Earlier this summer, the Coalition for a Safer Detroit submitted signatures for an initiative that would have legalized possession of less than ounce of of marijuana for individuals over 21 on private property. Since the City’s Council’s Internal Operations Committee choose not to vote on it, the measure would normally go on the ballot after being reviewed by the Detroit Election Commission. This week, the Detroit Election Commission decided 3-0 to deny the citizens of Detroit their chance to vote on the initiative. From Detroit Free Press via MPP blog:

Members of the commission said they were following a recommendation by the city’s Law Department, which said the proposal was pre-empted by state law forbidding possession of the drug. Detroit attorney Matt Abel, a petition organizer, said: “This would have sent a message to the police that they should focus on more serious crime.” Abel said he and others behind the proposal were considering filing an appeal in Wayne County Circuit Court.

It is always unfortunate when some relatively obscure set of officials put a stop to direct democracy. It runs counter to the whole basis of an initiative process.