A ballot measure to fully legalize the drug has qualified for the November ballot. Opponents, however, call it a slippery slope.
Haven Daley / AP
Calling the war on drugs a failure and act of "tyranny," a diverse coalition announced Wednesday that Californians will get to vote on legalizing recreational use of marijuana.
California Lt. Gov. Gavon Newsom said during a news conference that the Adult Use of Marijuana Act has now met the qualifications to appear on the November ballot.
Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Colorado, and Washington, D.C., also allow for recreational use of marijuana.
Here's what the ballot measure would mean for Californians if approved:
Medical marijuana is already legal in California, and prescriptions are easy to obtain for any number of ailments — both real and perceived. Moreover, the Golden State decriminalized marijuana possession in 2011, meaning it was no longer a misdemeanor to carry small amounts of the drug.
As a result, the practical effect of the Adult Use of Marijuana Act would be largely symbolic of many Californians who already have access to weed. However, the act does aim to legitimize much of the marijuana industry by promising to tax sales, prohibit cultivation on public land, and impose a series of regulations on what supporters say is currently an unregulated sector.
The measure would allow adults to buy and consume 1 ounce of non-medical marijuana. Californians would also be able to grow up to six marijuana plants as long as they are out of public view.
Using weed in public, however, would still be illegal.
Newsom said the measure should consequently generate "millions and millions of dollars" for things like education, drug treatment, law enforcement, and research.
Stephen Downing, a retired deputy Los Angeles police chief also spoke at Wednesday's news conference, saying the aim was to defeat cartels that have proliferated in recent decades.
"There is no metric I found that points toward any kind of success with our current drug policies," Downing said, adding that the initiative "is the best chance for California to break the back of the cartels operating in our state."
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, left, and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom speak in support of marijuana legalization Wednesday in San Francisco.
Jeff Chiu / AP
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