While marijuana activists are working to legalize the leaf in 2016, a recent poll indicates that only a slim majority of residents are behind establishing a taxed and regulated pot market similar to what is currently underway in Colorado.

A statewide poll overseen by the Marketing Resource Group recently asked 600 voters if they would cast a favorable ballot on the issue of treating marijuana like alcohol. Of the respondents, only 51 percent said they supported the cause, while 45 percent disagreed with the concept entirely.

Yet, this does not necessarily mean it would be a close call at the polls if activists managed to get an initiative on the 2016 ballot. It is sad to say, but marijuana supporters have a tendency to get in the way of the big picture with their hard headed ideals on how weed should be regulated. Some do not believe it should be consumed for any other reason than for medicinal use, while others oppose regulation altogether and think citizens should be allowed to cultivate it freely, like tomatoes.

However, the most reasonable approach, at least in my opinion, is to allow a recreational market, which provides the state with a substantial amount of untapped tax revenue while also stripping away the criminal penalties associated with its possession. It is not realistic to consider the legalization of marijuana in America any other way. You can thank capitalism for that.

In all likelihood, if a group like the Michigan Comprehensive Cannabis Law Reform Initiative Committee can get a proposal on the ballot in the next presidential election, a statewide cannabis industry will soon follow.

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