People keep saying it, because it continues to be true: Marijuana legalization is coming to a state near you. This year, nine states have ballot measures that either legalize medical or recreational pot or (in Montana’s case) expand a medical pot program. In the five states where full-blown legalization is on the table, the ballot measures are leading in the polls, and none seems more of a sure thing than California’s Proposition 64, currently polling at 60 percent among likely voters.
Prop 64—formally titled the Control, Regulate, and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act—would allow anyone in the state over the age of 21 to possess an ounce of whole herbal marijuana. Up to eight grams of concentrate like hash, wax, and cannabis oil would also be legal, as would home grows of up to six plants starting November 9. It would also create a strongly regulated recreational marijuana industry, setting licensing guidelines for cultivators and retailers alike, to debut in 2018.
The 62-page measure would set industry standards for product testing, packaging, labeling, advertising, and environmental compliance while establishing tax rates for marijuana production and sales. “We were really comprehensive on this one—it’s long for a reason,” said Lynne Lyman, the California state director for Drug Policy Alliance, one of the primary groups involved with designing the initiative.
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