After almost 20 years without statewide regulations, California Governor Jerry Brown on Friday signed historic legislation creating a legal framework for medical cannabis.
"This is an important first step that will allow California's cannabis industry to come out of the shadows and into the light," said California Cannabis Industry Association (CCIA) executive director Nate Bradley. "California will now be able to take it’s rightful place as the center of investment and innovation in the cannabis economy.
"Governor Brown and his colleagues in the legislature have just given the green light to let California’s cannabis industry become the thriving, tax-paying, job-creating industry it was always destined to become," Bradley said.
California has is the largest legal cannabis market in the US. -- representing $1.3 billion in annual sales and nearly half the legal U.S. market, according to Bradley. "The signing of the Medical Marijuana Regulation & Safety Act (MMRSA) is an important milestone, nearly 20 years in the making," Bradley said.
"Today’s signing represents the most significant victory for the industry since Washington and Colorado legalized recreational use in 2012," Bradley said on Friday.
"That said, we believe parts of the bills need fixing," Bradley said. "We will pursue clean up legislation -- and take part in the rulemaking process -- to address these issues.