FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 18, 2017

LIBERTARIANS OBJECT TO PROPOSED MARIJUANA REGULATIONS

The California Department of Food & Agriculture is holding a series of hearings across the state to gather feedback from the public on proposed regulations for the medical marijuana industry. Since Proposition 64 passed in November, there will be continued proposals for regulating the recreational marijuana industry as well.

The Libertarian Party of California strongly supports legal marijuana, for either medical or recreational use. “Since the Libertarian Party was founded in 1971, Libertarians have called for the legalization or decriminalization of marijuana, and the voting public has finally agreed,” said Ted Brown, Chairman of the Libertarian Party of California. “Unfortunately, Proposition 64 is calling for too much regulation. Libertarians oppose all of these rules as fundamental violations of the rights of adults to grow and use marijuana as they see fit.”

At the recent state convention, delegates voted to add a new plank to the party platform. It states:

“We applaud the trend toward legalization and/or decriminalization of marijuana both for medical and recreational purposes. However, we oppose the increase in new laws and regulations that has accompanied this trend, whether such measures are intended as a back-door way to continue prohibition or are simply taking advantage of marijuana’s ambiguous legal status to achieve other goals. Specifically:

A. We oppose measures enacted by the state or by local governments to limit the number of marijuana dispensaries or other businesses.
B. We oppose the imposition of taxes or fees on marijuana cultivation or sale.
C. We support the right of individuals to grow marijuana plants for their own use on their own property.”

“Libertarians will continue to fight marijuana regulations at the state and local levels,” said Brown. “Most people now agree that marijuana should be legal. Let’s not make it so difficult or expensive to obtain that it goes back to being on the black market. We need a free market in marijuana, just as we need a free market in all other consumer products.”

 

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Media Contact: Jennifer Imhoff

Phone: (408) 940-5717

Email: Press@ca.lp.org

Website: www.ca.lp.org