The state of California in the United States (U.S.) took one big step in regulating the use of medical marijuana. California Governor Jerry Brown signed three bills on Oct. 9, 2015 that will establish a Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulation.
On Nov. 5, 1996, California's Compassionate Use Act (Proposition 215) was enacted. The law gives an exemption to patients and medical officials who use and cultivate marijuana for medical treatment. Its enactment highlighted Golden State as the pioneer in the use of medical cannabis, which propelled the Districts of Guam and Columbia and 22 other states in the U.S. to pass similar rulings.
The latest signing of the three laws in California will create a state agency that will oversee the licensure, production and clinical tests of medical marijuana, news that clearly made California Cannabis Industry Association executive director Nate Bradley's day.
"The ones who have the financing are doing a good job working together to get past their differences. There are lots of strong personalities in the discussion. Nobody has officially has done their own thing," confirmed Bradley.
The once gray market industry has been attracting wealthy investors including Sean Parker, Facebook investor and Napster co-founder. Industry players understand too well that the new laws can be a strong foundation in legalizing the recreational use of marijuana. Parker, along with InvestInCannabis.com CEO Eddie Miller, foresee cannabis' legalization as inevitable. Parker and Miller are pushing for corporate-friendly state regulations with only a few privately-owned companies for distribution.
The Washington-based advocacy group Marijuana Policy Project commended Brown on his decision. The group's deputy director for communication, Lauren Vazquez, commended that the laws will provide patients with access to the medical marijuana that is legal, consistent and clinically safe. The laws will also result in new guidelines for product tests and classifications, giving patients and health official assurance that they are getting the right products.
The laws will take effect in 2018. Presently, marijuana cultivation is prevalent in gray market farms. The new laws will regulate cultivation activities along with the imposition of state tax. Agriculture heads will also be required to formulate a system to track the development and sale of the marijuana products for medical use.
On the other side of the fence, opponents perceive the laws will results in a business organization that could promote harmful use. Smart Approaches to Marijuana's co-founder Kevin Sabet commended that some people are opposed to seeing marijuana stores in their communities. Sabet added that the current way of procuring medical marijuana from a doctor's office and smoking it are favored by recreational users of the drug.
Photo: Carlos Gracia | Flickr
