California will decide on legalizing marijuana for recreational use in November, after the Secretary of State’s office confirmed supporters submitted more than enough signatures for a ballot initiative, according to a Reuters report.
“Today marks a fresh start for California, as we prepare to replace the costly, harmful and ineffective system of prohibition with a safe, legal and responsible adult-use marijuana system that gets it right and completely pays for itself,” Jason Kinney, initiative spokesman, said in a statement.
The “Adult Use of Marijuana Act” would allow individuals 21-and-older to possess up to an ounce of cannabis for personal use and allow personal cultivation of up to six plants. Under the proposal, localities would decide whether or not to allow retail operations, which would be taxed. The Bureau of Marijuana Control would be created within the Department of Consumer Affairs to regulate the industry.
The measure needed more than 402,000 signatures and Secretary of State Alex Padilla is expected to certify the signatures today.
Voters defeated a similar measure in 2010 but, according to a May poll by the Public Policy Institute of California, 60 percent of voters in the state support a regulated marijuana industry. This measure has drawn the support of Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and billionaire Sean Parker.