Goodbye Medical MJ, Hello ‘Medical AND Adult-Use’ Cannabis

California, the undisputed pioneer of state-level cannabis decriminalization, is about to make history again with the 2018 rollout of the largest regulated marijuana market in the United States. The recent unification of the state’s regulatory framework means that medical and adult-use cannabis will be governed by the same system. There’s a new acronym in California cannabis — one acronym to rule them all. Legislators in Sacramento recently approved Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget bill, and when they did, they also created a single, unified system for all commercial marijuana activity in the state. Beginning Jan. 2, 2018, any adult 21 and over will be able to buy recreational marijuana in retail shops licensed under the Medical and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act. Medical patients 18 and up, and younger if accompanied by a parent, will be able to do the same thing — in shops with licenses from the same agency. For almost three years, lawmakers have been grappling with how to regulate and tax the state’s massive marijuana industry — a series of negotiations requiring a delicate balancing act between the needs and desires of the state’s massive marijuana industry, powerful lobbies (including law enforcement and prison guards) and a somewhat leery public with concerns about roadway, product safety and child endangerment. In 2015, lawmakers finally approved a framework for regulating medical marijuana — the Medical Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act — but before a single license could be issued, voters legalized recreational marijuana for all adults 21 and over.…

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