SACRAMENTO >> Proponents of a proposition that would make California the fifth state to legalize pot for pleasure are a few weeks away from kicking off their November 2016 campaign, supporters said Thursday on a conference call with reporters.
Once the ReformCA marijuana legalization coalition files its initiative with the Attorney General’s office, the group can begin gathering the tens of thousands of signatures it will need to reach the ballot — something coalition chairwoman Dale Sky Jones says she’s confident they can do.
“We have been working on the plan to make a strong run at the ballot box,” said Sky Jones, the executive director of Oaksterdam University.
Sky Jones released little to no details about the initiative other than to say that it will create a framework for controlling, taxing and regulating recreational marijuana. The initiative will also include language to regulate California’s medical marijuana industry, she said.
“California is long overdue,” she said.
Voters rejected marijuana legalization in November 2010 as Proposition 19, but a recent Public Policy Institute of California poll shows attitudes on the issue have shifted, and 55 percent of likely voters now support legalization. That’s the highest level of support to date.
ReformCA isn’t the only group trying to get Californians to legalize pot — another coalition filed a similar initiative earlier this year — but unlike the others, it’s backed by several leading national cannabis advocates, including the Drug Policy Alliance and the Marijuana Policy Project.
Veteran political consultant Joe Trippi, who became a household name when he ran Howard Dean’s campaign for president in 2004, will lead ReformCA’s political strategy, which he said will involve building interest in the initiative from the ground up.
“Too often, people wait too long to build their digital army,” said Trippi, speaking about the list of supporters he plans to solicit for small donations. “Our legalization effort will be a well thought out, disciplined campaign.”
