Marijuana and Stem Cell Research

Michigan had two controversial ballot measures this year, allowing marijuana for medicinal purposes and allowing research on embryonic stem cells. Surprisingly, both passed.The medical marijuana measure won 63% – 37%, and won in every single county in the state. The closest counties were one at the tip of Michigan’s thumb, and on of our conservative western counties, where it won by only a few hundred votes, but in many of the other conservative counties it received 55% or more of the vote.
The stem cell research measure won against the most one-sided campaign I’ve ever in my life witnessed. In my area of Michigan, “No on 2″ signs have been required yard decoration for months, and every television commercial I saw was in opposition (including the despicable advertisement accusing scientists of wanting to create half human-half cow mixtures). It seemed that all of the money and momentum was against allowing stem cell research, and yet it won 53% – 47% (about a 250,000 vote difference). The results in this case were much more mixed, with the “yes” counties scattered across both the lower and upper peninsulas, but separated by many “no” counties. Still, this is good for Michigan’s economy, and as the measure limits the research to stem cells drawn from embryos that (a) were created for in vitro fertilization, (b) were going to be destroyed as excess embryos, and (c) are voluntarily donated, there is reason to cheer this outcome as well