The Adult Use of Marijuana Act of California is gunning for ballots this November – and they are definitely not short on endorsements. The initiative hasn’t even been approved for ballots (though it’s only a matter of time now) and they already have more endorsements than many initiatives see before Election Day.
Among those supporters are the Marijuana Policy Project, California Cannabis Industry Association, Drug Policy Alliance, the California Medical Association, California NAACP and counting. Now they are able to proudly add one more organization to that list as the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) announced their endorsement.
Previously NORML had reserved endorsement only for ballot measures which had already been approved – however this time around they decided they were better off jumping in sooner rather than later. So they gathered up all the initiatives running in California and after some careful consideration decided to endorse the Adult Use of Marijuana Act or AUMA.
“With the largest population of both marijuana producers and consumers in the United States, along with the largest voting delegation in Congress, the importance of voters in America’s most populous and influential state, California, passing a binding marijuana legalization ballot initiative in 2016 can’t be overstated,” wrote Allen St. Pierre, Executive Director of NORML. “On the matter of ending marijuana prohibition in America, as California goes, so too goes the rest of the nation.”
The proposed measure, if approved, would be one of the strictest in the nation so far. They have extremely specific and carefully thought out laws regarding to things such as edibles and safeguards for children. They have also outlined anti-monopoly measures that would ensure a fair chance in the industry for everyone.
There would also be millions of dollars raised through the cannabis industry and the initiative proposes the money would be spent on things like youth drug prevention, education and treatment as well as investing in local law enforcement as well as environmental protection.
When this measure does inevitably reach the ballots come November, there will be a lot changing in California if passed – but these changes would do so much more good than they could possibly do harm – and that is the goal here, right? Providing safe, legal access to adults who are old enough – while keeping it out of the hands of minors and black market drug dealers.
I’m really looking forward to seeing how things pan out around the country this year – especially in California, one of the states which is known for its cannabis culture.
