California may have legalized cannabis in 2016, but what does it mean for those who were convicted of cannabis-crime before?

California has always been known for its mostly liberal attitude toward the use of cannabis, itself being one of the first states in the U.S. to legalize medicinal use back in 1996. However, due to its federal status as a Schedule 1 narcotic on par with heroin and crystal meth, the state still suffered at the hands of federal law.

History of California Cannabis Convictions

Between 2006 and 2015, there were over half a million arrests in California for marijuana, many of those arrests resulting in either misdemeanor charges or incarceration. With the addition of Proposition 64, California’s new cannabis law, these numbers are expected to drop drastically, while those who suffered prior to Prop 64 at the hands of the law are now fighting for appeals.

Since Prop 64’s passing in November of 2016, there have been over 2,500 requests for appeals sent to local courts from those who were handed charges for their cannabis use, whether for possession or cultivation. One attorney who focuses specifically on marijuana related cases, Bruce Margolin, received as many as two to three cases a week from those fighting for dropped charges and even release from prison.

So how is Prop 64 different from those that came before it? Earlier propositions such as Prop 47, which passed in 2014, reduced multiple non-violent felonies associated with cannabis to misdemeanors.

This still left a tear in the societal implications, where those who decided to cultivate their own cannabis for personal use could still be punished under federal law for cultivation with intent to distribute. Proposition 64 fixed this for the most part by completely legalizing the use of cannabis for adults aged 21 and over.

Leading the Way

Counties like San Diego took charge after Prop 64’s initiation, receiving the most petitions for repeals in the first two months after the law passed, reducing sentences and convictions for nearly 400 cases. Not everybody that applied for repeals or sentence reductions were so fortunate, however.

Some district judges and courts are still fighting reductions and appeals for those who commit additional crimes on top of cannabis cultivation or use, such as committing environmental crime like stealing or polluting water. Others won’t get their appeals if they have a major felony in their past record, such as sex offenses, or multiple convictions for the same crime.

Fresh Starts

For some, Prop 64 has opened the door, quite literally, to their freedom. One such person, Jay Schlauch, was sentenced to nine months in prison for felony possession with intent to distribute large quantities of cannabis. After Prop 64 passed, he ended up serving only a month. Many like Schlauch have shown up for court hearings, expecting a long, grueling battle for sentence reductions, only to come out moments later with reduced time behind bars due to the new laws.

Many of those whom suffered at the hands of poorly written and established cannabis laws in California can take a breath of relief. Their chances of reducing their sentence or getting charges dropped altogether for misdemeanor charges increased significantly with the help of Proposition 64. The new law will also help the minority groups that are vastly over-accounted for in regards to incarceration for cannabis.

The Future Awaits

California has always been known for their lax-laws and views toward cannabis use among its citizens, yet there is still much to be done about the damage inflicted on the local communities by poorly-thought-out laws from the past. Even with the aid of newly-implemented Prop 64, there are still issues that consumers must face, one such issue being where to obtain “legal” cannabis when every dispensary is medicinal.

While the new laws in California have led to many reduced sentences and dropped charges, there are still many more looking to do the same throughout the state. Additionally, other states can now see the results of California’s new law in real-time.

Suffice to say, much like Colorado and Washington, California will now be under the microscope of the rest of the country, being studied and picked apart like another lab rat in the experiment of cannabis legalization. I expect the results to be similar to that of its predecessors; less convictions, less crime, and let’s all hope, lower prices!

When you think of the marijuana capitol of the world, what comes to mind? For many people, the first place they think of is Amsterdam. But, this might change as the Amsterdam weed market starts to fall.

Amsterdam has always been world-renowned for its marijuana coffee shops that allow the Dutch as well tourists from all over the world to partake in recreational cannabis use without fear of persecution. However, few know the true cannabis laws of Holland, and how those laws are slowly tearing down the Amsterdam weed market and the rest of the Dutch nation.

Laws Limit Success

Although it may seem that Holland is very lenient on the use of cannabis in the country – which compared to other nations they certainly are – the laws they passed in recent years have made it difficult for coffee shops to operate. Holland’s cannabis law maintains a decriminalization status; meaning there is no penalty for personal use and consumption. To show a little contrast to the flaw of Holland’s laws, sex work, i.e. prostitution, is completely legal.

It may come off as odd that a country would permit the sale of legal sex yet be opposed to the full legal use of cannabis, which much of the country already consumes. Yet the government of Holland is not backing down.

Eighteen coffee shops have closed in Holland over the past two years, many due to being too close to a school. Even the oldest dispensary in the country, Mellow Yellow, closed in January for being too close to a hairdressing academy in which the students were over eighteen, making them eligible customers.

Government Crackdowns

Eighteen coffee shops in two years may not sound like much, when there are still 573 licensed sellers and coffee shops in Holland, 173 of which are in Amsterdam. That’s about thirty-three percent of the coffee shops in the country. Despite the ever-increasing constraint of new laws, businesses are staying afloat in Amsterdam and other parts of Holland, and many have come to accept the current laws in the country as the way things will stay.

Recently the country’s government passed what was known as the “Weed Pass,” which permits only Dutch nationals to partake in the marijuana market there, which so far has become somewhat of a prohibition, mostly resisted by the Amsterdam weed industry, the main tourist spot in Holland. However, these developments have led to an internal reflection within the U.S., as despite our changing laws, there are still many complications, much like our European friends.

What Can We Learn?

While cannabis has been legalized in Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and other states, there are no coffee shops like those in Amsterdam, or anything relatively close for that matter. Many cannabis connoisseurs have flocked to places like Denver and Portland, only to be let down when told by dispensary workers that they cannot smoke there, or at any licensed coffee shop.

Even though Colorado recently passed new laws that allow private businesses to apply for licenses permitting cannabis use on-site, the laws are strict. No alcohol can be sold where marijuana is used, nor can marijuana be sold where it is consumed. Due to these complicated and seemingly counter-intuitive restrictions, a lot of the businesses that are eligible for these licenses may not even bother.

Next Cannabis Capitol

So where will we find the next marijuana capitol of Europe? A sleeper city in Spain may be coming up as the new champion, as Barcelona has hundreds of marijuana “clubs”, much like the coffee shops in Amsterdam. The difference between the two cities however, is that all the clubs in Barcelona are private, meaning there is a required fee to be a member at any given marijuana club.

However, as some of these places offer great deals for yearly memberships, the costs for these new pseudo-coffee shops may well be worth it. Locals and tourists alike have started referring to Barcelona as the new marijuana capitol, but with similar strict private use laws much like the Amsterdam weed market, the city still has much ground to cover.

Mirror Opposites

We seem to be in some weird time-warp where marijuana laws are one way in a certain country, and mirrored the complete opposite in another. While Amsterdam has plenty of places to consume marijuana, the restrictions on businesses and those that can actually partake have begun the tightening of the noose on the falling marijuana capitol. Yet in the United States, where it is completely legal in some places with no potential backlash from authorities, there is no safe public or private place to consume it other than one’s own home.

The world is learning together as marijuana becomes more accepted nationally in the U.S., as well as globally, with more countries considering the plant’s potential benefits as medicine or as a recreational product. So, while Amsterdam may slowly fall, a new marijuana market will rise from its still smoldering ashes; a market with freedom, accessibility, and mutual understanding, whether it be in Europe or America. It will be there.