Jars full of medical marijuana are seen at Sunset Junction medical marijuana dispensary on May 11, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. ; Credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
In 1996, California became the first state to legalize medical marijuana. Today, over 20 states are looking into creating or enlarging their medical pot programs.
Public perception has overwhelmingly shifted toward the legalization of recreational marijuana since Colorado and Washington voted to put the practice in place, and California is seen as one of a handful of states that will inevitably follow suit.
Four measures for the November 2014 ballot were introduced, but all four have subsequently been scrapped. As the state’s pro-legalization movement gears up for 2016, AirTalk looks at how the state should tax and regulate the substance.
Guests:
Mark Kleiman, Professor of Public Policy at UCLA and a nationally recognized expert in the field of crime and drug policy. He is co-author of “Marijuana Legalization: What Everyone Needs to Know” (Oxford University Press, 2012)
Lynne Lyman, the CA State Director for the Drug Policy Alliance, the pro-legalization organization that was behind “The Control, Regulate and Tax Marijuana Act,” a ballot measure intended for the 2014 November ballot that was subsequently scrapped