Before sunrise on New Year’s Day, cashiers were set to ring up the first legal sales of recreational marijuana in California, launching a new industry expected to bring in billions of dollars while accepting new regulations and taxes.
The day has been long anticipated by cannabis advocates who pushed for voters to pass Proposition 64 in November 2016, largely decriminalizing marijuana and allowing — starting Monday — for the commercial sale of products to adults 21 or older.
The handful of shops set to make recreational sales on Monday acquired both local and state licenses. They included Harborside, Purple Heart and Blum in Oakland; Berkeley Patients Group and Cannabis Buyers Club of Berkeley; 7 Stars Holistic Healing Center in Richmond; Mercy Wellness in Cotati; and SPARC and Solful in Sebastopol.
Additional locations are expected to offer recreational marijuana in coming days and weeks, including outlets in San Francisco. But many cities are expected to bar the sales altogether.
At some shops, the coming-out party was expected to feature live music, coffee and donuts, prizes for those first in line and speeches from supportive local politicians — a far cry from the days when the cannabis trade operated in the shadows.
Marijuana remains illegal by federal standards. But several states, including Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Nevada, and now California, have legalized both medicinal and recreational use.
As of November 2016, California law allows adults 21 or older to possess and transport up to one ounce of cannabis flower as well as up to eight grams of extract or infused foods. Smoking in public is still prohibited.
Medical marijuana will continue to be available through existing dispensaries to those with a valid I.D. and a doctor’s recommendation.
But as of Monday morning, all customers buying cannabis products will pay a 15 percent state excise tax, which is expected to eventually bring in $1 billion or more a year for marijuana research, addiction prevention and boosted law enforcement, among other things.
Recreational customers must pay sales tax as well, unlike those with a state-authorized medical identification card. In addition, cities can choose to impose local cannabis taxes.
In Oakland, taxes for most customers will increase from 14.25 percent to 34.25 percent, according to Harborside officials.
Bulk buys are not allowed, with state law limiting daily purchases to one ounce of cannabis flower, eight grams of concentrated cannabis, and six immature plants per customer.
credit:msn.com
