Image from the BBC article Recreational Cannabis Use Becomes Legal in California.
With six US states – Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Nevada as well as California – having legalised cannabis, one in five Americans can now legally purchase the drug.
Despite this, the federal government still regards marijuana as illegal, classifying it alongside heroin and cocaine as a proscribed substance.
Bloomberg reports Customers Line Up for Broad Legal Pot Sales in California.
In 1996, over the objections of law enforcement, President Clinton’s drug czar and three former presidents, California voters approved marijuana for medicinal purposes. Twenty years later, voters approved legal recreational use and gave the state a year to write regulations for a legal market that would open in 2018.
Today, 29 states have adopted medical marijuana laws. In 2012, Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize recreational marijuana. Since then, five more states have passed recreational marijuana laws, including Massachusetts, where retail sales are scheduled to begin in July.
Even with other states as models, the next year is expected to be a bumpy one in California as more shops open and more stringent regulations take effect on the strains known as Sweet Skunk, Trainwreck and Russian Assassin.
At first, pot shops will be able to sell marijuana harvested without full regulatory controls. But eventually, the state will require extensive testing for potency, pesticides and other contaminants. A program to track all pot from seed to sale will be phased in, along with other protections such as childproof containers.
Jamie Garzot, founder of the 530 Cannabis shop in Northern California’s Shasta Lake, said she’s concerned that when the current crop dries up, there will be a shortage of marijuana that meets state regulations. Her outlet happens to be close to some of California’s most productive marijuana-growing areas, but most of the surrounding counties will not allow cultivation that could supply her.
“Playing in the gray market is not an option,” Garzot said. “California produces more cannabis than any state in the nation, but going forward, if it’s not from a state-licensed source, I can’t put it on my shelf. If I choose to do so, I run the risk of losing my license.”
In 2016, the state produced an estimated 13.5 million pounds of pot, and 80 percent was illegally shipped out of state, according to a report prepared for the state by ERA Economics, an environmental and agricultural consulting firm. Of the remaining 20 percent, only a quarter was sold legally for medicinal purposes.
That robust black market is expected to continue to thrive, particularly as taxes and fees raise the cost of retail pot by as much as 70 percent.
The first thing California ought to do is commute the sentences of anyone in prison on drug charges.
Mike “Mish” Shedlock
“The first thing California out to do is commute the sentences of anyone in prison on drug charges.”
And put them right back in jail for tax evasion.
That is how big government works. The NYC police kill people for selling single cigarettes (loosies) on street corners. Why? Taxes.
Friends in Denver tell me taxes are so high on legal pot that black market pot is still very strong.
The whole legalization process is a joke. pot is exceedingly easy to grow. Growing weed is not like making moonshine. So when state actor try to tax and regulate weed, they will fail. people will just turn to growing their own, or buying from someone who does. Another huge bureaucracy(s) will be formed. The “state” will never learn.
God bless you Mish – a fount of common sense.
“The first thing California out to do is commute the sentences of anyone in prison on drug charges.”
As long as the weed smokers and drinkers stay home,,, don’t want them on the roads or on my job sites endangering others… Also don’t want to pay for their health care,, why should I pay for your stupid habits???
East of the Mississippi: MA legalization in July. DC is legal already but cannot be sold or bartered.
Norml says pot is legal in Maine, in small quantities and only if you grow your own.
http://norml.org/laws/item/maine-penalties-2
Nope. I’m wrong. The Governor of Maine vetoed the voter measure for legalized pot sales.
Still no states east of the Mississippi where one can legally purchase cannabis for recreational use. Maine is set to be the 1st.
I live in the first Colorado town east of Utah that allows for recreational marijuana sales. We now have 7 pot shops in the city limits. This is a town of at best about 1500 residents. Thinking amongst the townspeople is mixed, some think it is a horrible thing, others are happy to see the business but not happy about the reputation. Still I think the majority like the revenue it brings to town -most of the vehicles in the parking lots have Utah plates.
But I still remember January 2, 2014 and reading the email to all employees reminding us that even though it was legal, we’re still subject to random tests and should they come up positive we’re going to be fired. So the legalization really hasn’t changed my life much. The biggest change is to be even more wary of fellow drivers, because it is pretty obvious that some of them are high.
Local government is not up to speed or in some cases they passed even more draconian regulations which probably interfere with the med users rights to outdoor cultivation. Outdoor cultivation is the key here, because indoor pot is more expensive to grow and has smaller yields. Med pot already has to meet standards for pesticide use, fungus and mold prevention. Indoor growers can raise the THC, or drop the THC completely. I think some people are going to OD on some of these new pot products, this isn’t your grandfathers weed. Its like selling moonshine to people who just want a beer. And you know the export business will be booming, now that we can ship stuff without those anal people at USPS sniffing every package.
fingers crossed DUI deaths don’t quadruple in neighboring states where remains a proscribed substance