Victory in the Golden State

Yesterday, the California Assembly's Public Safety Committee voted 4-3 in favor of legislation that would make marijuana legal, taxed, and regulated throughout the state. Before the vote, committee members heard supportive testimony from me and the Drug Policy Alliance's Stephen Gutwillig. Not surprisingly, A.B. 390's opponents were mostly entrenched law enforcement officials who make their living waging war on marijuana consumers.

A.B. 390 isn't likely to make it further this year due to a legislative deadline, but that shouldn't diminish the historical significance of this vote. Marijuana has been illegal for nearly 100 years in California and it's no small achievement for the first proposal to reform that arcane policy to be approved by a key legislative committee.

A.B. 390's author, Asm. Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco), is committed to introducing similar legislation again in the near future. And, the looming November ballot initiative is also likely to be giving California lawmakers a reason to prioritize the regulation of marijuana in California.

You can watch the full hearing here.