Happy New Year! Cali is Finally 420 Friendly --Recreational Use of Marijuana Is Now Legal

The Golden State has always been pot-friendly, but the weed hasn’t always been legal. Medicinal marijuana was approved by prescription in the early 2000s. But now, as of January 1, 2018, anyone can get pot. Even your grandma. That takes the “cool factor” down a few notches, doesn’t it? Oh, well. That's not gonna kill our buzz.

There are still restrictions on where it can be used — for example, not in public. You have to be a legal adult to partake in the toke. And to buy bud, you will require another kind of green: cash money.

High-minded Californians (and perhaps some Bob Marley fans) voted to legalize recreational MJ way back in 2016, and finally got pot-lucky: the historic law permitting businesses to sell it took effect New Year’s Day.

The KindPeoples Collective in Santa Cruz gave out T-shirts to the first 420 people who showed up to buy weed on January 1. CEO Khalil Moutawakkil said the legalization of cannabis  for recreational use is a big deal. “This is essentially going to eliminate prohibition on the plant of the last 400 years and return the plant back to the people,” he told the L.A. Times.

Sales for recreational use are allowed in cities including Los Angeles, West Hollywood, San Francisco, San Diego, Oakland, Santa Cruz and San Jose, but before you start channeling your inner Cheech and Chong, you should know that many proposed pot shops in those cities are still waiting for their state license. #bummer

Wanna know more?

The L.A. Times published this helpful Q&A

Q: How much marijuana can I purchase?

A: You can buy 1 ounce of adult use cannabis per day. If you’re a medical patient and have proper authorization from a doctor, you can buy up to 8 ounces per day.

Q: There are a lot of strains of marijuana. Will I be able to sample them at the marijuana stores?

A: You cannot smoke on the premises or in most public places, especially those located near schools and day care centers.

Q: Can I have a delivery service bring recreational marijuana to my home?

A: Some stores say they plan to deliver recreational marijuana. But they’re still reviewing the rules.

Q: Is it legal to transport recreational marijuana in my vehicle?

A: Yes — provided that the container it comes in remains sealed. You should keep the cannabis in your trunk while it is being transported. And remember that you cannot transport cannabis across state lines, even to places like Nevada, where recreational marijuana is legal. It’s also illegal to transport marijuana into Mexico and Canada.

Q: Can I buy marijuana with a credit card?

A: No. The sale of cannabis is against federal law. That means that banks generally won’t do business with marijuana companies. So the stores are forced to operate as a largely cash-only business. Typically, you’ll find a cash machine at the store, so that shouldn’t be an issue.

Q: Do the stores sell anything other than buds of marijuana?

A: Yes. Marijuana has been made part of everything from topical creams and tinctures to liquids and concentrates. You can also buy edible marijuana. Cannabis has been infused in candy, popcorn, ice cream, cookies, sushi, drinks — virtually anything you can think of.

You should be careful with edibles. Some people get high when there’s only a tiny amount of marijuana in food. Other people don’t get stoned unless there’s a significantly larger concentration.

And you should know that the effect of the marijuana doesn’t kick in until 30, 60, even 90 minutes after it is consumed. So go slowly. Give the marijuana time to take effect.

We also suggest that you don’t leave edibles lying around your home. Much of it comes in packaging that looks like any non-marijuana product. It would be easy for a person to make a mistake.

Q: This sounds kind of overwhelming. Where do I turn if I have a question?

A: Usually, the stores use “budtenders” to sell marijuana. These are people who are supposed to have an advanced understanding of cannabis. Many do. Some don’t. It can be hard to tell; budtenders aren’t required to go through a certification process. You may want to talk to more than one budtender.

Not everyone thinks this is a party. Bishop Ron Allen, a former drug addict, gave his .02 on Fox News.

What do you think of all this? Weigh in here.