Andrew Cissell is lifetime resident of Oakland County, and he is a medical marijuana patient and caregiver. Last year Andrew Cissell, with the help of the VGIP, Coalition for a Safer Michigan and local political guru Debra Young, successfully completed the Ferndale petition to legalize basic possession of marijuana under the Ferndale city code, which passed with 69.25% of the vote, despite the Oakland County’s investigation a subsequent charges against Mr. Cissell for being a Caregiver in Oakland County and voter fraud.
The Oakland County Sheriff and County Prosecutor have consistently fought against Michigan medical patients and caregivers, denying them the opportunity to inform the jury of their licensing under the Michigan Medical Marijuana Program and other legal tricks to undo the protection under the MMMA of 2008. Andrew Cissell believes he was targeted because of his leadership in cannabis law reform, and his strong contention for the 27th district house seat. Andrew is also working on several other cities in Oakland County that will run in the November election.
Andrew is on the ballot of the August primary, and he will be contending against four others in the democratic primary. A democrat traditionally holds the seat, so if Andrew wins the democratic primary he will have a serious advantage in the general election. When asked why he thinks he will win, Cissell stated,
”I’m as real as it gets. I represent the people. I have a finance degree, and a proven track record of passing laws.”
We are very proud of Andrew Cissell and his work with the Vote Green Initiative Project. There are many great things that have come from this project that was started almost three years ago. Many folks have been inspired to join the movement and, more importantly, learned how to win. We will be working hard to complete the rest of the petition drives that have been organized by the Coalition for a Safer Michigan. We are also working hard with the
Cannabis Stakeholders Group (CSG) to pass HB 4271 and HB 5104. Recently Nick Pannesidi, Chelsea Shaker and many others for the Cannabis Stakeholders Group have participated in dozens of meetings in Lansing to foster support and lobby for our rights, working with many others group like MI NORML, Americans for Safe Access, National Patients’ Rights Association and CPU.