Recreational marijuana legal in California

Pot users in California are the latest US state to have the pasttime legalised, following seven other states.

Recreational marijuana is legal in California as of Monday, making it the largest US state to allow such sales.

Users can now buy legal cannabis products as California joins seven other states and the District of Columbia that have passed laws allowing marijuana for recreational use.

In California, where medical marijuana has been legal since 1996, the pot industry means big business.

With the legalisation of recreational marijuana the market is expected to increase to 3.7 billion dollars this year and to over 5 billion dollars in 2019, according to the Business Insider.

The new California law, passed by voter referendum in 2016, allows people over 21 to possess, transport, purchase, consume or share up to 28.5 grams of marijuana, and up to 8 grams of marijuana concentrates.

Adults can grow up to six marijuana plants per household "out of public view."

However, the two largest cities in the state - Los Angeles and San Francisco - have not yet started issuing licences to sell cannabis commercially for recreational use.

Los Angeles city officials say they plan to start the process of issuing licences for the sale of recreational marijuana on Wednesday.

The city "just ran out of time" to get the necessary regulations in place, explained Adam Spiker, executive director of the Southern California Coalition, a marijuana industry group.

Marijuana remains illegal under federal law.


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Source: AAP



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