Those supporting the measure’s passage include former Facebook president Sean Parker and California Lieutenant Governor and former San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom.
“By establishing a legal, taxed and tightly regulated system, we can offer new protections for our kids, our communities and our environment, while adopting a best-practices framework for responsible adult marijuana use and its impacts,” Newsom said in a statement regarding the measure.
If passed, the marijuana legalization act would also rewrite criminal penalties, reduce the most common marijuana-related felonies to misdemeanors, and allow prior offenders to petition for reduced charges and sentences.
While the measure is exceedingly popular, and polls show that 60% of California’s likely voters support legalization, it has its opponents, including the usual suspects: police unions, elected officials, and small growers concerned about taxation.
