LANSING, MI — Two separate — and potentially competing — groups are laying the groundwork for 2016 ballot proposals that would seek to legalize, regulate and tax marijuana in Michigan.

Jeffrey Hank, an attorney who spearheaded a still-pending legalization effort in East Lansing last year, filed paperwork with the state on Tuesday to form the Michigan Comprehensive Cannabis Law Reform Committee.

“We want to do something in 2016 that will give Michigan voters the gold standard for cannabis reform,” Hank told MLive. “We can look at other states that have done it, cherry-pick their best practices and make the best law we can.”

Voters in Colorado, Washington, Alaska and Oregon have already chosen to legalize marijuana, and groups in a number of other states are pursuing ballot proposals. Recent polling suggests roughly 50 percent of Michigan voters support the concept of legalization and taxation of marijuana sold through state-licensed stores. [Read more at the Detroit News]