A man walks past a medicinal marijuana dispensary in Los Angeles,CA on November 2, 2010. ; Credit: MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images
Two California lawmakers have introduced bills aimed at regulating medical marijuana in the state. Senator Lou Correa’s SB 1262 and Assemblyman Tom Ammiano’s AB 604 take different approaches to medical marijuana regulation.
Correa’s proposed bill would create California’s first-ever licensing process for marijuana dispensaries and growers. Under this bill, the state Department of Health would set quality standards for medical marijuana but does not create uniform regulatory policy, which would continue current local regulation.
Ammiano’s bill would regulate and tax marijuana similarly to alcohol and place fewer restrictions on doctors than Correa’s proposed bill.
How would these bills impact the marijuana industry? What are the benefits of implementing legislation?
Guest:
Peter Hecht, senior writer at the Sacramento Bee and author of “Weed Land: Inside America’s Marijuana Epicenter and How Pot Went Legit” (University of California Press, 2014)
Curtis Notsinneh, Policy Director for Assemblymember Tom Ammiano, who co-sponsored AB 604, a bill that would regulate medical cannabis in the state.