We are about to experience something different when it comes to the legalization of recreational marijuana. The Los Angeles City Council just approved the regulations for the sale of recreational marijuana. Such an approval has a set a stage for LA to be one of the largest cities in the U.S. that has legalized recreational marijuana. This is after the California recreational marijuana laws will start being effective as of Jan 1, 2018.
What is amazing is that these new rules were passed unopposed with the vote being 12-0. The rules are now forwarded to the Mayor Eric Garcetti for his signature. It is expected that he will sign it, after all it is what people want. With the regulations passed, many people in the other cities will be looking up to LA as a model city. They would want to learn from the experiences of the city to make sure safest marijuana gets to the consumers.
The City Council President Herb Wesson claims is a big city and it always does things in a big way. It is simply how LA rolls. He added that there are many cities around the country that would be looking to see how recreational marijuana performs in the city. Since medical cannabis delivery in Los Angeles has been successful, we expect the same for recreational marijuana.
These complex regulations on recreational marijuana are expected to get better with time. It is always a work in progress and this refinement is expected with time. The current laws are still good for both the council and the dispensaries to start selling recreational marijuana. Now would be a great time to own a cannabis dispensary as you will expect to get more clients soon.
Zoned areas for selling Marijuana
It is not just about setting up the dispensaries anywhere. A cannabis dispensary in Los Angeles would have to be placed in the zoned areas for such businesses. This will be within the city’s industrial and commercial areas. The dispensaries will not be permitted within 750 feet of schools, libraries, and public parks. The same restrictions apply to the growers and manufacturers too. They have to make sure that their facilities are located 600 feet away from schools or similar sites.
It is expected that the rules would also cap the number of shops, manufacturers, and growers that would be allowed to operate in LA. The stores are expected to establish strict security measures such as having video surveillance and the electronic verification of the customers. The customers have to be 21 or older.
It is expected that more cities in 2018 would follow the same path as LA and legalize the use of recreational marijuana. It is not just for the cities, but rather on state levels. This is where the states will pile pressure on the federal government to modernize its approach towards cannabis.
20 years on…
Who would have thought that the trend California started in 1996 by legalizing cannabis would be so much followed by other states? Right now, many more states are legalizing cannabis for medical use and others for recreational use. Today, 29 states have legalized marijuana and it is expected that more will follow soon. Recreational cannabis is now available in 7 states and the District of Columbia. Other U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico and Guam have legalized the use of cannabis for medical purposes.
Even those who had doubts in the abilities of cannabis are slowly changing the narrative. It is the same thing when it comes to those who had a negative notion against cannabis. Once they see their relatives getting helped by using marijuana, they now feel it is not bad after all.
