The initiative required just over 402,000 valid signatures to
qualify for the ballot and exceeded that number on Tuesday, the
Secretary of State's office said. Secretary Alex Padilla is slated to
certify the initiative on June 30.
California gets go-ahead to vote on legalization of marijuana
Californians
are set to decide whether to make recreational marijuana use legal, as
other Western states have done, after the California Secretary of
State's office said on Tuesday the issue could be put to voters in the
November ballot.
The proposed so-called "Adult Use of Marijuana Act," which is supported by Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom among
others, would allow people aged 21 and older to possess as much as an
ounce of marijuana for private recreational use and permit personal
cultivation of as many as six marijuana plants.
"Today
marks a fresh start for California, as we prepare to replace the
costly, harmful and ineffective system of prohibition with a safe, legal
and responsible adult-use marijuana system that gets it right and
completely pays for itself," initiative spokesman Jason Kinney said in a statement.
The
measure would also establish a system to license, regulate and tax
sales of marijuana, while allowing city governments to exercise local
control over or disallow commercial distribution within their borders.
The
initiative required just over 402,000 valid signatures to qualify for
the ballot and exceeded that number on Tuesday, the Secretary of State's
office said. Secretary Alex Padilla is slated to certify the initiative
on June 30.
Opinion polls show attitudes have
shifted more in favor of liberalized marijuana laws since California
voters defeated a recreational cannabis initiative in 2010.
California
led the way in legalizing marijuana for medical purposes in 1996, with
22 other states and the District of Columbia following suit, although
cannabis remains classified as an illegal narcotic under U.S. law.
Voters
in four states - Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska - plus the
District of Columbia, have gone a step further since 2012 in permitting
recreational use for adults. Voters in several more states will consider
similar legislation in November as well.
Opponents
of liberalized marijuana laws have argued that such measures carry
public safety risks and would make pot more accessible to youngsters.
A
new survey out last week showed however that marijuana consumption by
Colorado high school students has dipped slightly since the state first
permitted recreational cannabis use by adults.