AP15:122
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 22, 2015
CONTACT: Sam Mahood
(916) 653-6575
Proposed Initiative Enters Circulation
Marijuana Legalization. Initiative Statute.
SACRAMENTO – Secretary of State Alex Padilla announced the proponents of a new initiative were cleared to begin collecting petition signatures today.
The Attorney General prepares the legal title and summary that is required to appear on initiative petitions. When the official language is complete, the Attorney General forwards it to the proponent and to the Secretary of State, and the initiative may be circulated for signatures. The Secretary of State then provides calendar deadlines to the proponent and to county elections officials. The Attorney General’s official title and summary for the measure is as follows:
MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION. INITIATIVE STATUTE. Legalizes marijuana under state law. Creates commission to regulate and license marijuana industry. Applies general retail sales taxes to marijuana, unless medical or dietary exemptions apply. Permits excise tax on marijuana, up to 12% of retail price. Permits local governments to ban or limit the number of marijuana businesses within their boundaries if their voters approve. Requires each county sheriff to establish marijuana-specific diversion programs for marijuana offenders. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local government: Net reduced costs ranging from tens of millions of dollars to potentially exceeding $100 million annually to state and local governments related to enforcing certain marijuana-related offenses, handling the related criminal cases in the court system, and incarcerating and supervising certain marijuana offenders. Net additional state and local tax revenues of potentially up to several hundred million dollars annually related to the production and sale of marijuana, a portion of which would be required to be spent for specific purposes such as education, public safety, and drug abuse education and treatment. (15-0086.)
The Secretary of State’s tracking number for this measure is 1745 and the Attorney General’s tracking number is 15-0086.
The proponents of the measure, Editte Dalya Lerman, Dave Hodges, Michael Grafton, Steve Kubby, Ron E. Mullins, David Nick, John W. Lee, Russell Goodrow, and Richard Miller, must collect the signatures of 365,880 registered voters (five percent of the total votes cast for Governor in the November 2014 general election) in order to qualify it for the November 2016 ballot. The proponents have 180 days to circulate petitions for the measure, meaning the signatures must be submitted to county elections officials by June 20, 2016. The proponents can be reached c/o John Lee at john@afpr.us. No phone number was provided.
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