MO GOP State Senator Pre-Files Marijuana Legalization Referendum Bill, MI Prosecutor Goes No Cash Bail, More… (1/5/21)

A Utah bill would once again allow any doctor to recommend medical marijuana, the prosecutor in Michigan's Washtenaw County ends cash bail, and more.

Marijuana Policy

Missouri Republican Wants Recreational Marijuana Program, No Caps on Dispensaries. State Rep. Shamed Dogan (R-Ballwin) has pre-filed a bill, House Joint Resolution 30 that would amend the state constitution via a popular referendum to legalize marijuana for people 21 and over. The bill also deliberately provides no state regulation over who can grow and sell the substance. "I don’t think we need a huge bureaucracy to pick winners and losers in terms of who gets licenses," Dogan said.

Medical Marijuana

Utah Bill Would Allow Any Doctor to Recommend Medical Marijuana. State Senator Evan Vickers (R-District 28) is supporting a bill that would allow any doctor to recommend medical marijuana. Currently, doctors must register as a qualified medical provider to do so, but under a previous law which expired at the end of 2019, they did not have to do so. The bill would eliminate a major bottleneck for patients, supporters said. "If they don't have a physician in their area, especially in a rural area, they'd have to go to a physician somewhere else in the state," said Vickers. "Some of those physicians who have become QMPs are charging a pretty high fee."

Bail Reform

Michigan Prosecutor Will Stop Seeking Cash Bail. Incoming Washtenaw County (Ann Arbor) Chief Prosecutor Eli Savit has announced that his office will no longer require cash bail. The move comes after similar announcements last month by prosecutors in California and Virginia, and is the latest victory in a nationwide movement to eliminate financial conditions for pretrial release. "One’s wealth must never play a role in their detention," he said in August as he campaigned on the issue.