California governor OKs medical marijuana regulations

SAN FRANCISCO — A trio of bills aimed at bringing order and oversight to California’s medical marijuana industry nearly 20 years after the state led the nation in legalizing pot for medical use won Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature, his office said Friday.

The first statewide licensing and operating rules for pot growers, manufacturers of cannabis- infused products and retail weed stores comes as multiple groups try to qualify voter initiatives in 2016 that would allow adults to use marijuana recreationally.

Even before Brown approved the package of new rules, initiative sponsors had started rewriting their proposed measures to incorporate many of its elements in hopes of not alienating the governor ahead of next year’s election.

“My hope is this will be viewed as a starting point, a solid foundation on which to build from,” Assemblyman Ron Bonta, D-Oakland, the lead author of one of the bills, said Friday. “Whatever happens with recreational use, there needs to be proper regulation. This is a very strong contribution from the Legislature about what those regula- tions should look like.”

The Democratic governor’s endorsement of the 70-page Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act hammered out by lawmakers in the closing hours of the legislative session was expected because his office crafted many of the exhaustive details.

“This new structure will make sure patients have access to medical marijuana, while ensuring a robust tracking system,” Brown said in a signing statement. “This sends a clear signal to our federal counterparts that California is implementing robust controls not only on paper, but in practice.”