California Braces for First Post-Legalization 4/20 Day

The State of California is bracing for its first “4/20” celebrations since the legalization of recreational marijuana passed by referendum in November 2016.

Proposition 64, or the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, was approved by voters, 56% to 44%. As Breitbart News’ Daniel Nussbaum explained last year:

Residents 21 years of age or older will be allowed to possess and use up to one ounce (28g) of marijuana and grow up to six plants for recreational use. The measure also imposes a 15 percent sales tax and a cultivation tax of $9.25 per ounce for flowers and $2.75 per ounce for leaves on retail sales.

Medical marijuana would retain some tax exemptions. Tax revenue would go toward local health departments and nonprofits for community services including job placement and addiction treatment, while a portion would go toward state university research into the implementation of the measure and the development of a DUI test-equivalent for drivers who use marijuana.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the state has until January 1, 2018 to begin issuing licenses to non-medical marijuana retailers, meaning it could be some time before recreational dispensaries begin operating.

Although it is not yet legal — or possible — to walk into a marijuana dispensary and buy pot for recreational use, many Californians simply assume that the drug is completely legal and that laws against its public use will not be enforced.

In San Francisco, locals are bracing for what NBC Bay Area says will be a crowd of “tens of thousands” in Golden Gate Park.

Though city officials are at pains to distance themselves from the annual celebration of the drug, which occurs every April 20, they have accepted it as a reality: “Love it or hate it, the culturally historic ‘4/20 festival’ is not going away,” said Board of Supervisors President London Breed.

NBC adds that the biggest complaint of residents is the massive amount of garbage left behind, and the cleanup that inevitably follows the following day.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He was named one of the “most influential” people in news media in 2016. His new book, How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.