Is California Ready To Legalize Marijuana?

Our top story on the midday edition, and California legalizes callow -- marijuana will California be ready? A panel recommends certain guidelines be developed to ensure that California does not space dust face by other states to legalize marijuana that faced there is predicted to be that this is going to be the new California gold rush. We have California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom . What does this mean that legalize marijuana should not be the next California gold rush? People are out for the money and that requires that more marijuana be sold. And it requires a consolidation of the industry that will promote and target our kids and that is what we are not recommending. We are legitimately concerned. I am a parent and other peoples of a similar mindset, are concerned about marijuana and we are concerned about celebrating the use of this drug. We believe in having a regulated approach and we believe that having a measured approach. How does this report recommend that California out of the way what we call the pot balance? We spent the last year and a half and we did four town hall meetings. We had invited a group of about 23 people who have expertise in the field from law enforcement to folks who were advocates for children. Or advocates who will protect our children in particular and also health concerns around abuse. And we had a group of people, representing a different point of view. We put together a series of MTA recommendations that lay out in detail sequencing for legalizing marijuana. Legalization if we can move forward, is not a one act and legalization does not happen overnight because it does take many years. It will take diligence and a starship, and addressing changing reality it is not a perspective [Indiscernible]. As perhaps that happen in Washington and Colorado, after legalization took effect. Does your commission advocate for that legalization of marijuana? We are silent on that question. But rather what do we do if it is legalized. I happen to believe that a disproportionate [Indiscernible] of marijuana. I think they have been targeting the poor and people of color. I do not think this has helped her get is not our job to be the advocate. But this is how we should address legitimate concerns. There are people who are nervous about moving in this new direction and the message it sends. I am talking to California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom , and we're talking about the marijuana policies. What were they concerns about rickety ash -- recreational marijuana? There was a legitimate concern about public safety. People were way -- worried about legalizing marijuana. And were people going to smoke and be driving? Or do we need to make an an termination on driving under the influence when -- with marijuana. We have many on our taxes force, and it is easier for our children to get marijuana. Anybody who has sold marijuana to a child has never carded the child. This is an issue on public safety. There is a concern about advertising. And there is a big consolidation of corporation like the tobacco companies coming in. And encouraging this type of abuse that we have seen in other industries that did not benefit the public safety. When it comes to the regulation of marijuana, for teenagers and people under 21 who do not indulge in recreational marijuana -- prohibition, makes it easier to target -- like regulation against teenage use. I know that is what you meant about carding a teenager. Right now in the unregulated market that some people would argue it is the worst two world. We already have a legalize medical marijuana. It is fundamentally regulated. But everyone has seen it and I have as well. I speak from an ideological point of view. We do see the abuse of the medical system because we can see someone running into a medical marijuana clinic and running back out. We have seen the abuse. But we do not tax and so we do not regulated. We are not getting the benefits, but I think this is a oversight. We are not advocating for the market that we are advocating for the regulations. What happened in Colorado and in Washington, has really helped us, in what can happen in California. Let me give you one example in Washington they did not tax the medical usage. And it collapsed their medical system. You see this in Colorado a non- tax, but half of the sales are in the medical system because they do not want to be taxed. And that is a concern in California and we want to address is upfront. Without being taxing medicinal marijuana? Is understandable that we do not want attacks sink -- tax sick people. But there is pending legislation in Sacramento that might be on Governor. Brown's desk shortly that has a separate regulatory for medical marijuana. That honestly could make a complex discussion around how the state can regulate the recreation system. It has to be hand in glove. The commission recommended a series of taxes, from development to transportation and to sales. If you look at Washington and California -- Colorado and Alaska. The production out of California will make the other states pale in comparison. We estimate that 70% of the marijuana in this country that is consumed comes from California. Just three counties in Northern California, and they referred to this as the emerald triangle and they produced $10 million in cannabis a year. Let me give you a specific response to your question. If you just tax raise hell you are not getting in the benefit in the role counties -- rural counties. It would only benefit the big cities like San Diego. We are looking at an taxation process, that will taxed all. And this is to protect all of those legitimate concerns. And what of the -- I am speaking to California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom and we are talking about the legalization of marijuana. The report, seeks to address the disparities and how drug law arrest has affected minority populations in California. I is speaking subjectively and not objectively about this report. I cannot underscore the failure of the Warner on drugs. -- war on drugs. I have tried from a quality life perspective to clean up the streets by a criminal justice approach. This was my own reality infertility. And I question this war and it made me realize to say that to lock up people and wasting resources where our lease to be doing more important things was not working. And I think the education approach is much better. What we are doing with the African-American community, they are arrested 3.7 times more than Caucasians. This is proof that horrific reality in terms how we surprise I minority community -- how we suppress our minority community. I hope they are concerned about what is going on today in their community. I think our approach hold real promise. I do not want to talk about it commission report for a moment, but for your own personal standpoint. You have met with some of the bullets that want of what an initiative on the ballot next year and there is a common between those groups. What advice would you give them? The simple way -- and you put multiple initiatives on the ballot you are all going to fail. Because you are going to confuse or upset the voters and you have to be -- have a consensus. I know there are three out there that will have a lot of support. It is a graph support -- grassroot support or financial support. I want to inform those initiatives. And folks want to do the right thing but there are strong differences of opinions. To give you one example, in Colorado we taxed -- they tax up to 25%. And many of us think that there should be a lower taxed, -- tax. And that way we can move out the cartel. And the other is collapsing that two systems there is no way that the medical system will survive side-by-side with the recreational use. And one final point, who is going to enforce this? Is an ACM? Or the -- Is it ATF or the health department? What is your thinking on this? Is there going to be consolidation or are we only get to see to -- two initiatives on the ballot? I think there will be two strong initiatives. We are now getting into a red zone within the next 60 or 90 days when there has to be a consensus. I am competent that we can get there but I have not i.e.. I am competent that we can get there but I have not i.e. -- But I am not naïve. I know there is a lot of strong points of view. This is not strongly supported by the voters. We were only one incident away in Washington and California. -- Colorado. I think there is concern. And the voters do have proved this initiative next year how long do you think it will take up what in all of these recommendations? As you know in California democracy can run amok. We can say what the heck did we just support? We want to inform everyone in advance so we do not meet a mistake. The matter what we do next year, this is going to take five 5 to 10 years. You cannot be [Indiscernible] about this application there has to be a sequencing to the rulemaking. To the regulatory framework and there have to be adults in the room. This is not a benign question that we are asking the voters. My biggest concern is how big tobacco can come in and try to consolidate this industry. This is going to be a concern for the public and for our children. And this for me is baseline to support marijuana initiative. And this was California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom . Thank you for coming.