Advocates of medical marijuana in California said yesterday – Tuesday 25 October 2011 – that a 2012 ballot initiative is being drafted calling for state-wide regulation of the mushrooming medical marijuana business.
Included in the ballot-drafting team are those responsible for last years unsuccessful Proposition 19. Chancellor of the cannabis business school, Oaksterdam University, so central to Proposition 19, Dale Sky Jones, believes recent actions by federal enforcement agencies highlight the need for medical marijuana trade regulation.
Framework for the potential directive is still under consideration but there has been some discussion around the introduction of a Colorado-type system, with its state inspections and licensing of cannabis cultivators and providers.
Jones, who is chair of the Coalition for Cannabis Reform Policy is confident that the 47% of the electorate who supported Prop 19 would come on board in favor of state-wide regulation. However, Oaksterdam founder, Richard Lee, who bankrolled Proposition 19 to the tune of $1.5 million, will not be able to repeat his largesse.
We wrote recently about the hijacking of California’s medical marijuana trade by profiteers, a situation which has led to threats from federal authorities to evict dispensaries and cultivators from their properties. These threats have led Lynette Shaw, director of the Marin Alliance for Medical Marijuana, to call on the President to issue an executive order to stop these actions.
