California looks to bring law and order to decades-old medical marijuana market

Nearly 20 years after voters approved the medical use of marijuana in California, the state’s cannabis trade is a wild west of legitimate enterprises, outlaws and erratic enforcement, caused in large part by a patchwork of inconsistent laws covering the $2bn-a-year industry.

Legislators are seeking to bring law and order to the business. Three bills – two in the state assembly and one in the senate – are competing to create a framework that would codify how medical marijuana is grown and sold in California, including whether local municipalities or the state itself would have ultimate control and what environmental and health measures should be addressed.

“There are no rules or regulations in California,” said Senator Mike McGuire, who represents an area in the northern part of the state where it is estimated that 60% of marijuana in the US is grown. “For two decades now, the Golden...

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URL: 
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/may/03/california-law-and-order-medical-marijuana-market