2014 New Years’ Resolution: Legalize Cannabis in California

[Jesus Malverde]

Option 1: The Cannabis Policy Reform Act of 2014.

Ed Rosenthal, the cannabis mega-celebrity, is behind this one. He supposedly sent the initiative off to the Secretary of State on Dec. 19 to get it cleared for circulation. For non-medical gardens, the initiative allows for 2600 watts of light for indoor and 100 square feet of canopy for outdoor. Adults 21 and up are allowed up to three pounds of bud or as much as their personal gardens produce. There is no change to medi-pot grow limits. It protects parents that grow. Commercial producers and retailers would be regulated by the Department of Alcohol and Beverage Control.

Option 2: The Marijuana Control, Legalization and Revenue Act (MCLR) of 2014.

This initiative comes from a group called “Americans for Policy Reform.” According to their website, the text of the initiative comes from “a year-long ‘open source’ effort to include thousands of Californians in the law’s drafting.” MCLR 2014 legalizes the non-medical use of cannabis for adults 21 and over. It legalizes the farming of industrial and nutritional hemp, and it is supposed to repair and strengthen existing medi-pot laws to insure safe access anywhere in the state. It allows for 12 plants (6 flowering) per person/legal residence, with no change to medi-pot grow limits.

This initiative would establish “The Independent Cannabis Control Commission” to regulate marijuana, as opposed to leaving regulation up to the ABC or to the state legislature. I just spoke briefly with Proponent Dave Hodges about this aspect of the initiative, and he says cannabis is “such a dynamic” plant, so a regulatory body that is specifically oriented toward cannabis is in order.

An earlier version of the initiative did qualify to circulate, but Hodges says they are waiting for a more recent, amended version to qualify. The proponents expect to start circulating the initiative for signatures at the start of February.

Option 3: The Control, Regulate and Tax Marijuana Act of 2014.

The Drug Policy Alliance is behind this one. The initiative legalizes one ounce of bud and 1/8th of concentrates for adults over 21, the growth of six plants for medicinal users and four plants for recreational users, and it would have the ABC regulate commercial producers and retailers. It stipulates a 25 percent sales.

The initiative is not yet cleared for circulation.

Option 4: The California Cannabis Hemp Initiative 2014.

I covered this one back in October here on LoCO - OTP. Remember the verbose, kooky older hippie, cannabis-will-save-the-world types that I quoted? Yeah, dawggs. This is the Jack Herer Initiative. Free the weed!

Among other things, this initiative legalizes 99 flowering female plants and 12 pounds of flowers per person for personal use and caps the excise tax on commercial sales at 10% of retail price, with no tax on medicinal marijuana. CCHI is already circulating for signatures. The proponents have until Feb. 14th to gather just over half a million signatures to qualify for the 2014 ballot.

Tammy Newcomb, the Northern California Regional Coordinator for the campaign, tells me this in a Dec. 24 email that the recent numbers on signatures for CCHI 2014 are 200,000 confirmed registered voters. She also says that the Humboldt Libertarian Party is supporting the initiative and that they have over 1,000 volunteers gathering signatures with another 300 paid “volunteers” and 3 signature gathering groups workin’ it too.

http://lostcoastoutpost.com/2013/dec/30/loco-pot/

[Bennyboy]

1. I am convinced that the iniative process is NOT they way to do this...

I think this needs to be done in that big white building on Capitol mall. Every aspect of the industry needs to be written into the law.

This is perhaps the most complex issue facing America right now. How do we tax it. How do we make everyone happy? Edibles, extracts, growing regulations and taxation. Regulation. insepctions.

Commercial growing versus the neighborhood gardener who still manages to sell 10K worth of weed out of his backyard.

One thing about the CCHI, it is the only initiative to address pot prisoners.

A far too complex issue for the voters to deal with. And if they do, then there will be the incredible amount of lawsuits following.

[Comrade Grumpy]

2. Bennyboy, I have to disagree.

It's been 17 years since Prop 215, and the legislature still hasn't managed to craft state-wide regulations for medical marijuana.

Also, I don't know how much input you want the state's DAs, sheriffs, and Narcotics Officers Association to have. Me, I want their impact on this absolutely minimized. They know nothing about weed. They're freaking cops.

In both Colorado and Washington, the initiative writers legalized it, but left the writing of regs to state bodies. That seems to be working out okay, if not over-regulated.

That said, I doubt anything is going to happen in 2014 in California anyway. Only the DPA initiative has the access to the funds necessary to gather half a million signatures by April, and they haven't even decided if they're going to go for it yet. I don't think they really want to go this year, but filed their initiative just in case one of the others, which they don't like as much, started to look viable.

[Bennyboy]

4. Well.

In both Colorado and Washington, the initiative writers legalized it, but left the writing of regs to state bodies. That seems to be working out okay, if not over-regulated.

Uh the programs don't even start till Wednesday. And then all hell breaks loose because the law in a lot of ways is not specific.


We will still see lawsuits and all of that.......There are so many facets of the industry that are not addressed in either law.
And the average voter cannot possibly fathom all of the things completely that legalization would bring. And that includes myself.

[otherone]

3. kick

http://www.carterforgovernor.com/

this gives me an idea..