Legalization

When it comes to marijuana legalization in California, all eyes are focused on a well-funded petition backed by a tech billionaire and big national reform groups. But there are other proposals, and a new report examined one of them. It’s unlikely the plan will make the ballot, but it demonstrates how cannabis advocacy can go wrong. It’s called the Marijuana ...

For every party, there is a pooper. In California, that would be the Public Safety Institute, a law enforcement lobbying group and a staunch opponent of legalizing marijuana. Legalization is a good bet to appear on the statewide ballot in November. And 60 percent of California voters support the idea, according to a recent poll. But not everyone is willing ...

California Democrats say they plan to support legalization of marijuana in the November election. A public initiative calling for legal cannabis is likely to appear on the ballot, and the California Democratic Party said its members still back legalization. The promise came at the party’s annual convention in late February, with party leaders saying in a statement that Democrats support ...

One of the nation’s largest marijuana reform groups has endorsed the leading proposal to legalize the drug in California’s November election. The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) announced in February that it would support the initiative spearheaded by tech billionaire Sean Parker. His group has dramatically out-raised every competing effort. There are roughly 20 of those ...

In all likelihood, Californians will vote in November on whether they want to legalize marijuana for recreational use. They stand a good chance of saying yes. But when it comes to the future of cannabis, nothing is guaranteed. Circumstances can go south in a matter of days or weeks, depending on the state of politics. That’s why the 2016 presidential ...

Most likely voters in California want to legalize marijuana, according to a poll released in February. That means if cannabis proponents can put a legalization question on the statewide ballot in November, it will likely pass. The poll found nearly 60 percent of likely voters would vote for the proposal, including 70 percent of Democrats, “while a majority of Republican ...

It didn’t come as much of a surprise, but it marked a critical moment in the drive to legalize marijuana in California. Sean Parker, the tech billionaire behind that campaign, announced in February that he would give $500,000 to support the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, according to local reports. That brings Parker’s donations to $1 million, including an earlier ...

California election officials have cleared a new group of activists to start gathering signatures for an initiative to legalize marijuana in November. Secretary of State Alex Padilla said in late February that the advocates behind the legalization proposal may start gathering signatures. They will need to collect more than 350,000 in the next six months. That’s a tall order, especially ...

You could be forgiven if you’ve made a point of avoiding politics this year. The 2016 presidential campaign started ugly and has only gotten worse. But the implications of the November election could be huge for marijuana in California. Voters are likely to face a stark choice between the Democratic and Republican nominees, and the winner could shape the future ...

Never count Tommy Chong out. The stonier half of America’s stoniest movie duo has had it, lost it, had it, and lost it again. Yet he’s still going strong. For evidence, look to the 2016 presidential campaign. Chong stars in a viral video endorsing Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Democratic candidate and proponent of legalization, calling Sanders the nation’s next ...