By Steve Elliott
Hemp News
A Kent County, Michigan judge on Monday ruled that the voter-approved decriminalization of marijuana in Grand Rapids is valid.
Judge Paul Sullivan dismissed Kent County Prosecutor William Forsyth's attempt to nullify the charter amendment, approved by voters last November, reports John Tunison at Mlive.com.
Judge Sullivan ruled that possession of less than 2.5 ounces of cannabis in Grand Rapids can, indeed, be handled as a civil infraction, just as voters had already decided.
Prosecutor Forsyth unsuccessfully argued that the amendment conflicts with Michigan laws classifying marijuana possession as a misdemeanor. He also claimed that decriminalizing weed would "interfere with his responsibilities" as Kent County Prosecutor. (Man, does this cat enjoy busting potheads, or what?)
Even before Judge Sullivan's Monday ruling, Grand Rapids Police had begun following the amendment on May 1, and started writing civil infractions for marijuana possession.
"The voters of Grand Rapids had the power to amend the city charter and plaintiff has failed to show that any section of the charter amendment necessarily conflicts with state law," Judge Sullivan wrote in his ruling.
