This November, voters in Michigan will decide whether or not to legalize marijuana for recreational use. According to a recent poll, if the midterm election were held today, 56 percent of Michigan voters would approve legalizing marijuana for recreational use.
Supporters of the proposal say it will generate over $150 million in revenue for the state each year while helping to pay for repairing Michigan’s crumbling infrastructure and failing public school system.
Not everyone is on board with the idea however. The Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce is warning voters that legalizing recreational marijuana “may threaten the ability of employers and communities to provide safe, drug-free workplaces, and the quality of the products they make.”
Cindy Larsen is the Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber President. She says, in Muskegon County, the area’s largest employers, such as aerospace, automotive, healthcare, and food production, have zero-tolerance drug policies.
“Even if this passes, there is still going to be zero tolerance policy in place. And zero tolerance means: you cannot work here,” Larsen said. “We are very fearful that people don’t understand that, and there hasn’t been enough time on the education side of this issue for people to really and truly understand the consequences in the work place.”
That argument rings false however to some supporters of the proposal. Josh Hovey is the spokesperson for the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol. He says, workers should already be aware of the zero-tolerance policy of their employers.
“Marijuana is something that employers are dealing with now, it is something that employers will continue to deal with whether proposal one passes," Hovey said. "So there is really no change for employers in this state.”
Larsen insists, it’s too soon to legalize marijuana.
“We want to make sure that there are safeguards in place to protect their employer, and also the employee is protected as well, and that they understand the rules, and what’s at risk in terms of their job or career,” she said.
The vote is set for November 6th.