Prop 19: Cannabis ballot measure examined

So, after decades upon decades of prohibition, California will finally have another chance to vote on cannabis legalization. The last time Californians had this opportunity was in 1972, coincidentally on a ballot measure that was also named Proposition 19. You old-timers can even reuse your old stickers and posters if you want. It’s easy to guess what happened next. Voters turned out against the measure 66.5% to 33.5%.
I won’t bore you with facts or figures about wasteful law enforcement spending or prisons over-populated with non-violent offenders. I won’t belabor points about cannabis’s rebranding as “marijuana” so that it would remain separate from “white” inebriants like alcohol, which have been legal but controlled since the 21st Amendment was ratified in 1933. Nor will I discuss the success that other countries have had with decriminalization strategies. No.
What I want to talk about is why many medical marijuana dispensaries are against this bill. This bill is not simple legalization. Have any of you stoners bothered to actually read it? Here: http://calpotnews.com/government/ballot-initiatives/full-text-of-regulate-control-and-tax-cannabis-act/
Read it. There’s a provision that says you can’t smoke in a public place. So someone can drink beer in the park but not smoke marijuana without risking a fine or jail time? There’s another provision that says you can’t smoke anywhere if minors are present. What if it’s your own home and they are your own kids? You can get years in prison. The bill allows for cultivation and processing, but only for personal use. So, does that mean each stoner in your household has to have their own separate plant?
It also taxes the heck out of people who want to set up businesses selling or dispensing pot. That’s the main reason that some medical dispensaries are against the bill. Even though they have to jump through a ton of hoops to operate now, cannabis dispensaries are not the cash cow they could be for California’s tragically mismanaged state government. Should they be?