A ballot measure to make recreational marijuana legal for adults was approved in California, opening the most populous U.S. state to a burgeoning commercial cannabis market in a major victory for supporters of liberalized drug laws.
The new measure, spearheaded by a coalition of supporters that included Democratic Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom and billionaire high-tech entrepreneur Sean Parker, allows adults to possess and use up to an ounce of pot for private, recreational use. It also permits personal cultivation of as many as six cannabis plants.
Moreover, it would establish a system to license, regulate and tax sales of marijuana, while allowing city governments to exercise local control over commercial distribution within their borders. They also point to the potential for hundreds of millions in additional state tax revenue from pot sales and billions in economic activity. Investors new to the sector said they are eager for a piece of a recreational marijuana market that by some estimates will reach $50 billion over the next decade.
“It’s changed in the minds of these voters from being like cocaine to being like beer,” said University of Southern California political scientist John Matsusaka. Civil rights groups have also embraced legalization, arguing that current marijuana laws have led to a disproportionate number of minorities being incarcerated for minor drug offenses.
Whether you like it or not it the recreational use of marijuana is here to stay. Through the course of the years it has been a true waste of time and money trying to stop the use of marijuana. Now our law enforcement can focus on more important issues in everyones daily life. I would hope all states come to realize this and get with the times.
What do you think?