Hey, Oregon, Colorado, Washington and Alaska. Guess who’s getting their act together, finally.

As reported by the L.A. Times, it seems all but certain that California voters will have the chance to vote for their legal right to recreationally use marijuana come this November after a weed-lovin’ coalition made up of civil rights and law enforcement leaders said they’d gathered 600,000 signatures — far more than the number required to qualify for the ballot — in support of the Adult Use of Marijuana Act. Gavin loves it. So does the guy who started Napster. Here we go. 

The Adult Use of Marijuana Act “would allow adults ages 21 and older to possess, transport and use up to an ounce of marijuana for recreational purposes and would allow individuals to grow as many as six plants,” according to the Times report. It would also place a 15 percent tax on retail marijuana sales. Using marijuana while driving or while in public would still be no-nos. Read the full measure here. 

This is round two. As we all recall, back in 2010 California — and famously Humboldt County — voted against Prop 19’s brand of weed legalization. It looks like the same forces who led the charge for that initiative’s defeat are lining up against pot this go round. From the LAT:

Opposition is already organizing behind groups such as Citizens Against Legalizing Marijuana, which formed to defeat a 2010 legalization initiative that was rejected by 53% of voters.

“Marijuana is a very dangerous drug,” said Scott Chipman, a San Diego businessman who is the Southern California chairman of the group. “The state has not proven it has the capacity or the will to properly regulate marijuana and so they won’t.”

The measure is also opposed by the California Police Chiefs Association, in part because of problems that have arisen in Colorado.

Ventura Police Chief Ken Corney, president of the association, said he fears that extremely potent marijuana, like that being sold in Colorado, will lead to high addiction rates and high incidents of psychosis.

“This is bad for our communities. This is bad for our youth and it’s a broad commercialization [of drugs], a for-profit, money-making model,” Corney said. 

Eh, OK. Recent polls seem pretty clear that any new attempt to legalize marijuana at California’s ballot box would meet landslide approval.

What will this mean for Humboldt? Many claim to know! Of course, lots will change, but today LoCO will just go ahead and direct your attention to the last article someone sent us about the effects of weed legalization. Today the Washington Post Washington-posted a piece looking at plummeting retail and wholesale weed prices in the already-weed-legal state of Washington. It is estimated that the price of marijuana has fallen and will continue to fall at a rate of 25 percent per year. Weed in states that have already taken the legalization path is quickly becoming as cheap as the dirt its grown in.

From WaPo:

Although some observers will be surprised by these sharp price declines – perhaps particularly some investors in the emerging legal marijuana industry – seasoned drug policy analysts have long predicted this effect … prohibition imposes many costs on drug producers. They must operate covertly, forgo advertising, pay higher wages to compensate for the risk of arrest, and lack recourse to civil courts for resolving contract disputes. Legal companies in contrast endure none of these costs and also can benefit from economies of scale that push production costs down.

The times! Changing! Are you feeling perhaps a bit anxious to get your green ducks in a row before the weed pool gets even more crowded? Remember that California’s medical marijuana czar will be rolling through Humboldt dispersing expertise. And if you want your brand to stand out, ditch the leaf!