California Democrats have recently changed their tune when it comes to marijuana legalization.
Our Los Angeles marijuana lawyers know that support for the legalization of marijuana is growing throughout the country.
This change marks a significant shift for the state party. According to reports delegates at the state level moved on Sunday to adopt a platform which would include the taxation, regulation and legalization of cannabis in a manner similar to that of alcohol or tobacco.
The platform was approved be an almost unanimous voice tally. The former mayor of San Francisco supported the change to the platform during the three-day Democratic convention hosted in Los Angeles.
Supporters of the change state that it is time to step up and lead California just as they did in 1996 when medicinal marijuana was legalized by Proposition 215.
Surprisingly, California has lagged behind other states in the legalization of recreational cannabis use after becoming the first state to legalize medicinal marijuana almost 20 years ago.
Despite the fact that marijuana legalization has very strong support within the state, California has made very little advancement toward legalizing recreational marijuana use. Recent polls reveal a significant majority of Californians are in support of legalizing regulating and taxing cannabis.
In fact for the first time a solid majority of Californians (55%) are in favor of legalizing recreational marijuana since polling began in 1969.
In fact, 8% of respondents stated they are in support of marijuana legalization for everyone. A much larger, 47%of respondents stated that the drug should be legalized with age and other restrictions similar to those of alcohol and tobacco.
Unfortunately, voters will probably be required to wait until 2016 in order to vote in favor of recreational cannabis. Advocates have decided against putting a measure on the ballot.
A group called the Coalition for Cannabis Policy Reform that includes the Drug Policy Alliance and the NORML Chapter in California have all decided that delaying the vote is to their strategic advantage as petitions are still circulating and the groups still lack the financial backing necessary to garner high-profile support.
A preliminary bill for recreational marijuana legalization has already been drafted which would allow individuals 21 and older to possess, use and buy small amounts of cannabis legally.
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