The great people at Americans for Safe Access of California released a November Election Guide. Considering the fact that this is a history setting election, in regards to marijuana policy in California, this is EXTREMELY valuable. I would like to personally thank Americans for Safe Access of California for granting us permission to post their guide on TWB. With no further interruption, here is the guide posted below:
Governor — Jerry Brown
Jerry Brown served as Mayor of the City of Oakland while that city pioneered the sensible regulation of medical cannabis collectives. As Attorney General, he consistently defended safe access in the courts, and published landmark guidelines for implementing the state’s medical cannabis laws.
Attorney General — Kamala Harris
The choice for medical cannabis voters in this race could not be more certain. As San Francisco County District Attorney, Kamala Harris has upheld the rights of medical cannabis patients and providers. Her opponent, Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley, will dismantle the gains we have made and fight to reverse important court decisions that protect patients’ rights. ASA regards this as the most important race on the ballot for medical cannabis patients.
Local Ballot Measures
ASA opposes any additional taxes on medical cannabis. As local governments look to medical cannabis as a source for tax revenue, the negative impact on patients is often overlooked. Tax revenue may be part of the implementation debate, but ASA rejects the strategy of taxation of medical cannabis cultivation and distribution as harmful for patients. Patients already pay sales tax on medicine — a policy ASA continues to oppose. If additional taxes on medicine or cultivation are imposed, they must include specific protections for patients and providers. ASA calls on elected officials to shift the tax burden away from medical cannabis and demands that patients be more involved in the decisions that directly affect their lives. The tax measures on city ballots this year uniformly fail to meet those standards. ASA calls on voters to reject these measures and demand better solutions from their elected officials. ASA also opposes attempts to ban medical cannabis collectives, as denying access to qualified patients is unnecessary, harmful, and arguably illegal.
City Measure ASA Position Summary
Albany Measure Q OPPOSE $25/sq.ft. tax on nonprofit collectives that grow or distribute medicine
Berkeley Measure S OPPOSE 2.5% tax on medical cannabis
Berkeley Measure T NEUTRAL Regulates large-scale cultivation; makes oversight commission City Council appointed; other changes to voter-approved Measure JJ
La Puente Measure N OPPOSE 10% or $100/sq.ft. on medical cannabis collectives
Long Beach Measure B OPPOSE 5% tax on medical cannabis
Morro Bay Measure B-10 OPPOSE Bans medical cannabis collectives
Oakland Measure V OPPOSE 5% tax on collectives and cultivation
Rancho Cordova Measure H OPPOSE $600-$900/sq.ft. tax on businesses that grow medical cannabis
Rancho Cordova Measure O OPPOSE $600-$900/sq.ft. tax on individuals who grow medical cannabis
Richmond Measure V OPPOSE 5% tax on medical cannabis
Sacramento Measure C OPPOSE 4% tax on medical cannabis
San Jose Measure U OPPOSE 10% tax on medical cannabis
Santa Barbara Measure T OPPOSE Bans medical cannabis collectives
Stockton Measure I OPPOSE 2.5% tax on medical cannabis
*Prop 19 was not addressed in the ASA voter guide
