According to a new poll conducted for the Los Angeles Times by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, 68% of Californians now say legalization has been good for the state. The poll surveyed 4,527 registered voters from September 13 to 18. Proposition 64, which legalized recreational marijuana, passed with 57% of the vote in the 2016 election.
While the law legalizes possession and use of cannabis statewide, it also allows local municipalities to ban marijuana businesses. Currently, about three fourths of California’s cities have banned recreational pot shops. These bans seem to contradict what was also found in the L.A. Times poll, that 63% of voters favor having recreational cannabis stores in their own community. This support comes from all across the state.
“With this broad spectrum of support, it is critical that California’s local municipalities honor the will of the voters, overturn their bans, and give their constituents access to tested and regulated cannabis,” said Lindsay Robinson, executive director of the California Cannabis Industry Association.
Lawmakers in many California towns have been holding off on allowing pot businesses, waiting to see how they impact the municipalities that allow them. Some of these lawmakers say they are concerned that pot shops may attract crime.
Earlier this year, a California legislative committee killed Assembly Bill 1530, a measure aimed at overturning a policy that allows licensed marijuana retailers to deliver product anywhere in the state. However, a group representing 24 municipalities has taken the state to court, arguing they should be able to block home delivery in their communities. This lawsuit is ongoing and for now, deliveries of marijuana can be made to anywhere in the state.
