Here’s what occurs if Californians legalize recreational pot

California was the first state to legalize medical marijuana in 1996 but has lagged behind in the years since.

Prop. 205 makes recreational pot legal for adults 21 and older, allowing them to use, possess, manufacture and give away or transport up to an ounce of marijuana.

A coalition of religious leaders, politicians, and healthcare officials have urged Californians to vote against a proposition legalizing marijuana for entertainment purposes, referring to it as the “most disastrous proposition of a decade”. The city ordinance would take effect immediately after the election, if Prop 64 passes, so that no one in Fillmore will be able to grow legal marijuana without following city regulations. Of supporters who Davis suspects have a financial motivation for supporting Prop 64, he says, “I think that that’s a sad reason that anyone would want to support the marijuana initiative”.

Meanwhile, opponents of the ballot measure argue prior reforms, such as the 2011 legislation, already makes criminal punishment for marijuana-related crimes mild. McNeal predicts that legalization will cause numbers to fluctuate. A large majority – 62 percent – of teens said they’d never used marijuana, while alcohol remained the “drug of choice” among teenagers. But experts say it’s not surprising the initiatives made it onto the ballot considering voters approved medical marijuana in 2010 and a minimum wage increase in 2006.

California has in place laws allowing the compassionate use of marijuana for those with specified medical conditions making Proposition 64 a non-urgent proposal.

Authorities along the border also believe that legalized pot will bolster drug cartels that smuggle tens of thousands of pounds of marijuana through Arizona each year.

The decriminalisation of recreational cannabis use in California could be a milestone towards ending the drug’s prohibition nationally, it has been suggested. Flores says that there would be up to $125 million a year for law enforcement and $350 million a year for youth substance abuse and prevention programs.

Proposition 205 “sends a message to children and young people that drug use is socially and morally acceptable”.

The key reason for the slow pace from 1986 to 2006, the last time the state executed anyone, was long delays in hearing appeals. But they also fear Proposition 64 could put them out of business. “We’ve got members of the HIV and AIDS advocacy committee and members of the LGBT community”, Fairbanks said.

“It’s time to do something about the runaway drug prices”, said Tim Behrens, president of California State Retirees. More information about MapLight can be found here.

Proposition 64 imposes state taxes on sales and cultivation. Mylan wants you to stay home on election night. “You can’t use it or ingest it anywhere where smoking is prohibited”.

Hawes also added that if counties choose not to allow retail sales, their law enforcement will not benefit from tax revenue. Minor possession was reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor in 1976, and medical marijuana was legalized in 1996.

“This (proposition) is going to legitimize what has previously been an underground industry”, McNeal said. Nonmedical marijuana is already big business. “They were targeting kids and the marijuana industry is targeting kids, too, because if they don’t get kids started, there is no marijuana industry”.