Tuesday, 29 August 2017

Understanding cannabis laws

By Denise Ellen Rizzo

The legalization of recreational marijuana for adults was approved by the passing of Proposition 64, but there are questions that remain as to the dos and don’ts regarding the drug.
Proposition 64, Marijuana Legalization, was passed by California voters on Nov. 8, 2016, by a margin of 57.13 percent in favor to 42.87 percent opposed, and it went into effect the following day.
Here are some answers to questions that residents may have regarding the legal marijuana market:
Q: Who is allowed to have nonmedical marijuana?
A: Proposition 64 made it legal for anyone age 21 or older to possess recreational marijuana in California.
Q: Can minors use recreational marijuana?
A: No. Anyone under 21 is not allowed to have, use, carry or grow marijuana. Minors found with marijuana are subject to drug counseling and community service.
Q: How much marijuana can I carry with me?
A: According to the Tracy Police Department, the legal limit you can have is one ounce of marijuana or up to eight grams of concentrated marijuana.
Q: Can I grow my own marijuana?
A: Yes, as long as you are 21 or older. Adults can grow up to six plants inside a household. For now, no outdoor cultivation is allowed in Tracy.
Q: Who is going to sell it?
A: Retail sales for adult use will not begin until Jan. 1, but local governments are allowed to regulate or prohibit commercial marijuana businesses within their jurisdictions after that date. Tracy city officials are in the process of deciding what course of action they want to take before the January deadline.
Q: How much will it cost to buy?
A: According to the Tracy police, the legal price index is still being adjusted, but the average street cost is $1,500 per pound or $90 to $100 per ounce. Sites that advertise medical marijuana for sale list their products with varying prices, depending on what is being purchased.
Q: Can I smoke marijuana in my car or in public places?
A: No. Adults 21 and older can only smoke marijuana at home or in other private places and not in public or while driving or riding in a vehicle. You can carry the legal limit of marijuana with you in your car, much like sealed containers of alcohol, but it cannot be consumed in a vehicle.
Q: What is the difference between medical marijuana and recreational marijuana?
A: Medical use of marijuana was approved by California voters with the passing of Proposition 215, which went into effect Nov. 5, 1996. It allows patients with a valid doctor’s recommendation to possess a medical cannabis card to buy the drug at licensed medical marijuana dispensaries. People will not need a card to make recreational marijuana purchases, but it won’t be sold at licensed dispensaries until the first of the year.
Q: Since medical marijuana dispensaries are not allowed to sell marijuana for recreational use, can someone with a medical marijuana card buy it and sell it to me?
A: No, they can’t sell it to you — but they can give it to you free.

Based on a quick online search of medical marijuana dispensaries in Tracy, several dispensaries and delivery companies listed on Weedsta are reportedly operating in the Tracy and Mountain House areas.

The Tracy City Council is expected to make a ruling regarding regulations involving marijuana dispensaries before the January deadline. A public hearing is scheduled at the next council meeting, which starts at 7 p.m. Sept. 5 at City Hall, 333 Civic Center Plaza. It is unknown at this time if the council will allow dispensaries within city limits.

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