Locals talk about possibly legalizing marijuana in California

Lanny Swardlow has spent most of his life helping people working as a nurse. But when it comes to winding down — he said he prefers going green.

“I don’t drink alcohol. I like to party. I like to socialize. I use cannabis instead to party with,” Swardlow said. “I never wake up the next morning hungover. I don’t destroy my liver. I don’t destroy my heart. I don’t destroy my pancreas. I don’t destroy anything.”

But soon, recreational use of marijuana in California may no longer be just a pipe dream for those like Swardlow.

After supporting recreational marijuana use for decades as Chair of the Marijuana Anti-Prohibition Project in the Coachella Valley, he said he and others are gearing up to support the possible November ballot measure to legalize the drug.

More than 600,000 signatures have been collected to put the bill known as the Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA) on the ballot this fall.

Poll: What do you think about legalizing marijuana for recreational purposes in California?

Swardlow said the measure could help stimulate the state’s economy.

“It’s estimated by the California State Legislature that it will bring in over $1 billion in taxes to help the government,” Swardlow said. “Right now, the government gets no money. Marijuana is widely available everywhere, and the only people that are making money off of it are criminals.”

Experts say the measure would allow anyone ages 21 and older to have up to one ounce of marijuana for recreational purposes, and grow up to six plants.

But not everyone thinks legalizing marijuana for recreational use will help.

Former Desert Hot Springs Mayor Adam Sanchez, who now works as a marketing director for a legal clinic in the city, said if approved, the measure could actually hurt the medicinal marijuana industry.

“Once you go recreational, it’s broader,” Sanchez said. “And many times, the prices drop. But right now, we’re trying to focus on health and wellness, and the medicinal effects.”

And the state’s top law enforcement organizations have already voiced their concerns, with union groups including the California Police Chiefs Association against the measure.

But Swardlow has high hopes, and said if the bill does pass, it could help with issues such as jail overcrowding.

“I hope to see marijuana legalized so we stop throwing people into jail for using a plant that has been around for 5,000 years, and has never been a problem until 1937 when we made it illegal,” Swardlow said.

Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom and Facebook President Sean Parker are among those backing the bill.

Deputies with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said right now Sheriff Stanley Sniff standing with the unions, and will release his own statement if the measure is placed on the ballot.

To read the Assembly Opposition letter, click here.