum, (3) legislative referendum, and (4) constitutional amendment.
STATUTORY INITIATIVE is defined by Section 9 of Article 2 of the Michigan Constitution as the power which the people reserve to themselves "to propose laws and to enact and reject laws." The power of initiative extends to any law the Legislature may enact and is invoked by filing petitions containing signatures of registered voters equal in number to at least eight percent of the total votes cast in the last election for governor. The Legislature is required to enact, without modification, or reject any proposed initiative within 40 session days. An initiative not enacted by the Legislature is placed on the statewide ballot at the next general election. A law that is initiated or adopted by the people is not subject to gubernatorial veto and one adopted by voters cannot subsequently be amended or repealed except by the voters or by a three-fourths vote of the Legislature.
VOTER REFERENDUM is defined by Section 9 of Article 2 of the Michigan Constitution as the power "to approve and reject laws enacted by the legislature." Referendum must be invoked, within 90 days of final adjournment of the legislative session during which the law in question was enacted, by filing petitions containing signatures of registered voters equal in number to at least five percent of the total votes cast for governor in the last general election. The effect of invoking a referendum is to suspend the law in question until voters approve or reject it at the next general election.
LEGISLATIVE REFERENDUM is authorized by Section 34 of Article 4 of the Michigan Constitution, which provides that "[a]ny bill passed by the legislature and approved by the governor, except a bill appropriating money, may provide that it will not become law unless approved by a majority of the electors voting thereon."
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT is authorized by Sections 1 and 2 of Article 12 of the Michigan Constitution and may be proposed either by a two-thirds vote of the Legislature or by filing petitions containing signatures of registered voters equal in number to at least ten percent of the total votes cast for governor in the last general election.
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Last Updated October 22, 2008
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