California lawmakers already want to roll back a key promise of marijuana legalization
Los Angeles Times May 2019
A view of an illegal marijuana dispensary after the Department of Water & Power shut off its utilities in Wilmington, Calif. on May 14. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
A view of an illegal marijuana dispensary after the Department of Water & Power shut off its utilities in Wilmington, Calif. on May 14. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
When advocates for legalizing marijuana in California drafted Proposition 64, they made an important concession to win the support – or at least minimize the opposition – of local government and law enforcement groups: Cities and counties, they said, would be allowed to ban marijuana-related businesses entirely if they chose to.
That guarantee of local control was a central promise of the proposition. But now, some legislators want to reverse it and force local governments to accept pot stores against their will. It’s an unfair bait-and-switch tactic that should not be approved.
Under Proposition 64, which was approved less than three years ago, local governments may not prohibit adults from growing, using or transporting marijuana for personal use, but they can refuse to license cannabis companies in their jurisdiction.
And that’s exactly what many have done. Roughly 75% of local governments have outlawed pot shops.
That, however, has created a problem, in the eyes of some Proposition 64 supporters. One of the measure’s goals was to transform the marijuana industry from a largely uncontrolled, unchecked, underground operation into a highly regulated marketplace served by legitimate, taxpaying companies. But because of the local bans on retail pot shops, there are still many eager cannabis customers living in places where legal marijuana is not easily available – and many sellers are therefore continuing to operate illegally in the shadows.
Proposition 64 promised local control, and many of the people who voted for it may have thought that was a critical part of the proposition.
In other words, the local bans are seen by some people as encouraging black market operators who don’t pay taxes or necessarily follow the new law’s regulations, such as those on pesticides and packaging. The state has sent more than 3,000 cease-and-desist letters to illegal pot businesses.
For complete story go to WE SAW THIS FIASCO COMING — Now You Have THREE Marijuana Markets!