Cal legalization initiative has signatures

Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom, who spearheaded the California Blue Ribbon Commission on Marijuana Policy, spoke  at the Commonwealth Club press conference in San Francisco May 4 to announce that the Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA) campaign collected and has turned in over 600,000 signatures, nearly twice the number required for the measure to qualify for the 2016 ballot. A broad-based coalition of support was on hand to celebrate the launching of the official campaign.

The initiative protects existing medical marijuana laws and would legalize the possession, transportation and sharing by adults 21 and above of up to an ounce of non-medical cannabis and eight grams of concentrate and allow six plants per household in an enclosed space. It significantly reduces most other penalties and allows for state and local licensing of commercial production, processing, distribution and on site consumption of marijuana without requiring a physician’s recommendation, subject to production and excise taxes.

Newsom said that AUMA has a comfortable time frame for signature validations and it will be presented to voters in November. He  praised the language for its balanced approach and spoke of potential tax revenues and business regulations for the marijuana economy. He said the initiative has features that restrict access to adults only and protect the environment. However, social justice issues are at stake as well, and the  initiative addresses them in a considered and responsible way. He stressed that the initiative does allow some flexibility for the legislature to modulate the program and that it sets a course forward for ongoing political reforms.

Marsha Rosenbaum, Director Emerita, Drug Policy Alliance and Blue Ribbon Commission Co-Chair, Youth Education and Prevention Working Group, said that as a mother she was reassured by the AUMA provisions that require photo ID to purchase cannabis and prevent its being advertised to minors. Rather than hamper youth with criminal records,  it will provide youth with treatment if needed, drug education and community service instead.

California NAACP President Alice Huffman endorsed the initiative and said that a realization has recently come in communities of color. Whereas a few years ago people blamed drugs and marijuana in particular for many social ills, today people understand that the greatest damage is inflicted by the current harsh legal penalties that harm a person for life.

Dr. Donald I. Abrams, Chief, Hematology-Oncology Division at San Francisco General Hospital and Professor of Clinical Medicine, UCSF, spoke on behalf of the California Medical Association to endorse the measure. Abrams is a well known researcher into the medical use of cannabis.

Former President of the California Fish and Game Commission, former Vice President of National Audubon Society and measure co-proponent Michael Sutton said that having marijuana outlawed has led to abuse of streams and watersheds, pollution and serious environmental degradation. The AUMA initiative create a licensed and regulated agricultural program for cannabis production that assures quality and purity and the part of the excise tax will help to mitigate the existing damage and support environmental programs.

Stephen Downing, former Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Deputy Chief, 21-year law enforcement veteran, spoke as a law enforcement officer who has seen the failure of the Drug War and called on California to pass the AUMA initiative and legalize marijuana for adult use.

Representatives of social-justice advocacy organizations including Drug Policy Alliance, Marijuana Policy Project, national NORML, William C. Velasquez Institute, the California Cannabis Industries Association and Moms United to End the War on Drugs were present, along with Congressman Dana Rohrbacher and members of the cannabis community such as Mikki Norris, Chris Conrad, Lauren Vazquez, Katie Stone, and Paul Armentano.