A new law may soon put medical marijuana dispensary out of business. According to the new law, sellers who were once convicted of drug-related crimes should be prohibited from opening their own dispensary.
According to Los Angeles Times, people who were once involved with drug-related crimes are stripped of the rights to sell medical marijuana. Marijuana industry leaders pointed that the latest law involving medical marijuana and drug convictions can potentially affect hundreds of growers.
Caser O'Neill, chair of the California Growers Association suggests that around 30 percent of marijuana growers may be negatively affected by the new law including himself. He was once convicted of illegally growing marijuana in 2009 before the legalization took place.
"It's a huge issue," O'Neill said. "Twenty-five to 30 percent of our members are in this boat. You have populations that have been disproportionately prosecuted for cannabis cultivation, and to then not be allowed to participate in the regulated economy, it's like a double whammy," O'Neill said. "It's totally unacceptable."
Just last year, marijuana sales from around 1,250 medical marijuana dispensaries peaked at an estimated amount of $2.7 billion. Though the number already reached billions, it was mentioned that the numbers could continually increase.
Once recreational marijuana would be legalized in California, it was suggested the numbers could potentially reach around $6.6 billion by 2018. The numbers were acquired from New Frontier, which is a firm focused on collecting data.
SF Chronicle then noted that the legislators' aim to prohibit people affiliated with drug charges is to avoid problems in the future. Alice Huffman, the California State NAACP president stated that she does not want to have any loopholes when it comes to the legalization process.
"I don't think it will create a level playing field," Huffman said. "There's going to be a hole in our community. You can't look away from that."
As the medical marijuana production continually progress, thousands; including toddlers and babies benefit from it. People who produce it should be liable and trustworthy in terms of producing quality medical marijuana.
With a child's health being placed into consideration, does the medical marijuana distributors' past drug-related charges affect their credibility to produce reliable medical marijuana? do let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
