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The Orion

Chico State's independent student newspaper

The Orion

Chico State's independent student newspaper

The Orion

Legislature to talk legal pot

Published 2012-03-27T21:55:00Z”/>

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Bill, initiative aims to alleviate crackdownsOrion Staff

Medical marijuana advocates are turning their campaign efforts to state legislators and Gov. Jerry Brown to bring a state-regulated system for medical marijuana dispensaries.

Medical marijuana supporters needed 500,000 signatures to put the Medical Marijuana Regulation, Control and Taxation Act initiative on November’s general election ballot, but with the deadline nearing, they have decided to reconsider.

Campaign funds will instead go toward a public awareness media campaign for the act and Assembly Bill 2312, which was introduced by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano from San Francisco earlier this year. Both contain similar language.

The bill would create a bureau of medical marijuana enforcement to approve or deny permits for dispensaries and oversee medical marijuana cultivation, transportation, distribution and sales, said Dan Rush, national director of the Medical Cannabis and Hemp Division of the United Food and Commercial Workers union. The California Department of Consumer Affairs would regulate it.

The bill would also mandate cities and counties to permit one dispensary for every 50,000 residents unless local voters approve ordinances to ban dispensaries, according to the bill. It would also allow local governments to impose a 0.25 to 2 percent tax on medicinal pot transactions.

The assembly bill has been introduced to state legislators and will be discussed in the coming weeks, said Quintin Mecke, a spokesman for Ammiano. The bill authorizes local governments to enact reasonable zoning regulations and other restrictions to cultivation and distribution based on local needs.

This will help solve the gray area for law enforcement, he said. The bill would give law enforcement a clear understanding and decrease the crackdowns on many businesses.

“This is the next evolution on medical marijuana in the state of California,” Mecke said.

Last year, federal officials sent letters to California dispensaries demanding they shut down or face federal penalties.

This bill will bring more monitoring and make it safer for patients and owners who operate dispensaries, Rush said. The bill doesn’t create any new taxes, and the registration fees will fund the bureau.

There is overwhelming support from the people, Rush said. The biggest task is to have the governor sign the bill.

Regulation is the key for medical patients that need the marijuana, said Grant Keller, a sophomore liberal studies major.

“I’m pro,” Keller said. “My only wish is that society would be more accepting on medical marijuana.”

It’s a learning process, he said.

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