San Francisco city leaders anticipate Prop. 64 will pass
SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) - In San Francisco, city leaders are already anticipating Proposition 64 will pass. Now they're trying to figure out how they'd implement it.
At the Green Cross on Mission Street, a steady stream of patients came to get their medical marijuana.
But the owner predicts that if voters pass proposition 64, and legalize marijuana for recreational use in California, implementing the new law may not be as simple as it sounds.
"It"s not going to be easy. It's not going to be an easy task at all," said Kevin Reed, the owner of Green Cross.
The just released Golden State Poll shows a 56 percent approval rate for Prop. 64.
San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener held a hearing Monday with the cannabis legalization task force to help prepare the city if the measure passes.
One concern is where to put additional pot clubs or stores.
"If you are not thoughtful about the zoning, if you are reactive, if you rush and don't do the analysis you could end up with problems by over-regulating or under-regulating," said Wiener.
At Green Cross, the owner says prop 64 would make existing medical marijuana virtually obsolete.
Why get a medical card if you don't have to.
"Some of the biggest challenges facing San Francisco will have is whether to decide to turn its medical cannabis dispensers into recreational dispensaries so they can serve other purposes," said Reed.
San Francisco could see a spike in tourism, but the city would need to decide where smoking pot in public would be allowed.
"If we are going to have a tourism industry here, we don't want everyone walking out into the streets and firing up, so we are going to have to come up with places people can go," said Reed.
There will be an enormous amount of work to do," said Wiener.
Prop. 64 wouldn't take effect until January of 2018, giving cities a little over a year to gear up.
If voters approve Prop. 64, California is expected to get an estimated $1.4 billion in additional taxes. San Francisco and other cities and counties can decide whether to add a local tax.