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Leading California marijuana measure emerges

February 22, 2016

legalize-marijuana-california-environmentAided by billionaire backers, a marijuana legalization measure has emerged as a likely candidate to appear on the November ballot in California. [LA Times]

Marijuana legalization advocates have filed more than 20 proposal for state ballot measures. Six of the initiatives have already failed to qualify for the ballot, and the backers of four other measures have effectively abandoned their campaigns.

Support is consolidating behind the proposed Adult Use of Marijuana Act, largely because the campaign has raised $2.25 million. Sean Parker, the co-founder of Napster and the former president of Facebook, has donated $1 million to the initiative. The campaign also received $500,000 from Drug Policy Action, which is backed by investor George Soros.

If passed by voters, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act would allow Californians 21 and older to use marijuana and to keep up to one ounce in their possession. The ballot measure would impose a 15 percent sales tax on marijuana, and it would prohibit pot advertising targeting minors.

The initiative also calls for state officials to regulate the cultivation, distribution and sale of recreational marijuana. The measure would also prohibit exporting marijuana out of California.

Following recent legislation on medical marijuana, cities and counties across the state have been adopting ordinances aimed at maintaining local control of medical pot issues. Several cities in San Luis Obispo County have passed bans on the cultivation and sale of medical marijuana.

The billionaire-backed initiative attempting to legalize recreational use of marijuana has also gained the endorsement of Gavin Newsom, California’s lieutenant governor and a leading candidate in the 2018 governor’s race. Newsom chaired a blue-ribbon commission that tried to determine the best way of legalizing recreational marijuana while limiting access to children, targeting illegal activity and regulating cultivation and sale of the drug.

Some of the supporters of competing legalization initiatives have switched allegiance to the leading measure. Others, however, are worried the financial interests behind the leading initiative could wipe out California’s small marijuana operations and create “big marijuana” or a “Phillip Morris of marijuana.”

A campaign needs 365,880 signatures for its initiative to qualify for the November ballot. If more than one marijuana legalization measure qualifies for the ballot, the initiative that receives the most votes will trump the others.

In 2010, California voters rejected a marijuana legalization initiative by a vote of 53.5 percent to 46.5 percent. But, a 2015 poll conducted by the Public Policy Institute found 53 percent of respondents supported legalizing marijuana for recreational purposes.

Thus far, Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska are the only states to have legalized the recreational use of marijuana.


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where is the legalization?

this is more regulation

no thanks


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Regulating the marijuana growers would produce cleaner product, as who knows what’s been sprayed on it if you buy it illegally. Kind of the same argument they used for abortion- “They’re going to do it anyway so at least it will be safe.


PS, supposedly the steady use of weed only causes brain malformation in developing people (children/teens). It does not do this in brains finished forming (Adults)


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If you are a conservative Republican or Libertarian and you are not for legalizing marijuana for recreational use, you are a complete hypocrite.


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I don’t mind if they legalize weed. (They already gave way for teenage boys into the girls locker rooms if they say that they are feeling girly.) But if today’s kids(18+ ) have to put up with a little police harassment like I did because they like to smoke weed, I don’t think it will kill them if they learn to be smart about it.


I actually have an unstated interest in this state loosening it’s marijuana laws. It would be nice for legal users to have a way to transport and smoke when not at home. There are edibles, but that can become costly over extended period.


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The legal market has done just fine without any regulation. In the past 5 years, just about every legal dispensary has started testing their products. Why? Because the customers want that. As a result, the pesticide use has all but disappeared.


Consider the backers for this. You really think Soros cares about liberty? He wants corporate control of cannabis. Once this passes, we’ll have exactly what the opponents fear- a fascist model of control, driven by regulations and requirements that will be impossible to afford for the average small grower. This tactic has been used many times in many industries.


When it was illegal/grey area, the laws prevented entry into the market by big money. Now that will change. Big money comes in, and the first they always do is pull up the ladder to reduce competition. No, that’s not “crony capitalism”, it’s called facism, or “corporatism” as Mussolini coined it.


So we’ll go from hundreds of small growers, putting their money back into their communities in the form of rent, car payments, food, etc. and go to a handful of huge growers, paying people minimum wage, concentrating wealth at the top and probably out of state. Hmmm, isn’t “income inequality” the hot topic these days for the liberals? Too bad their pet politicians are the ones backing it…


I’d vote no on ANYTHING these jackasses come up with. Their goal is always to enrich themselves at others expense.


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Welcome to 2016


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What everyone wants to know is where “Dave” stands on the matter..


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Can’t find Dave, he’s never home.


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Can NOT understand WHY we would want to legalize another type of drug that could be openly used that put people at risk like other drugs — including alcohol. Cigarettes give off second-hand smoke so what’s up with the second hand smoke of marijuana – what it –wouldn’t count?? That’s just a MINOR strike against legalization…the studies that have shown what it does to your brain and how it has been shown to be a “gateway drug” to other illegal drugs….REALLY! I realize that there’s a big hub-blub about “medical marijuana” but then WHY isn’t it in a regular form to be dispensed by pharmacies LIKE other regulated medicines/pharmaceuticals? And, you hear of many people who actually DON’T NEED it for medical purposes – it’s just recreational. I for one will be voting AGAINST any propositions related to legalizing marijuana!!


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Whaaaat? You’re talking crazy. Check what you believe to be facts. Marijuana is not a gateway drug, ask everyone from a junkie to the government. Yes, seriously, the government has this stance.

http://healthland.time.com/2010/10/29/marijuna-as-a-gateway-drug-the-myth-that-will-not-die/


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Can NOT understand WHY we would want to legalize another type of drug that could be openly used that put people at risk like other drugs — including alcohol.

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Wrong. And that’s why you can’t support this statement with any proof.


Cigarettes give off second-hand smoke so what’s up with the second hand smoke of marijuana – what it –wouldn’t count??

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And since you have no proof you jump subjects. Do you really think they’re going to let people smoke pot in airplanes and buildings or something?


the studies that have shown what it does to your brain and how it has been shown to be a “gateway drug” to other illegal drugs….REALLY!

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Again wrong. Repeating yourself doesn’t count as support. And if you don’t believe the medical research, Colorado, Oregon, Alaska and Washington are the proof in the pudding. Guess what? It’s legal in those places and nothing bad has happened. If anything, alcohol use and abuse is going to decrease dramatically.


I realize that there’s a big hub-blub about “medical marijuana” but then WHY isn’t it in a regular form to be dispensed by pharmacies LIKE other regulated medicines/pharmaceuticals?

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Because it was demonized by the Nixon administration and made a schedule 1 drug by the orders of a very disturbed President.


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Glad to see someone answered all her questions. Regarding the last question,


It’s possible that the marijuana isn’t controlled like chemist type medicines because it doesn’t need to be. It is tested for chemical levels and I believe also for cleanliness from mold and pesticides. But you can’t OD on the stuff. It’s use as needed, don’t worry if you take a little too much – it doesn’t help, but it doesn’t hurt either


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You should try doing some homework TiaMiaOhMy, and maybe a little critical thinking. Try reading about alcohol prohibition, and how terribly well it did not work. Cannabis has also been prohibited for decades…how well is that working out? Whether you like the drug in question or not is irrelevant. As a policy, Prohibition of alcohol and marijuana, was and is a dismal failure. And this is a policy issue. It simply works better in society to regulate these drugs rather than prohibit them…look at history…Prohibition simply does not work.


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then leave it to people that DO understand.


see how that works?


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bobfromsanluis,


Obviously you’re doing your own comedic writing, but I do miss the Cheech and Chong movies.


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They’re online if you look a little. You can also find could on YouTube, and interviews with Cheech and Chong. Tommy was recently in prison over weed commerce laws


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I guess all the other initiatives went up in smoke?


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