By Aviva Shen | Think Progress
If a proposed ballot measure succeeds, California may become the third state to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes. By the state’s estimate, legalization would save the state hundreds of millions of dollars each year and generate about the same amount in new tax revenue.
Attorney General Kamala Harris’ office released a summary of the proposed ballot measure on Christmas Eve, breaking down the costs incurred by law enforcement, court proceedings, and prison maintenance. The Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance found that legalization would result in “reduced costs in the low hundreds of millions of dollars annually to state and local governments related to enforcing certain marijuana-related offenses, handling the related criminal cases in the court system, and incarcerating and supervising certain marijuana offenders.”
Newly legalized production and sale of marijuana would also rake in “net additional tax revenues in the low hundreds of millions of dollars annually.”
If you’d like to discuss medical marijuana, contact Ryan Hurley, director of the Rose Law Group Medical Marijuana Dept. rhurley@roselawgroup.com
