Via PeterWerbe.com, voters in Detroit last week approved the use of marijuana for medical purposes.

With 49 percent of precincts reporting early today, 59 percent of voters had approved the measure and 41 percent had opposed it.

"I always knew Detroit would come through for people who need help," said Rochelle Lampkin, a city resident who smokes marijuana for relief from multiple sclerosis.

But Andre Johnson, an antidrug activist, said, "This will be a silent killer for Detroit. It's the last thing Detroit needs."

The city's proposal earned almost 60 percent approval from votes. It follows on the heels of a movement that has spread mainly in the West.

But now other Midwestern cities, including Ann Arbor, Madison, Wis., and Columbia, Mo., are looking at similar measures.

As an Ann Arbor resident, I would be VERY surprised if such a measure were to fail here (should it ever come to a vote). As it is now, getting caught smoking pot on city property will only get you a $20 ticket (just make sure you're on city, NOT university property; toking on U of M's campus will get you in a lot more trouble!). For more info on the Detroit measure and what it means, read this.