[vta]

Here we go....

Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)
Author: Patrick McGreevy

POT BACKERS CLAIM BALLOT GOAL

High- Profile Coalition Will Submit 600,000 Signatures to Give Voters a Chance to Legalize Marijuana.

SACRAMENTO - A measure to legalize marijuana for recreational use in California appears headed for the Nov. 8 ballot.

A coalition that includes former Facebook President Sean Parker on Tuesday said it had collected 600,000 signatures, more than enough to qualify the initiative.

Democratic Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and other supporters of the measure plan to kick off a campaign for voter approval of the Adult Use of Marijuana Act on Wednesday in San Francisco.

The measure would allow adults ages 21 and older to possess, transport and use up to an ounce of marijuana for recreational purposes and would allow individuals to grow as many as six plants.

"This November, California voters will finally have the opportunity to pass smart marijuana policy that is built on the best practices of other states, includes the strictest child protections in the nation and pays for itself while raising billions for the state," Newsom said in a statement.

The coalition, which includes some law enforcement and civil rights leaders, needed to collect 365,880 signatures of registered voters to qualify the initiative, which would also place a 15% tax on retail sales of the drug.

The use of marijuana in public and while driving would remain illegal. Parker, a billionaire who also cofounded the file-sharing service Napster, donated more than $ 1 million to the campaign to collect signatures and qualify the initiative.

If elections officials verify that the signatures turned in Wednesday are sufficient and voters approve the initiative, California would join Colorado, Washington, Alaska and Oregon as states that allow recreational use of marijuana.

Opposition is already organizing behind groups such as Citizens Against Legalizing Marijuana, which formed to defeat a 2010 legalization initiative that was rejected by 53% of voters.

"Marijuana is a very dangerous drug," said Scott Chipman, a San Diego businessman who is the Southern California chairman of the group. "The state has not proven it has the capacity or the will to properly regulate marijuana and so they won't."

The measure is also opposed by the California Police Chiefs Assn., in part, because of problems that have arisen in Colorado.

Ventura Police Chief Ken Corney, president of the association, said extremely potent marijuana is being sold in Colorado that he fears will lead to high addiction rates and high incidents of psychosis.

"This is bad for our communities. This is bad for our youth and it's a broad commercialization [ of drugs], a for-profit, money-making model," Corney said.

More than 55% of California voters allowed the use of marijuana for medical purposes in 1996 when they approved Proposition 215.

Despite the defeat of a 2010 legalization initiative, a poll last year by the Public Policy Institute of California found that 55% of likely voters in California favor full legalization.

"I'm excited to be a part of one of the largest coalitions of cannabis and noncannabis organizations to come together to push this initiative forward," said Nate Bradley, executive director of the California Cannabis Industry Assn.

Bradley, who backed the failed 2010 initiative, said voters have since "seen how well [ legalizing recreational use] has worked in other states."

Newsom, who is running for governor in 2018, formed a blue ribbon commission on marijuana policy that made recommendations, many of which were incorporated into the initiative.

The measure is supported by the Drug Policy Alliance, Marijuana Policy Project, California Cannabis Industry Assn., California Medical Assn. California NAACP, and the national Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

The medical association said in a statement that it supports the measure because "the most effective way to protect the public health is to tightly control, track and regulate marijuana and to comprehensively research and educate the public on its health impacts, not through ineffective prohibition."

Supporters hope to build on the momentum from the Legislature's action last year to set up regulations for the medical marijuana industry in California. The new initiative would expand on that, renaming the state Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulation as the Bureau of Marijuana Control.

[Meraxes]

I think Sean Parker is the one played by Justin Timberlake in The Social Network. That would be good, another domino falling is good for all of us...

[Chunkypigs]

it's such a fucked up give away to big money. you guys are getting hosed with this and the new medical regs that passed last year.

you are going to see enforcement on steroids in 2018 with all the new felonys created by the new weed regs.

[cooterbrown420]

Originally Posted by Chunkypigs

it's such a fucked up give away to big money. you guys are getting hosed with this and the new medical regs that passed last year.

you are going to see enforcement on steroids in 2018 with all the new felonys created by the new weed regs.

Couldn't have said it better myself chunky!! But so many people are going to vote for "Legalization" this year and not realize they are just giving in to big business.

[FireIn.TheSky]

Hey man take a hit of this recreational taxation

[pop_rocks]

"This is bad for our communities. This is bad for our youth and it's a broad commercialization [ of drugs], a for-profit, money-making model," Corney said.
wont someone think of the children
/gasps and clutches pearls

it says 21 and over for legal use
allow adults to grow their own and you largely remove the black market and limit kids access to weed

[pop_rocks]

Originally Posted by FireIn.TheSky

Hey man take a hit of this recreational taxation

gladly!
look at it as the cost of admission

[_tessarecting]

Smoke weed every day

[sdd420]

Legalization stops people from being hassled and such just for weed. You notice the NAACP is for it right? You all are nitpicking and look how it is in your neck of the woods not Cali . We will decide and if not legal I will be very disappointed. I'm medical but for gosh sakes it should be available like a herb or produce to anyone. Due respect to chunky but it hasn't been illegal for even a hundred years and was made so for monetary gain and to control not any other reason. So illegality is not an option and must change. Peace and good luck to you all in your states

[yesum]

I do not sell so this works for me. Did anyone think that cali (or any other state) would not screw with the sellers, really? It was all about the Tubmans all along, including making it illegal. < Tubman will be the new $20 bill.