Frankly, we are less than surprised about the program slippage. In fact we have been warning for a while that implementation of Proposition 64 will not come in on target. Unlike marijuana entrepreneurs that have been preparing for years, our lawmakers are following a strictly linear process.
It is a shame really. California has a great dealt to benefit in terms of taxes. Yet our lawmakers insist on following a single-level approach. First, they draft a proposition that was bound to get through. Then they hold a ballot the result of which was virtually certain. Then and only then do they put administrative structures in place. These are currently drafting regulations that should have started years ago.
This is no way to begin a profitable business, as I am confident Patrick McGreevy writing in Los Angeles Times will agree. He confirms a stir at the California Capitol on Monday, when lawmakers challenged the ability of state agencies to come in on time.
The Smoking Pot Bomb California Faces
To recap, Proposition 64 wants licenses in place by January 1, 2018. The regulations and system may yet be. However, there will still be numerous license applications in the pipeline. To avoid prejudice and unfair practice there are going to have to be numerous provisional licenses at first.
Jerry Hill, chair of the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee opened Monday’s meeting by commenting they were skeptical that Proposition 64 would come in on time.
To this, the head of the Bureau of Medical Cannabis Regulation Lori Ajax acknowledged “a lot of challenges” especially as her bureau was now also in charge of licenses for recreational marijuana traders.
The Road Ahead for California’s Recreational Marijuana
Give or take a few distractions from the Trump administration, the beautifully simple lines of Proposition 64 will be elaborated by a flurry of legal band-aid and temporary regulations. Whereas Lori Ajax has promised ‘an emergency regulation’ by January 1, 2018, she admits months of organized chaos ahead.
“We are not going to be able to grant everyone a license on Jan. 1, 2018,” she told the Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee. “Some may get temporary licenses while the tens of thousands of applications are being processed.” It will likely take months after that to tidy up the details.
Comment
Our government had ample time to influence the wording of Proposition 64 administratively, but its officials did not. It now finds itself in an awkward position of not being able to implement the will of the people within the people’s deadline. I should be interested to know how much extra time the Courts consider fair and reasonable, if someone whose plans are disadvantaged asks.