Michigan proposals

One of the things that is always interesting to looking into when voting are the proposals. My state Michigan has two proposals that will be voted on this Tuesday. I have not looked into the proposals until this weekend.

The first is legalizing marijuana for medical purposes. It would allow doctors to prescribe patients who meet certain criteria marijuana as a medical prescription.

The advocates claim marijuana will serve the purpose of eliminating pain for those suffering from diseases like cancer, HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis, glaucoma and other serious conditions. Another support item is those caught distributing the marijuana will be penalized if they are found to giving to someone else.

They continue saying non medical use will continue to be prohibited in the state. Guidelines will be put into place through the proposal to make sure safeguards are put into place keeping abuse taking place with the passing of this proposal.

Opponents have put forward a series of arguments which include there is no tested documented proof that marijuana helps with any disease. It is rejected as a solution by the majority of physicians. The opponents continue pointing out that marijuana should be approved by the Federal Drug Administration since most prescription drugs need it to be prescribed by doctors. Another issue for those against it is Lastly, the regulation on distribution will be difficult to control. Lastly, they say this proposal is just like the one they have in California. California is looking to change the law with quite a few more restrictions.

I am not going to offer how I will vote for this proposal. I am going to offer some thoughts that I don’t think have been mentioned when discussing these proposals. The first is whether or not marijuana use should be a right considered covered under the Constitution making this proposal not needed. In other words if this does in fact help people and they understand the repercussions, why should the law stand in the way of relief? Another issue is will this set a precedent for other drugs? Realistically, what are the most probably results if this proposal passes.

Overall an interesting proposal and many factors need to be regardless of your political affiliation.

As for Proposal #2, if it passed, it will amend the state constitution to allow for human embryo and stem cells research.

Proponents will tell you Michigan has been too slow to drop the restriction in the laws. Michigan laws addressing this subject are said to be some of the toughest in the country. The other benefit is they claim is this research is the best available in helping find a cure for a series of diseases. It is thought almost 800,000 people in Michigan may have a disease which would be helped with such research taking place. Another benefit this would ensure the medical schools in the state would be allowed to perform the cutting edge research which they cannot at this point and time.
Opponents are suggesting the proposal would not allow the state to regulate the embryonic research. Another mention is there are alternatives should be used whether it be adult cells or cord blood cells. There is the fear in this one as was the case in Proposal 1 about the slippery slope. The opponents say if this is allowed it will grease the skids for cloning. Lastly they mention the issues with funding such research. Long term some argue the cost benefit is not good.

I think if you read every fact and opinion on this proposal you still would not have performed an exhaustive search. There are some many issues and so many of them are personal whether it be someone you know and love possibly being helped by the research or how you relate embryos to human life.

Both proposals are issues that have deep seeded opinions that will guide the voter’s decisions on both of them. At the same time there are plenty of issues that with each proposal that must be considered when casting your ballot. It will be interesting to see how it all ends up this coming Tuesday.