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A6 U.S. NEWS
Monday 30 october 2017

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Confusion coming with California’s legal marijuana

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD see as potential conflicts Allen, executive director of than medical pot but of- upend the emerging in-
Associated Press in various laws and rules, the California Growers As- ficials this week proposed dustry by failing to provide
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ready or seemingly contradictory sociation, a marijuana in- hearings to take another a prompt way to license
or not, California kicks off plans. dustry group. look at how to regulate the suppliers, potentially forc-
recreational marijuana ing then to shut down. And
sales on Jan. 1. And, mostly, he’s dubious that the city
it’s not. will be ready to begin issu-
Los Angeles and San Fran- ing licenses on Jan. 1.
cisco are among many cit- “There’s not a lot of calen-
ies still struggling to fashion dar days left in the year,”
local rules for pot shops and he said.
growers. Without the regu- San Francisco, another city
lations, there could be lim- that strongly supports legal-
ited options in many places ization, still is debating lo-
for consumers eager to ring cal rules. Again, it’s uncer-
in the new year with a legal tain what will be ready, or
pot purchase. when.
“The bulk of folks probably “What we want to do is
are not going to be ready bring everything into the
Jan. 1,” conceded Cara daylight, regulate it, get
Martinson of the California fees for the cost of regula-
State Association of Coun- tion and collect taxes as
ties. appropriate,” said county
In general, California will Supervisor Jeff Sheehy.
treat cannabis like alcohol, San Diego is among the cit-
allowing people 21 and ies ready to get the recre-
older to legally possess up ational market going.
to an ounce and grow six Phil Rath, executive direc-
marijuana plants at home. In this April 23, 2017, file photo, vendors offer marijuana for sale at the High Times Cannabis Cup tor of the United Medical
Come January, the newly in San Bernardino, Calif. Marijuana Coalition, a San
legalized recreational sales Associated Press Diego trade group, said
will be merged with the years of disorder in the
state’s two-decade-old The state expects business- The route to legalization local industry. medical market led to in-
medical marijuana market, es that receive licenses will began last year when vot- Kern County, home to creased black market busi-
which is also coming under only work with others that ers approved Proposition nearly 900,000 people, has ness.
much stronger regulation. hold them. But that has 64, which opened the way banned the sale of mari- That provided a ready ex-
But big gaps loom in the alarmed operators who for recreational pot sales to juana even as California ample of how not to man-
system intended to move wonder what will happen if adults in the nation’s most legalizes it. Supervisors said age recreational sales.
cannabis from the field to their supplier, for instance, populous state. they see it as a danger to San Diego moved prompt-
distribution centers, then to decides not to join the new Unlike the state, cities and citizens and also voted to ly, setting up a system that
testing labs and eventually legal market. counties face no deadline phase out more than two will allow recreational sales
retail shops. Others say it’s not clear to act. However, the con- dozen medical marijuana at dispensaries permitted
The state intends to issue what could happen in cit- cern is that confusion and dispensaries. under the medical system,
only temporary licenses ies that don’t enact pot a patchwork of local rules In Los Angeles, which by once they qualify for a
starting in January, and it laws, which they warn could discourage opera- some estimates could be a state license.
has yet to release its plan could open a loophole for tors from entering the legal $1 billion marketplace, vot- Industry experts say the dis-
to govern the estimated businesses to set up shop. economy, feeding a black ers have been strongly sup- tribution system - a sort of
$7 billion marketplace, the Some communities have market that could under- portive of legal pot. main artery where pot will
nation’s largest legal pot banned recreational sales cut the legitimate one. But its proposed regula- be received from growers,
economy. completely. Local regulation is a foun- tions hit snags, including sent out for testing, taxed,
If businesses aren’t licensed Most banks continue to dation block of the emerg- a dispute over a proposal and eventually shipped to
and operating in the le- refuse to do business with ing pot economy: A grower for so-called certificates of retail stores - is not robust
gal market, governments marijuana operators - pot or retailer needs a local compliance, which opera- enough to support the vast
aren’t collecting their slice remains illegal under feder- permit first, which is a step- tors feared would not meet new market.
of revenue from sales. The al law - and there are also pingstone to obtaining a qualification requirements The distributor model “was
state alone estimates it problems obtaining insur- state license to operate. for state licenses. the subject of most of the
could see as much as $1 ance. But those rules remain in Adam Spiker, executive di- political wrangling over the
billion roll in within several With recreational legaliza- limbo in many places. rector of the Southern Cali- last two years,” Allen said.
years. tion fast approaching, “we San Jose, the state’s third- fornia Coalition, an industry “That’s the control point,”
Operators have com- don’t have enough of any- largest city, has a tempo- group, warned last month he said, but “we don’t
plained about what they thing,” lamented Hezekiah rary ban on sales other that L.A.’s draft rules could have enough of them.”q