Marijuana Legalization Qualifies for 2016 Ballot in CA
We’re getting word from out buddies over at AUMA (The Adult Use of Marijuana Act) have confirmed that marijuana legalization will be on the California ballot this November. Voters in our state will once again have an opportunity to replace costly, ineffective prohibition with safe, legal & responsible system that pays for itself. The announcement came yesterday in Sacramento by Secretary of State Alex Padilla. The election happens November 8, 2016, General Election ballot in California.
“Today marks a fresh start for California, as we prepare to replace the costly, harmful and ineffective system of prohibition with a safe, legal and responsible adult-use marijuana system that gets it right and completely pays for itself,” said Jason Kinney, Spokesperson for the Adult Use of Marijuana Act in a release sent to us by AUMA.
The release continues, “This measure reflects years of hard work, diverse stakeholder input and broad, bipartisan public support. A growing majority of Californians support a smarter approach to marijuana and we’re gratified that voters will finally have the opportunity in November to pass comprehensive, common-sense policy that protects children, local control, public health and public safety, saves state and local taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, funds critical local programs, and serves as a model for the rest of the nation.”
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Already, the diverse coalition of endorsers in support of AUMA is the largest ever formed in support of marijuana policy reform in our state. Respected public polls over the past two years have repeatedly shown growing support among California voters for statewide marijuana legalization – most recently by the Public Policy Institute of California (May 25, 2016).
AUMA has been endorsed by:
Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom
U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach)
U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Torrance)
U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael)
California Medical Association
California Council of Land Trusts
California Cannabis Industry Association
California NAACP
Drug Policy Alliance
Marijuana Policy Project
National NORML
ACLU of California
California Democratic Party
California Young Democrats
Los Angeles County Democratic Party
San Francisco Democratic Party
Los Angeles Community Health Project
Sacramento Black Chamber of Commerce
Blacks in Law Enforcement of America
National Latino Officers Association
William C. Velasquez Institute
California legislators endorsing the measure – including authors and supporters of the bipartisan Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act (MMRSA) – are:
Speaker Emeritus Toni G. Atkins (San Diego)
Assemblyman Rob Bonta (Oakland)
Assemblyman David Chiu (San Francisco)
Assemblywoman Susan Talamantes Eggman (Stockton)
Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia (Bell Gardens)
Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer (South Los Angeles)
Assemblyman Kevin McCarty (Sacramento)
Assemblyman Bill Quirk (Hayward)
Senator Mark Leno (San Francisco)
The Adult Use of Marijuana Act is a consensus measure based on recognized best practices and recommendations from hundreds of engaged citizens and organizations. It includes strong safeguards for children, workers, local governments and small businesses and strict anti-monopoly provisions and the toughest warning label and marketing-to-kids laws in the nation.
It also closely adheres to the Lieutenant Governor’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Marijuana Policy and the new medical marijuana laws recently passed by a bipartisan majority of the Legislature and signed by Governor Brown (SB 643, AB 266 and AB 243).
Do you think that California will finally legalize marijuana this year? Let us know in the comments below…
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