Medical marijuana - California governor signs bills to regulate industry

By The Guardian

Three bills aimed at bringing order and oversight to California’s medical marijuana industry nearly 20 years after the state became the first to legalise the drug for medical use have won Governor Jerry Brown’s signature, his office said on Friday.

The Democratic governor’s endorsement of the 70-page Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act hammered out by lawmakers in the closing hours of the legislative session was expected – because his office crafted many of the exhaustive details.

The bills create the first statewide licensing and operating rules for pot growers, manufacturers of cannabis-infused products and retail weed outlets since California voters legalised medical marijuana in 1996.

A number of groups are trying to qualify voter initiatives for the November 2016 ballot that would legalise recreational marijuana in California.

Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, who unlike Brown has endorsed the idea of allowing adults to use marijuana for fun, said getting the state’s freewheeling medical marijuana industry under control would ease the transition to a system that also addressed recreational use.

“Given the history and complexity of California’s market, achieving the people’s will and responsibly regulating marijuana will be a process that unfolds over many years, requiring sustained attention to implementation,” Newsom, a candidate for governor in 2018, said after the legislative vote.

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Thumbnail: Flickr CC Dave H