Though it might seem like pot is already legal in parts of California (We’re looking at you, Bay Area), it’s still an illegal substance for anyone in the state to use as a recreational substance. But not for long, and even the state’s top law enforcement official admits she can’t stand in the way of progression.
Attorney General Kamala Harris says marijuana legalization isn’t a matter of “if”, it’s a matter of “when” and “how”.
“I am not opposed to the legalization of marijuana. I’m the top cop, and so I have to look at it from a law enforcement perspective and a public safety perspective,” Harris told Buzzfeed this week. “I think we are fortunate to have Colorado and Washington be in front of us on this and figuring out the details of what it looks like when it’s legalized.”
California has seen plenty of attempts to legalize over the last 30 years, but that has meant in the past that voters are stretched thin by competing proposals. Finding a consensus on what “legalization” should mean among the voters has proven to be a tricky thing in California – where even some growers feel that the current laws are fine and help protect a cottage industry in places like Northern California where growing cannabis for export is a way of life.
Harris says that her only drawbacks are driving under the influence and how to detect that. She noted problems in Colorado with high-strength edibles (problems that have more to do with personal responsibility than the product itself). But she also said that it’s the state’s job to figure this out before the feds come in and screw it all up.
“There are real issues for law enforcement. How you will measure someone being under the influence in terms of impairment to drive?” Harris told Buzzfeed this week. “I think we are fortunate to have Colorado and Washington be in front of us on this and figuring out the details of what it looks like when it’s legalized.”
There are several plans in the works to legalize marijuana in the Golden State, including a proposal from the Marijuana Policy Project that is likely going to be similar to measures passed in Colorado, Oregon, D.C. and Alaska in scope. That is, limited home cultivation, public possession of up to about two ounces or so, legalized sales to adults 21 and up, etc.
