Californians are set to decide whether to make recreational marijuana
use legal, as other Western states have done, after the California Secretary of
State's office said on Tuesday the issue could be put to voters in the November
ballot.
The proposed so-called "Adult Use of Marijuana
Act," which is supported by Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom among others,
would allow people aged 21 and older to possess as much as an ounce of
marijuana for private recreational use and permit personal cultivation of as
many as six marijuana plants.
The proposed so-called "Adult Use of Marijuana
Act," which is supported by Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom among others,
would allow people aged 21 and older to possess as much as an ounce of
marijuana for private recreational use and permit personal cultivation of as
many as six marijuana plants.
"Today marks a fresh start for California, as we
prepare to replace the costly, harmful and ineffective system of prohibition
with a safe, legal and responsible adult-use marijuana system that gets it
right and completely pays for itself," initiative spokesman Jason Kinney
said in a statement.
"Today marks a fresh start for California, as we prepare to replace the costly, harmful and ineffective system of prohibition with a safe, legal and responsible adult-use marijuana system that gets it right and completely pays for itself," initiative spokesman Jason Kinney said in a statement.
The measure would also establish a system to license,
regulate and tax sales of marijuana, while allowing city governments to
exercise local control over or disallow commercial distribution within their
borders.
The initiative required just over 402,000 valid signatures to qualify for the ballot and exceeded that number on Tuesday, the Secretary of State's office said. Secretary Alex Padilla is slated to certify the initiative on June 30.
Opinion polls show attitudes have shifted more in
favor of liberalized marijuana laws since California voters defeated a
recreational cannabis initiative in 2010.
California led the way in legalizing marijuana for
medical purposes in 1996, with 22 other states and the District of Columbia
following suit, although cannabis remains classified as an illegal narcotic
under U.S. law.
Voters in four states - Colorado, Washington, Oregon
and Alaska - plus the District of Columbia, have gone a step further since 2012
in permitting recreational use for adults. Voters in several more states will
consider similar legislation in November as well.
Opponents of liberalized marijuana laws have argued
that such measures carry public safety risks and would make pot more accessible
to youngsters.
A new survey out last week showed however that
marijuana consumption by Colorado high school students has dipped slightly
since the state first permitted recreational cannabis use by adults.
(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing
by Brendan O'Brien and Simon Cameron-Moore)
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