Police see little change in first weeks of marijuana decriminalization
Mount Pleasant Police have seen no discernable change in the behavior of city residents since a marijuana decriminalization proposal was passed in November.
Arrests for marijuana have not drastically increased or decreased, said MPPD Public Information Officer Jeff Browne. The marijuana decriminalization proposal went into effect Jan. 1; two months after Mount Pleasant voters passed it in the Nov. 4 general election.
“Nobody has been pushing the limit (with pot),” Browne said. “We haven’t seen an influx or a decrease (since the proposal was passed).”
Though the MPPD does not expect a serious increase in the number of marijuana-related citations this year, its full effects remain to be seen this early. There have only been two arrests since Nov. 4 and zero in 2015.
Police remind students and the community that misinterpretation of the ordinance is not an excuse to violate the law, and that the use or possession of marijuana on campus remains illegal.
The ordinance, which passed in November with 62.3 percent of the vote, states that individuals over the age of 21 may possess and use up to one ounce of cannabis while on private property within the city limits of Mount Pleasant.
The ordinance does not apply to students living on campus regardless of their age or medical status, and would not affect students living in apartment complexes that lie in Union Township. Central Michigan University’s campus is governed by federal law, which makes no exceptions for pot laws based on city or state law.
Possession of marijuana carries a 93-day misdemeanor charge and fines between $200-$500. There have been an average of 70 arrests or citations for marijuana per year for the last five years.
“We’ve never had an ordinance that governs marijuana in Mount Pleasant,” Browne said. “And now what we have is an ordinance stating that we won’t in the future.”
Browne believes voters intended the ordinance as a political expression. This action agrees with the mindset of the Safer Michigan Coalition, which is responsible for many pro-marijuana efforts across the state.
One of the founders of the coalition, Chuck Ream, elaborated that the first stepping-stone to change is the expression of voter opinions.
“In order to have some change you’ve got to have some way for the voters to express their opinion,” Ream said earlier this year. “In Michigan, you can run a citizen’s initiative.”
