There is still a long road ahead of the Adult Use of Marijuana Act in California – the recreational marijuana ballot initiative being led by Sean Parker as well as many others including politicians, activists, entrepreneurs, and environmentalists.
Originally a surprise entry into the realm of recreational use campaigns in California Parker’s initiative was in the spotlight from the moment it started. Previously a group called ReformCA was the center of attention, but now they have joined forces with Parker to provide a stronger campaign.
If passed, this initiative would attempt to regulate marijuana in a way similar to alcohol – allowing persons 21 and older to purchase up to an ounce and grow up to six plants. There would be a 15% tax would be imposed on recreational sales that they expect would net $1 billion in sales.
The wording is what will make or break an initiative when they are awaiting approval – and there is already strong evidence that this initiative might be the right one. The California Medical Association, the largest association of doctors in the state, have decided to endorse this proposed initiative.
“It needs to be legalized, so it can be regulated,” says Molly Weedn, the group’s Vice President of Communications. “Right now there’s no system of regulation. Legalizing it will give it the opportunity that physicians will be able to better study and understand some of the clinical effects.”
It’s clear that from a medical standpoint, one of the most appealing parts of the Adult Use of Marijuana Act is the fact that it would open up other possibilities when it comes to studying the plant.
“We feel that this initiative specifically is in line with the concerns we had for better monitoring and research of cannabis,” Weedn said.
The other main concern that this initiative addresses that the CMA is particularly happy about – they believe that medical use of marijuana should be more strictly regulated than it has been and that adult use should be regulated separately (rather than encouraging everyone to jump for a prescription).
With the laws that were recently passed by the state regarding medical marijuana regulations the only thing left is to regulate adult use. The CMA is certain that this initiative has some of the strictest regulations compared to states who already have legal marijuana that this is their best shot.
“The California Medical Association believes the Adult Use of Marijuana Act is a comprehensive and thoughtfully constructed measure that will allow state officials to better protect public health by clarifying the role of physicians, controlling and regulating marijuana use by responsible adults and keeping it out of the hands of children,” said Steven Larson, MD, MPH, President of California Medical Association.
“Medical marijuana should be strictly regulated like medicine to ensure safe and appropriate use by patients with legitimate health conditions and adult-use marijuana should be regulated like alcohol. This measure – along with the recently-passed medical marijuana bills — will ensure the State of California does both – while keeping the public health and public interest as paramount concerns,” Larson continued.
This is good news for the Adult Use of Marijuana Campaign – if an association as large and established as the California Medical Association is willing to endorse you then chances are you’ve got a good shot at this.
They still need to collect a total of 366,000 signatures by July 5th to qualify for the ballot – so it you live in the California and you haven’t already – go sign the petition!
