At the stroke of midnight, pot became legal in the State of Michigan.
The great lakes state became the first in the Midwest to legalize marijuana, but there are a few things to know before people light up.
It's now legal to consume if you're over 21, but you still cannot purchase it as the state has yet to set up regulations for it to be sold.
In order to obtain it, marijuana must be given to you as a gift.
A person can have up to 10 ounces in your home, anything over 2.5 ounces must be locked up and stored away.
Marijuana has been legal in Canada for sometime, but you cannot transport it across international lines, or even state lines for that matter.
You can grow up to 12 plants in your home for personal use, or to give away.
However obtaining the seeds still cannot be done.
Seeds are for sale online, but since marijuana is still considered an illegal drug on the federal scale, you cannot purchase and ship them.
Driving and smoking is a big no-no.
Michigan has a zero tolerance policy for drugged driving.
Any amount of THC in a drivers blood is illegal and can be criminally charged, just like a drunken driving offense.
You cannot smoke in public areas, or even your driveway or front porch, as those areas are considered public.
"You should even be careful about doing it in your driveway because that is a publicly accessible area. It's really important that if you're consuming marijuana, you do it in the privacy of your own home. In your backyard you should be fine," says Josh Hovey, proposition one proponent.
Using marijuana and how it translates with your employer should also be considered.
Cooley Law School Professor Mark Dotson says, "employers also have the right to enforce rules when it comes to being intoxicated on the job. They have the right to drug-test and they can take whatever position they want when it comes to a positive drug test."
There are still questions about what recreational pot means, and one mid-Michigan county is planning to hold a public discussion on the issue.
The Jackson County Chamber of Commerce is holding a round table discussion on December 17th at Gene Davis and Sons Catering and Banquet Center on Francis Street starting at 7:30 a.m.
The discussion will cover how the new pot law affects insurance and federal contracts and what short or long term business impacts to expect.
