by Jason Stotts
Fearing that the state of California won’t pass the bill legalizing marijuana, activists staged rallies and gathered nearly 700,000 signatures, exceeding the minimally necessary 433,971 signatures required to put the issue on the ballot in November. Given that the signatures check out, this means that the state of California will be voting on whether to legalize marijuana in November. (L.A. Times)
The initiative would make it legal for anyone 21 and older to possess an ounce of marijuana and grow plants in an area no larger than 25 square feet for personal use. It would also allow cities and counties to permit marijuana to be grown and sold, and to impose taxes on it.
I think this is great news and I, for one, will be voting to legalize marijuana in November. For a full explanation of the reasons why, see my essay “On Marijuana.”