Take on the Props Proposition 64 Legalize (and Tax) Marijuana

141834-fullI know this is the one everybody has been waiting for. Prop 64 legalizes marijuana. What does that mean? Here’s the list:

You will now be able to legally grow up to 6 plants in your home. However, it is illegal if it is unlocked or visible from a public place.

Marijuana will now be taxed! Cultivation of MJ will be taxed at $9.25/oz of dried flowers, and $2.75/ox of dried leaves.

Any business or delivery services that sells or transports MJ will need to be state licensed.

Businesses that sell MJ cannot sell alcohol or cigarettes, and would not be authorized to sell within 600 feet of a school, day care center, or youth center. There is also some language that attempts to limit the ability of “Big Marijuana Companies”. The measure bans large-scale licenses in the first five years, through Jan. 1, 2023. It states that the licensing powers are to avoid “unreasonable restraints on competition by creation or maintenance of unlawful monopoly power.”

Businesses can also have on site MJ consumption, but it cannot be done in public view. And at the point of sale, the customer will be taxed 15% on any non-medical MJ products.

Additionally, counties and cities could impose their own taxes, fees and restrictions, but cannot ban it.

Edibles may not be in a form that is appealing to kids, like candy. This language seems to be the most murky as brownies could certainly be considered appealing to children, and opponents have gravitated towards this area of the proposition to attack.

Who and where can you smoke or consume marijuana? Anyone 21 years or older may use MJ in a private home or a business that is licensed for consumption. It will be illegal to smoke while driving, in any public place, or anywhere cigarettes are already banned. It is also noted that employers will still have the right to restrict usage in the workplace at their discretion.

Tax revenues could reach $1 billion annually, but where will it go? On the state level, it will mostly fund research on the effects of marijuana to those who consume it, and towards preventative education and support for addiction of all drugs, as well as the dangers of driving under the influence.

If legalized, Culver City could choose to impose its own added sales tax or business license fee to be used at its discretion.

It should also be noted that any prisoners who are currently serving terms for offenses rendered null by the passage of Prop 64, could receive reduced sentences or released with time already served.

For more information, please take a look at the state’s Legislative Analyst’s Office’s website: www.lao.ca.gov/BallotAnalysis/Proposition?number=64&year=2016

Dan O’Brien

 

The Actors' Gang

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