Marijuana - Recap (What do people think?)

Lavigne said that local initiatives, like the one recently passed in Lansing, “are important in expressing sentiments of localities,” which could lead to the eventual changing of the state and federal laws as well.

Lavigne also said that he believes the new ordinance would not lead to a rise in marijuana consumption in Lansing.

“It's just going to protect an activity that people already do, that according to the Michigan Supreme Court in (the case of) People v Sinclair, is a relatively much safer activity than alcohol, narcotics, or other illicit drugs,” Lavigne said. “And abuse of (these) are all more dangerous than consuming marijuana, which has no overdose limit.”

Michigan State University students, including Jess Chan, a sophomore majoring in psychology and linguistics, agreed with Lavigne, who said: "I think (decriminalization) a good thing. It's a drug that a lot of people use obviously, and it's not like it's a particularly harmful one."

Marijuana - Preview (What is the Law?)

Last month, Lansing voters decided to decriminalize marijuana use, following a precedent set by other cities in Michigan.

"The City of Lansing has changed city ordinance to allow people that are at least 21 years old to possess to an ounce of marijuana on private property," Joshua Covert, a Lansing lawyer specializing in drug and alcohol related crimes, said.

However, this law only affects those on private property, not on public grounds.

If they're not on private property, they're not protected," Thomas Lavigne, a lawyer for Cannabis Council based in Detroit, Michigan said. "But these most recent local ordinances are one step ahead than the ones that passed last year. They include protection of transfers on private property."

Covert explained that the law affects anyone in Lansing, not just residents.