LOS ANGELES, Calif., November 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — When Michigan voters approved Proposal One legalizing adult use in 2018, $40 million of future tax revenue was allocated to FDA-approved clinical trials to study the efficacy of marijuana in medically treating U.S. armed services veterans and in preventing veteran suicide.
The Weed for Warriors (WFW) is in possession of documents that have raised concerns.
It appears that one or more of the grantees fails to meet the important benchmark defined in the law requiring money to be awarded to, “clinical trials that are approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration”
Additionally, it is clear, basic accounting controls routine to the research industry have not been implemented by the State of Michigan or followed by the grantees.
“Voters approved Michigan’s Proposal One with crystal clear clarity on how tax revenue should be spent,” said Weed For Warriors Executive Director, Sean Kiernan. “Michigan’s current lack of standard accounting controls means there is no way to ascertain if monies have been or will be spent in accordance with the law.’
Veterans and voters of Michigan deserve and demand accountability.
Weed for Warriors asks Governor Whitmire for an immediate accounting of grantee spending to date, a commitment to transparency on spending going forward, and finally, a review on whether the grantee’s research qualifies as FDA approved clinical trials as outlined by the law.
“The short history of adult use legalization in this country is riddled with government corruption. Something definitely stinks in Michigan and it’s not the weed” said Jason Beck, the longest continuous retail operator of cannabis in the United States.
Proposal 1 made Michigan the first state in the Midwest to legalize the possession and use of recreational marijuana for adults (age 21 years or older).
Individuals were permitted to grow up to 12 marijuana plants in their residences. The measure created an excise sales tax of 10 percent, which was to be levied on marijuana sales at retailers and microbusinesses.
Proposal 1 required that revenue from the tax be dedicated to local governments, K-12 education, and road and bridge maintenance. The ballot initiative also legalized the cultivation, processing, distribution, and sale of industrial hemp. Municipalities were authorized to ban or limit marijuana establishments within their boundaries.
When Michigan voters initially passed the ballot measure to legalize recreational cannabis, they voted to save at least $40 million in tax revenue to be used for cannabis research grants toward studying veteran suicides. Until 2022 or at least two years, the MRA must allocate $20 million a year to one or more clinical trials approved by the FDA and sponsored by a non-profit organization or a researcher within an academic institution.
About Weed For Warriors Project
WFW is a grassroots organization established in 2014 to advocate for veterans’ access to cannabis, viewed as a principal tool to combat the devastating toll of opioid addiction among veterans. Today, WFW activities support safe cannabis access, veteran rehabilitation programs, community engagement, continuing education, and political advocacy.
For more information, please contact Sean Kiernan at skiernan@wfwproject.org
For more info on the WFW Project and their mission click here for a story we wrote about them a while back.
