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California's Top Cop Says Weed Legalization "Inevitable"
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California Attorney General Kamala Harris said in a recent interview that she was unopposed to the legalization of marijuana and felt that it would become an "inevitable" reality in the Golden State.
Last Wednesday, Harris attended an event at the Center for American Progress in Washington, D.C., where she was interviewed about her position on legalization by BuzzFeed News.
“I am not opposed to the legalization of marijuana...[though] I have to look at it from a law enforcement perspective and a public safety perspective,” she said. “I think we are fortunate to have Colorado and Washington be in front of us on this and figuring out the details of what it looks like when it’s legalized.”
While California was among the first states to legalize medical marijuana in 1996, efforts to make recreational weed legal was stalled after a ballot measure failed to pass in 2012. But public attitudes have shifted considerably in the state and around the nation, with legalization efforts seeing substantial gains this past election in Alaska, Oregon, and D.C.
With polls showing strong support for legalization in California, it looks as though it could pass in 2016. Though Harris believes "there’s a certain inevitability about it,” she has remained skeptical about how to approach legalization.
“We have seen in the history of this issue for California and other states, if we don’t figure out the details for how it’s going to be legalized the Feds are [going to] come in, and I don’t think that’s in anyone’s best interest,” Harris said.
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Shawn Dwyer is a writer, editor and content producer living in Los Angeles. You can find him on Linkedin.
