Cannabis Law Group's Medical Marijuana Legal Blog
Supporters hope to return California legalization measure to the November 2012 ballot
Marijuana legalization advocates are already plotting their next fight in the wake of last fall’s defeat of Proposition 19, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Our Los Angeles medical marijuana defense lawyers are committed to fighting for the rights of patients, dispensaries and collectives throughout Southern California. Those medical marijuana businesses that choose to fight for survival will have the best chance against the many city and county ordinances attempting to force them out of business.
As we reported on our Marijuana Lawyer Blog, a number of medical marijuana court victories prove it is a battle worth waging. Nor do we think legalization will solve the issues. The same state law enforcement agencies and prosecutors who seem to have trouble following state law will be no less apt to grant rights to users once marijuana is legalized. And California marijuana legalization could prompt a federal crackdown.
Advocates in Berkeley met on Saturday to debate the language for the next ballot measure. Proposition 19, which would have legalized possession of up to an ounce of marijuana, failed in November by a margin of 46 percent to 54 percent.
Advocates hope to have it back on the ballot in November 2012.
Saturday’s conference was sponsored by the California chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).
One of the challenges that resulted in November’s defeat is that many growers and marijuana dispensaries opposed the measure, for fear it would put them out of business. The conference was attended by about 300, including a marijuana dispensary operator from Los Angeles who said the existing medical marijuana industry did not want to be used as a stepping stone for successful passage of a marijuana legalization measure.
The CANNABIS LAW GROUP is representing more than a dozen dispensaries in lawsuits over local city and county ordinances in Los Angeles and the surrounding area. Call 949-375-4734 for a confidential consultation to discuss your rights.