NAACP Supports California Marijuana Initiative after Changes are Made

In all likelihood, there will be enough signatures on the petition to get the Adult Use of Marijuana (AUMA) on the ballot for the next election, so California voters can decide if they want to follow two other states and the District of Columbia and legalize marijuana for recreational use. Technically, this will not interfere with the already established medical marijuana programs, but it will clearly have a significant effect on the industry.

While the majority of Americans now support legalization of medical marijuana, and it is legal in 23 states so far, there is not as much widespread support for full legalization of marijuana. In order to the get the ballot measure pass, organizers would like as much support from as many organizations and interest groups as possible. One of the groups with the potential to bring a lot of voters is the NAACP. Until recently, the NAACP said it could not support the proposed ballot measure, because nobody spoke with their organization and sought their input in drafting the measure according to a recent news feature from Associations Now.

At this point, the president of the California NAACP came out and said that the organization could not support the new proposal and might even have no choice but to oppose it, according to a recent news feature from Associations Now. While she said opposing a ballot measure is the last thing the organization wants to do, she would have no choice unless the NAACP was consulted to aid in the drafting process.

However, much to the surprise of many, the NAACP is now endorsing this ballot proposition to legalize marijuana for adult recreational use. The reason the NAACP is now willing to urge its membership to vote for the ballot measure is because the concerns of the organization were addressed by the drafters of the ballot measure and incorporated. The changes that the NAACP recommended included the inability of non-violent felons to participate in the legalized marijuana industry. The NAACP also wanted funds from legal marijuana sales to be used at least in part to help rebuild the communities heavily damaged in the war on drugs. Essentially, the California NAACP wanted there to be a social justice component to the proposed voter proposition.

The organization said, once they had the opportunity to speak with the drafters and make their concerns known, it was fairly easy to get support for their ideas and changes. The drafters of the AMUA were happy to hear what the NAACP had to say and were pleased to have the full support of the organization, which will hopefully be a big help with it comes time to vote on the new act.

While many think the new act will ultimately pass, there is likely to be some resistance, and even if it does pass, there are likely to be a lot of questions as to what is legal and what is not during the transition period. For this reason, you should contact an experienced Los Angeles medical marijuana attorney to assist your business in staying within the ever-evolving system of laws and regulations.

The Los Angeles CANNABIS LAW Group represents growers, dispensaries, collectives, patients and those facing marijuana charges. Call us at 949-375-4734.

More Blog Entries:
Report: Oregon Airport Allows Carry-On Cannabis, July 22, 2015, Los Angeles Marijuana Lawyer Blog