Christine Green
New Member
California was the first state to allow medical marijuana. Now, two decades later, voters are expected to be asked whether to legalize recreational use of the drug. The legalization measure headed for the statewide November ballot is the product of months of negotiations between drug-law reformers, growers and distributors, famous financiers and politicians.
Voters in Sacramento strongly supported an initiative to tax commercial marijuana cultivation to fund youth programs, but the ballot measure remained just shy of the two-thirds margin needed for passage early Wednesday. It had received 65.2 percent of the vote after all precincts reported.
Measure Y would impose a 5 percent business tax on potential indoor marijuana growing facilities approved by the City Council.
City Councilman Jay Schenirer championed the measure because it would direct cultivation tax revenues to a special fund dedicated to programs and services for youths.
"I think if you've got two-thirds of the people saying this is an important issue for them, that means we need more resources for young people," he said Tuesday night.
Meanwhile, voters in Nevada County, long known for its cannabis culture, were rejecting a local ballot measure to ban outdoor pot farms.
Nevada County's cultivation ban initiative, Measure W, was losing by a 58 percent to 42 early Wednesday. In Yuba County, a pro-marijuana growing measure was losing by a lopsided margin.
The cultivation battles in the neighboring Sierra Nevada counties underscored political frictions roiling over marijuana. Communities in both areas had appeared divided over whether efforts to ban outdoor pot farms unfairly affected legitimate medical marijuana producers and patients.
The Nevada County vote took on an emotional dimension as the father of a 9-year-old child suffering from debilitating seizures and developmental challenges publicly campaigned against the restrictive Measure W. The initiative would have reinforced an ordinance passed by supervisors in January to ban outdoor and commercial marijuana growing.
Penn Valley resident Forrest Hurd argued that Measure W would deprive his son, Silas, of medical marijuana treatments that have shown the greatest success in freeing him from his agonizing condition. The family had partnered with local outdoor marijuana growers who grew low-psychoactive strains and produced medicinal tinctures for the child.
"We did it," Hurd said late Tuesday. "And now we have a chance to draft a law to protect the environment, protect to our neighbors and protect our children."
In Davis, voters were resoundingly approving a ballot measure that would allow a tax of up to 10 percent on recreational marijuana sales should voters approve expanded legalization in November. However, the nearly 4-to-1 support for Measure C may have little impact: Davis City Council members have said they have no plans to permit marijuana dispensaries, either medical or recreational.
News Moderator: Christine Green 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Sacramento marijuana cultivation tax measure just shy of passage | The Sacramento Bee
Author: Peter Hecht
Contact: (916) 321-1000
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: Sacramento marijuana cultivation tax measure just shy of passage | The Sacramento Bee
Voters in Sacramento strongly supported an initiative to tax commercial marijuana cultivation to fund youth programs, but the ballot measure remained just shy of the two-thirds margin needed for passage early Wednesday. It had received 65.2 percent of the vote after all precincts reported.
Measure Y would impose a 5 percent business tax on potential indoor marijuana growing facilities approved by the City Council.
City Councilman Jay Schenirer championed the measure because it would direct cultivation tax revenues to a special fund dedicated to programs and services for youths.
"I think if you've got two-thirds of the people saying this is an important issue for them, that means we need more resources for young people," he said Tuesday night.
Meanwhile, voters in Nevada County, long known for its cannabis culture, were rejecting a local ballot measure to ban outdoor pot farms.
Nevada County's cultivation ban initiative, Measure W, was losing by a 58 percent to 42 early Wednesday. In Yuba County, a pro-marijuana growing measure was losing by a lopsided margin.
The cultivation battles in the neighboring Sierra Nevada counties underscored political frictions roiling over marijuana. Communities in both areas had appeared divided over whether efforts to ban outdoor pot farms unfairly affected legitimate medical marijuana producers and patients.
The Nevada County vote took on an emotional dimension as the father of a 9-year-old child suffering from debilitating seizures and developmental challenges publicly campaigned against the restrictive Measure W. The initiative would have reinforced an ordinance passed by supervisors in January to ban outdoor and commercial marijuana growing.
Penn Valley resident Forrest Hurd argued that Measure W would deprive his son, Silas, of medical marijuana treatments that have shown the greatest success in freeing him from his agonizing condition. The family had partnered with local outdoor marijuana growers who grew low-psychoactive strains and produced medicinal tinctures for the child.
"We did it," Hurd said late Tuesday. "And now we have a chance to draft a law to protect the environment, protect to our neighbors and protect our children."
In Davis, voters were resoundingly approving a ballot measure that would allow a tax of up to 10 percent on recreational marijuana sales should voters approve expanded legalization in November. However, the nearly 4-to-1 support for Measure C may have little impact: Davis City Council members have said they have no plans to permit marijuana dispensaries, either medical or recreational.
News Moderator: Christine Green 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Sacramento marijuana cultivation tax measure just shy of passage | The Sacramento Bee
Author: Peter Hecht
Contact: (916) 321-1000
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: Sacramento marijuana cultivation tax measure just shy of passage | The Sacramento Bee
