California Coming Closer to Recreational Marijuana

A proposal to legalize cannabis for recreational use in California is probably going to be placed on the November 8th ballot. A group with Sean Parker, the old Facebook President, stated on Tuesday that it has acquired six hundred thousand signatures, which is much more than needed to be eligible for the bill. Democratic Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, as well as other advocates of the bill, look to start up a campaign for people’s awareness of the Adult Use of Marijuana Act on Wednesday in San Francisco. This bill would allow people 21 or older to possess, transport, and use up to an ounce of cannabis for recreational purposes and would allow people to cultivate up to six cannabis 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.

The coalition, which also contains leaders having to do with law enforcement and civil rights, is required to collect about 370,000 signatures of registered voters to make the initiative eligible which would also tax retail sales of marijuana by fifteen percent. The use of cannabis in public and while operating a vehicle would still be illicit. Parker, a billionaire who helped start up Napster, donated over $1 million to the campaign to collect signatures and make the proposal eligible. If elections officials confirm that the signatures turned in Wednesday are valid and voters approve the initiative, California would become one of the states to legalize recreational marijuana.

“Marijuana is a very dangerous drug,” said Scott Chipman, 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.”