League of Women Voters of Michigan
Nonpartisan Michigan Voter Guide 2008
Statewide
Ballot Proposals 08-1 and 08-2
Proposal 08-1 (Medical
Marijuana)
Proposal 08-2 (Stem
Cell Research)
Official
Ballot Language
PROPOSAL 08-1
A LEGISLATIVE
INITIATIVE TO PERMIT THE USE AND CULTIVATION OF MARIJUANA FOR SPECIFIED MEDICAL
CONDITIONS
The proposed law would:
·
Permit physician approved use of marijuana by registered
patients with debilitating medical conditions including cancer,
glaucoma, HIV, AIDS, hepatitis C, MS and other conditions as may be approved
by the Department of Community Health.
· Permit registered individuals to grow limited amounts
of marijuana for qualifying patients in an enclosed, locked facility.
· Require Department of Community Health to establish
an identification card system for patients qualified to use marijuana and
individuals qualified to grow marijuana.
·
Permit registered and unregistered patients and primary
caregivers to assert medical reasons for using marijuana as a defense to any
prosecution involving marijuana.
Should this proposal be adopted? Yes ¨ No ¨
YES
This November, voters will
consider Proposal 1, which removes the threat of arrest and jail for suffering
patients who use medical marijuana on their doctors’ recommendation. Numerous
studies have documented marijuana’s medical value in relieving nausea and
appetite loss due to chemotherapy, HIV-related neuropathy, muscle spasms, and
other serious symptoms.
Proposal 1 is a
compassionate, responsible measure. It requires patients to have the written
recommendation of a
It includes safeguards to
prevent abuse, including establishing a statewide registry, with photo ID
cards, so that police know who’s protected by the law, and it establishes
penalties for fraudulent cards and false statements.
It limits the amount of
medical marijuana a patient can possess and cultivate, prohibits its public
use, and requires facilities containing medical marijuana plants to be enclosed
and locked.
It leaves intact all other
criminal or civil penalties for the non-medical use, possession, and
distribution of marijuana.
Provided by: Coalition for Compassionate Care
NO
The “medical” marijuana
initiative permits large amounts of crude marijuana to be smoked or eaten under
the guise of medicine. This undermines
our medicine approval process that requires medications to meet the rigorous
approval criteria of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). That process was carefully constructed over
the past century to protect patients. It
is dangerous to undermine it.
Marijuana legalization
advocates falsely claim that marijuana is a safe treatment for nausea,
glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, pain and other ailments. However, numerous effective medications are
currently available for these conditions.
“Medical” marijuana impacts
youth. It is a step towards legalization
of marijuana. Too often it is an excuse
for recreational use.
“Medical” marijuana is
rejected by the American Medical Association, National Multiple Sclerosis
Society, American Glaucoma Society, the
This initiative would allow
drug users to possess 150-300 marijuana cigarettes at any given time, plus 12
plants with the ability to produce up to 57,600 cigarettes. It will put more impaired drivers on the
roads and impaired employees in the workplace.
For more information, visit http://votenoonproposalone.weebly.com
Provided by: Save Our Society from Drugs
Official Ballot Language PROPOSAL 08-2
A PROPOSAL
TO AMEND THE STATE CONSTITUTION TO ADDRESS HUMAN EMBRYO AND HUMAN EMBRYONIC
STEM CELL RESEARCH IN
The proposed constitutional amendment
would:
·
Expand use of human embryos for any research permitted
under federal law subject to the following limits: the embryos --
-- are created for fertility treatment
purposes;
-- are not suitable for implantation or
are in excess of clinical needs;
-- would be discarded unless used for
research;
-- were
donated by the person seeking fertility treatment.
·
Provide that stem cells cannot be taken from human
embryos more than 14 days after cell division begins.
·
Prohibit any person from selling or purchasing human
embryos for stem cell research.
·
Prohibit state and local laws that prevent, restrict
or discourage stem cell research, future therapies and cures.
Should this proposal be adopted? Yes ¨ No ¨
YES
Voting "Yes" on
Proposal 2 makes vital components of stem cell research legal for finding
life-saving cures and therapies for Michiganders.
The proposal:
· Provides for safe and ethical research as permitted under federal law;
· Keeps in force
· Allows medical research on voluntarily donated leftover embryos, for
finding cures and treatment. These would otherwise become medical waste.
The procedure required to
conduct vital stem cell research is now illegal in
Working to cure disease is
the right thing to do. Stem cell research holds the greatest hope of curing and
treating deadly and debilitating diseases and conditions.
On November 4, remember Prop
2 means cures!
Provided by: CUREMICHIGAN
NO
Proposal 2 would remove
state and local oversight of all for-profit corporations, public entities, and
individuals involved in research on live human embryos or embryonic stem cell
research. This proposed constitutional amendment provides that no state or
local law may prevent, restrict, obstruct, discourage, or provide disincentives
to any stem cell research. In other
words, no laws apply to stem cell
research. If passed, and a corporation were selling their research only to the
highest bidder, the state could not step in. If a corporation were involved in
stem cell experimentation that involved viruses or other risky behavior, the state
could not stop it or regulate it.
As written, Proposal 2 means
that any public or private individual or corporation can conduct completely
unregulated and unrestricted experimentation on embryonic stem cells or human
embryos. There is no other sector of society in
Is
this really the cure
Provided by: MICAUSE