Yesterday marked a significant milestone for marijuana policy reform: In California, legislation that would remove penalties for adult marijuana use was approved by a major committee in the state legislature.
This is the first time in U.S. history that a bill to tax and regulate marijuana ever made it to a state legislative committee, and it passed with a majority of the vote!
After hearing testimony from advocates — including MPP's California policy director Aaron Smith — the Assembly Public Safety Committee voted 4-3 in support of A.B. 390, the landmark legislation authored by Assemblymember Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco).
Unfortunately, legislative rules and deadlines are preventing the bill from progressing further, but the groundbreaking success in the Public Safety Committee is a signal that we're making big strides. For the first time, state lawmakers were forced to seriously consider replacing marijuana prohibition with legal regulation — and they said yes.
California has a reputation for leading the nation in bold policy changes, and we've only seen the beginning of marijuana policy reform there.
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