Marijuana Legalization Will Be In The Hands Of California Voters
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — California voters will decide this November whether recreational marijuana will be legalized in the state after an initiative gathered enough support to be placed on the ballot.
Recreational marijuana use is already fully legal in Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington.
While some say it will help fix a broken system, there's a lot of concern about what the repercussions of legalizing pot will be.
Those in support say prohibition has not worked.
"We've incarcerated thousands of folks around marijuana crimes; we've spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on a war on marijuana that doesn't really work," said Jason Kinney.
The initiative would allow adults aged 21 and older to possess, transport and use up to an ounce of cannabis for recreational purposes and grow up to six plants.
Businesses and governmental agencies will still have the right to enforce a drug-free workplace.
"Employees have the right to make sure their employees don't come in intoxicated with alcohol, and they have the same right they're not impaired by marijuana," said Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom.
He says there will be heavy regulation involved from the packaging of the product to advertising.
"I want adults to regulate this market, to aggressively address like we do tobacco use, so we don't send a positive message, and regulate how we do alcohol," he said.
But various law enforcement agencies and health groups warn that legalization will lead to more drugged driving and allow dealers of harder drugs to infiltrate the new scene.
"If we are going to make it so that a small amount of personal use for people over 21 is permissible, we still have to consider what about the people who buy 40 pounds to traffic it out of state, how is law enforcement going to deal with that," said Assemblyman Mike Gatto, "or the amount of fatalities of people getting stoned and getting behind the wheel?"
There is also concern the initiative doesn't address issues with current law where teens are already finding ways around the system to get medical marijuana.
If passed, it would authorize resentencing for prior convictions and decriminalization would be effective on Jan. 1.