Second Chance for Pot Legalization in California

In California, the drive to legalize marijuana holds strong after the defeat of Proposition 19 (which lost 54% to 46%).  Recently, a conference was held in order to brainstorm for a new draft of the bill for the Novemeber 2012 ballot.

The propenents of the bill are trying to bring in as many voices as possible this time around, as, “A lot of people felt excluded because the writing process of Proposition 19 was very closed,”  said Dale Gieringer, the organizer of the conference.

Some claim Prop. 19 didn’t pass largely due to the exclusion others in the marijuana community felt, such as dispensary owners and operators.

 Said Yamileth Bolanos, a dispensary operator from Los Angeles, “We shouldn’t be stomped on or used as a stepping stone to get to where they want to go.”But bringing in all these voices while trying to appease all of the diverse viewpoints is no easy task for the yet unnamed organization.  “All I can think is, God this is complicated,” said Ethan Nadelmann, the executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance.