California’s 2016 legislative program has some interesting measures pending. These are 15-0103 (Control, Regulate, and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act) and 15-0104 (Cannabis Control and Taxation Act). The Attorney General has these posted for comment. Interested parties are free to express opinions by following the given links.
The proposed Control, Regulate, and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act could become one of the most significant marijuana laws in California if eventually approved. However, those on the extreme right are keen to stop it dead in its tracks if they possibly can. So what is all the fuss about? Who is backing 15-0103 and what does the Sutton-Lyman initiative contain?
The measure is supported by big money in the form of heirs to the Hyatt hotel chain and Napster’s co-founder, and has a broad support base on both sides of the house. This is because it strengthens law enforcement, makes it tougher for kids to lay their hands on pot, protects health and safety, and promises generous support for preservation of the environment.
Marijuana Laws in California: What’s the Trend?
Three broad approaches to marijuana prevail in The Golden State, that is home to endless beaches and towering redwood forests, and has always been a little left of center:
– The prohibitionist lobby wants to wipe marijuana off the face of the earth
– Marijuana users just want to be left alone and enjoy peaceful smokes
– Mainline politicians want to treat marijuana like a business and tax it
Where the Sutton-Lyman Initiative Belongs in the Picture
The draft Control, Regulate, and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act straddles middle ground and is likely to appeal to potheads and representatives alike. Being a joint Democratic-Republican venture with big money behind it, suggests it has a good chance of diluting opposition from the far right. In high-level terms, it sets itself nine objectives:
- Bring marijuana within the law
- Regulate and tax marijuana firmly
- Generate funds for social programs
- Make it harder for children to obtain it
- Regulate adult sourcing and consumption
- Limit marijuana agriculture water use
- Clear the courts of petty offenders
- Crack down on illegal smuggling
- Treat marijuana like a business
The majority of responsible Californians appear to regard the Sutton-Lyman bill as a lifeline out of the legal swamp law enforcement has gotten us into by harassing citizens in their own homes, and thereby creating a thriving black market. This time, they seem within grasp of rationalizing marijuana laws in California finally.