The contentious measure passed 5-2, despite the protests of small-scale growers, who argue that industrialisation will drive family farms operating at the margins of the law out of business.
Oakland, the impoverished sister city of San Francisco, has long been at the forefront of the legalisation movement. It already taxes the sale, at dispensaries, of marijuana for medical purposes with an annual turnover of $28million. With a state-wide referendum on legalising possession for recreational use due in November, Oakland is positioning itself to take full advantage of the increased tax revenues from this growth industry.
The coalition seeking to relax laws governing the sale of cannabis is essentially unchanged since the 1960s. Libertarians find common ground with left-wing pot smokers, while civil rights campaigners argue that because of disproportionate arrest rates for young black men, current drug statutes perpetuate racial inequality.
Opposition to decriminalisation, from religious groups, conservative law enforcement organisations and the self-described ‘moral majority’ is as vehement as ever. But across America, in legal and electoral battles the balance is tipping in favour of those who want to treat marijuana like alcohol or cigarettes: as a drug to be licensed, taxed and sold under state supervision.
The most important factor driving the rush towards legalisation, by far, is a nationwide fiscal crisis that has seen city and state revenues collapse. Politicians cutting taxes, coupled with the recession, have created huge local government budget deficits. California is $19m in the red, despite slashing public services for the past two years.
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