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Back to Zócalo's Connecting California

Zócalo's Connecting California

Lost in the weeds: What California needs is a cannabis cartel

The phrase "drug cartel" doesn't bring to mind good government. But Joe Mathews says a powerful middleman is the right prescription for regulating recreational marijuana if Californians pass Proposition 64.

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KCRW placeholderBy Joe Mathews • Oct 27, 2016 • 5m Listen

Polls indicate Proposition 64 is likely to pass on November 8, opening the door to the legalization of recreational pot in California. The 60-page ballot measure is dense enough to satisfy even the most ardent policy nerds, but Zócalo Public Square columnist Joe Mathews says it would create a hodgepodge of regulations that are almost impossible enforce. And he says Prop. 64 offers little protections to the small growers who have been bucking the system for so many years. He's proposing a different model: starting with a powerful marijuana syndicate that would be tasked with distributing weed.

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    Joe Mathews

    Host, "Zocalo's Connecting California"

    NewsCaliforniaLos Angeles
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