If you are not aware, California voters in 2016 approved the use of marijuana for recreational use. This voter-approved measure will allow cities and counties across the state to determine whether to allow recreational sales of marijuana in their jurisdiction and if so what regulatory restrictions to impose on retailers.
According to the Sacramento Bee, on Tuesday, Sacramento City Council approved the sale of marijuana for recreational use beginning on January 1, 2018. Other cities like Oakland, San Diego, and San Jose have recently adopted ordinances allowing the retail sale of recreational marijuana, and San Francisco should follow suit shortly.
My city Anaheim, along with Fresno and Bakersfield have banned the retail sales.
My thoughts
Even though I didn’t vote in favor of this law, I believe the principles found in this bill is what most of our laws should look like. I believe in local control.
As a federalist, I believe that the federal government has no authority to regulate drug policy in individual states. The federal government has the authority to ban the foreign import of all drugs into this country but has no jurisdiction over California in this matter. The sole authority to regulate the use of marijuana is reserved to the states. The federal government should also cease its actions in hindering states from self-determination by removing the restrictions it places on legal marijuana dispensaries from fully utilizing credit cards and banking institutions. We the people have not given the federal government that authority and we the people in California will decide what is best for us, not D.C.
I also like the principles of this law because it allows cities to determine if they want recreation marijuana in their jurisdiction. The law establishes the basic blueprint and parameters. For instance, you must be 21 years old and you can only partake in a private home or a licensed business, but it doesn’t force cities from having dispensaries. What is right for Sacramento might not be right for Anaheim.
That is why I’m running for California State Controller. I believe the state should create the basic blueprint but people within their own communities should determine what is best for them. That is why I created the idea of trickle-up-taxation. Once, the structure of trickle-up-taxation is created, the people should vote to accept or reject my idea. If people want a heavy-handed state government determining what local governments should do then I would say don’t vote for it, if you want greater autonomy and greater local control, then I would suggest you vote for trickle-up-taxation.
The problem with politics on both sides of the political aisle is that they want to force their beliefs and ideology down your throat. I’m a Republican and it wouldn’t shock you to hear that I don’t like the politics of San Francisco. Shocker I know, but guess what. I don’t live there, so as long as they don’t infringe on people’s constitutionally protect rights and engage in illegal policies, I don’t care. It’s none of my business, they can decide what is best for their community, and I will work within my community to help shape what is best for us.
In like fashion, the Republican-controlled federal government shouldn’t tell California what to do within its borders. Attorney General Jeff Sessions needs to stop his crusade of stamping out the legal use of pot in the 29 states that currently allow some form of legal marijuana use. Jeff Sessions and the federal government should be focused on protecting our constitutional rights not infringing on powers reserved to the states.
I hope that the principles behind this law of allowing greater local control will be utilized more often. It’s time we bring politics back to the local level instead of centralized government dictates from Washington D.C. and our state capitals.
