California Gov. signs medical marijuana regulation laws

Gov. Brown signed the Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act on Oct. 9. The Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act would require that individuals and businesses that participate in the industry maintain a license for indoor or outdoor cultivation, distribution, transportation and more, and set up guidelines for individuals who want to grow their own medicinal plants. The Act also requires state agencies to regulate how medical marijuana is grown, packaged, and advertised. Local governments will also have the ability to tax businesses that sell the drug, or outright ban drug-related businesses, and the University of California has been charged with studying and recommending penalties for those who drive under the influence of the substance. “This package proves that, for the first time, Californians can work collaboratively to develop and produce comprehensive medical marijuana regulation,” said David Bejarano, President of the California Police Chiefs Association. Voters will have the ability to vote to legalize recreational cannabis in November 2016, and beginning to create regulations is a step in the right direction for those who might have opposed the legality of the drug. “Today, the Wild West era of medical cannabis came to an end, and a new era of responsible regulation has begun,” said Jim Araby, United Food and Commercial Workers Western States Executive Director. California is expected to begin licensing medicinal suppliers in 2018.]]>