Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
Less than a month after Governor Eddie Calvo expressed his support over legalizing recreational marijuana, draft legislation is now close to being finished. While he let the rules and regulations for medicinal marijuana lapse it law late last year, the island's chief executive had his fair share of concerns.
Senior advisor Troy Torres said, "He looked at it, he said this was not sustainable, this is a regulatory nightmare and it's just ripe for political corruption." Last month, Governor Calvo said the new rules would be "nearly impossible to regulate." And because medicinal marijuana was the will of the people through a legislative referendum back in 2014, he instead says recreational marijuana would be easier to carry out.
Torres says draft legislation is now close to being finished, saying, "I think what we have with our first draft that (Legal Counsel Sandra Miller) created was something closer to Colorado's laws and then we asked Women Grow Guam and Grassroots Guam to help us."
Adelup is on its second draft of the bill, which they expect to be ready as early as next week. The bill proposes adding a new chapter to the marijuana control law relative to "regulating the use, production, sale and taxation of marijuana and the declassification of marijuana as a schedule one controlled substance." Torres said, "One of the big debates that is happening is whether the legalized age for consumption is 21, should be 21 or should be 18 and some people are coming back and saying it should be 25, so that's something that's a work in progress so if people have comments on that, let us know very soon."
Part of the draft bill also addresses restrictions on personal cultivation and penalties along with lawful operations of marijuana-related facilities. Torres says the bill essentially decriminalizes marijuana and "takes it from an issue of public safety to one of public health." He explained, "And it says this is something that is legal and with certain regulations that can be decided by a Marijuana Control Board much like marijuana and alcohol."
The bill would require the legislature to create the marijuana control board who would have authority to promulgate rules and regulations. And just like Governor Calvo had suggested, the draft bill also imposes a 15% excise tax for every marijuana cultivation facility. After deducting the cost of establishing the board and any necessary regulations, the first $40 million in revenue raised annually from the excise tax would be credited to the Guam Memorial Hospital.
No excise tax, however, will be levied upon marijuana intended for sale at medical marijuana centers. "We're making this bill as simple as possible so we don't run into those bureaucratic nightmares," said Torres.
Adelup wants your feedback and you can comment or message on the governor's Facebook page at or you can email governor@guam.gov.
Torres concluded, "It does seem like a very progressive initiative, and Governor Calvo more or less is progressive governor who has embraced many things that many wouldn't think he would because he's described as a conservative, but I think he just wants things to work for everybody."
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Adelup Seeks Community's Feedback On Medicinal Marijuana
Author: Ken Quintanilla
Contact: KUAM
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: KUAM
Senior advisor Troy Torres said, "He looked at it, he said this was not sustainable, this is a regulatory nightmare and it's just ripe for political corruption." Last month, Governor Calvo said the new rules would be "nearly impossible to regulate." And because medicinal marijuana was the will of the people through a legislative referendum back in 2014, he instead says recreational marijuana would be easier to carry out.
Torres says draft legislation is now close to being finished, saying, "I think what we have with our first draft that (Legal Counsel Sandra Miller) created was something closer to Colorado's laws and then we asked Women Grow Guam and Grassroots Guam to help us."
Adelup is on its second draft of the bill, which they expect to be ready as early as next week. The bill proposes adding a new chapter to the marijuana control law relative to "regulating the use, production, sale and taxation of marijuana and the declassification of marijuana as a schedule one controlled substance." Torres said, "One of the big debates that is happening is whether the legalized age for consumption is 21, should be 21 or should be 18 and some people are coming back and saying it should be 25, so that's something that's a work in progress so if people have comments on that, let us know very soon."
Part of the draft bill also addresses restrictions on personal cultivation and penalties along with lawful operations of marijuana-related facilities. Torres says the bill essentially decriminalizes marijuana and "takes it from an issue of public safety to one of public health." He explained, "And it says this is something that is legal and with certain regulations that can be decided by a Marijuana Control Board much like marijuana and alcohol."
The bill would require the legislature to create the marijuana control board who would have authority to promulgate rules and regulations. And just like Governor Calvo had suggested, the draft bill also imposes a 15% excise tax for every marijuana cultivation facility. After deducting the cost of establishing the board and any necessary regulations, the first $40 million in revenue raised annually from the excise tax would be credited to the Guam Memorial Hospital.
No excise tax, however, will be levied upon marijuana intended for sale at medical marijuana centers. "We're making this bill as simple as possible so we don't run into those bureaucratic nightmares," said Torres.
Adelup wants your feedback and you can comment or message on the governor's Facebook page at or you can email governor@guam.gov.
Torres concluded, "It does seem like a very progressive initiative, and Governor Calvo more or less is progressive governor who has embraced many things that many wouldn't think he would because he's described as a conservative, but I think he just wants things to work for everybody."
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Adelup Seeks Community's Feedback On Medicinal Marijuana
Author: Ken Quintanilla
Contact: KUAM
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: KUAM
