California Governor Jerry Brown and Lt. Gov. Fight Over Marijuana

 

 

Californa Governor Jerry Brown, the popular "Hippie Governor" from the 70's and now current head of the nation's largest state, is in a heated battle with his second in charge, Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom over legalizing marijuana.

 

And you'll never guess who is on which side.

 

Governor "Moombeam" Brown is against legalized pot. Newsom is leading the charge for an end to prohib ition.

"Newsom is recognizing that this policy, the prohibition of Cannabis is no longer working for citizens across the country and California as well," said Rachel Scoma, an attorney who worked in the 2010 initiative to legalize pot which voters rejected.

Newsom led a blue ribbon panel, funded by ACLU, to study some of the issues that will have to be resolved if voters say 'yes' to recreational pot.

Some of these questions involve: preventing access by children and teens, the impact on public safety and how sales of pot should be taxed by the state.

"We know how to regulate substances, we've done it with prescription drugs and we've done it with alcohol," Scoma said. 

If approved in 2016, the state will have to set up new policies for pot.

The same questions raised by Newsom and his panel are bound to be raised by millions of Californians if the measure to legalize marijuana makes it to the ballot by 2016.

Those who oppose the legalization of marijuana have quite a different point of view.

That group includes Governor Jerry Brown and California Senator Dianne Feinstein.

The panel that conducted this study will hold a series of forums seeking public comment before issuing a final set of recommendations this summer.