MORE LIES FROM MICHIGAN

The opposition to Proposal 1, the Michigan medical marijuana
initiative, is going on the air with this new TV ad - a spot so
egregiously dishonest that even my very jaded jaw dropped when I saw
it. It may set an all-time record for the most lies ever packed into
a 30-second commercial, spoken by a narrator over grainy,
black-and-white footage of what purports to be a medical marijuana
dispensary. The most obvious:

1) California's medical marijuana law is "just like Proposal 1." No,
it's not. California's law has almost none of the limitations and
restrictions the Michigan proposal does - including a defined list of
qualifying conditions and a mandatory patient registry and ID card
system. And unlike California's law, Michigan's initiative does not
authorize dispensaries. Period.

2) "Hundreds of pot-smoking clubs opened in strip malls all over the
state. They grow pot there. They smoke it there. In every
neighborhood." Even if this had the slightest relevance to Michigan
(which it doesn't - see above), the statement is just plain false. I
say this with some certainty, since I live in San Francisco, perhaps
the most medical marijuana friendly city in the state. California
dispensaries are not in every neighborhood: Most communities have
none at all, while others have strictly regulated where they can
locate. Many do not allow smoking on site, and almost none grow on site.

I happen to think medical marijuana dispensaries - when appropriately
regulated and well run - are a perfectly fine thing, but they are
simply irrelevant to the Michigan debate. But the opponents know the
facts won't help them, so in desperation they resort to shameless lies.

Please take a second to learn the truth about Proposal 1 and how you can help.