Big Tech Paves the Way for Recreational Cannabis

18 Proposals, But Only One Lead

Support for California to join the recreational club—along with Colorado, Oregon, Alaska, Washington and the District of Columbia—seems to be a bit overzealous. As of the end of November 2015, there were an overwhelming 18 proposals to legalize recreational cannabis. Now comes the sifting through . . . to date, only nine have been approved to gather the 365,880 signatures required to land a coveted spot on the 2016 ballot.

The CAUMA Leads The Pack

Amidst the scramble to create the perfect picture of a recreational California, the California Adult Use of Marijuana Act (CAUMA) leads the way. Since its debut on November 2, the CAUMA (“the Sean Parker initiative”) has been the legalization leader. The measure is backed by Parker, the billionaire at the forefront of the social media world, famous for founding Napster and the former Facebook President.

Parker’s initiative received widespread support, including the Drug Policy Alliance, activist and Oaksterdam-founder Richard Lee. A CAUMA release also states that at the beginning of December 2015, the ReformCA withdrew their measure from the ballot process and its Board members now support CAUMA.

Not Much Devil in the Details

The CAUMA would allow Californians, 21 and over, to carry one ounce of cannabis, grow up to six mature plants per household and buy cannabis, extracts, concentrates and edibles at licensed collectives.

Criminal Records For MJ To Be Wiped Clean

One of the most attractive proposals of Parker’s initiative is a fresh start for those convicted of cannabis related offenses. The CAUMA would spare Californians from legal limbo by including measures to apply the new cannabis laws retroactively. That means Californians would be able to apply to have convictions removed as soon as the act becomes law.

Shatter-Proof Regulations

Notably, the Parker initiative includes more license categories than any legalization measure to date. Similar to the Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act (MMRSA), there are five cultivation licenses, six types of commercial licenses and non-volatile and volatile solvent (concentrates) manufacturers licenses. Constituents and supporters alike are particularly in favor of the concentrates license. Even though concentrates are best sellers in collectives throughout California, the production of some concentrates remains illegal even medically. The Parker initiative works to ensure that concentrates are produced in a safe and controlled manner despite their bad reputation.

Coffee Shops! 

If the CAUMA becomes law, California will become the second state to host Amsterdam style cannabis cafés right behind Alaska. Parker’s initiative would sidestep the hassle associated with allowing public consumption by making on-site smoking, vaping and edible-ing part of the law.

Clean Up Amendments

In response to several critics’ claims that “big money” was going to squeeze out the smaller business entities, the AUMA was recently amended. The CAUMA amendments seek to enhance labor provisions, establish local control by ordinance, enforce much-needed guidelines on packaging and labeling, and create incentives for minority-owned businesses. Further, a new five-year delay for large cultivation licenses, and limited restrictions on cross-ownership were added. Only after those first five years lapse, can state regulators issue large cultivation licenses and they must include the same restrictions on vertical integration as the MMRSA. The California Growers Association had said that the lack of protections against consolidation and monopolies was a “deal breaker” for them and it seems that Parker’s camp listened.

Although it’s not perfect, supporters say that the CAUMA represents the best practices and has the best chance to replace a failed system of prohibition with an effective, legal and regulated system. Stay tuned as “Big Tech” tries to get California legalized!