With the passage of Proposition 64, The “Adult Use of Marijuana Act” (AUMA), personal recreational use of marijuana is now permitted in the state of California, but under strict guidelines. Z107.7 News contacted our local city managers who said the passage of Prop 64 will change how marijuana use is enforced in both the Town of Yucca Valley and the City of Twentynine Palms. Prior to Prop 64, both Morongo Basin municipalities had banned the sales and cultivation of medical marijuana. Of interest, under the new law, while Twentynine Palms and Yucca Valley still ban cultivation for medicinal purposes, they cannot ban cultivation for recreational purposes. The new law also gives the cities the final say in whether a state license can be issued to a commercial cannabis business. The state will start licensing commercial marijuana retailers in January of 2018, taxing them 15 percent of gross sales with an additional tax for dried product. The county and our two cites have an ordinance prohibiting commercial sales; that means while the personal use and cultivation of recreational marijuana is permitted here, there will be no local retail outlets to sell it. Under Prop 64, cultivation can only be done by a person 21 or over, with up to six living plants in a person’s private residence or in an accessory structure (if it is fully enclosed and secure). Individuals can give marijuana away, but cannot sell it. Individuals can not smoke in public, within 1,000 feet of a school, or while driving. Just like alcohol, recreational marijuana can only be transported if it is secured in the trunk or another area of a vehicle where the driver cannot access it. Under the new law, employers can still prohibit marijuana use in the workplace and require employees to refrain from use. Employers are still not required to accommodate medical marijuana.
HOW MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION PLAYS OUT HERE IN THE MORONGO BASIN
