There may be a lot more marijuana shops popping up in California soon if lawmakers have their way.
California lawmakers are pushing to require municipalities to lift bans on cannabis stores if voters there supported Proposition 64.
Proposition was the 2016 initiative that legalized sale of the drug for recreational use in California.
Assembly Bill 1356 would require those cities to permit at least one cannabis retailer for every four bars or restaurants with a liquor license or one for every 10,000 residents, whichever is fewer.
The bill would also mandate 2,200 new cannabis stores throughout the state. This is three times more than the 631 shops legally operating now according to estimates from state officials.
Proposition 64 had been approved by voters in 388 out of California’s 540 cities and counties, two-thirds of local governments have outlawed cannabis shops.
“It’s unfortunate that the cities and the counties really haven’t fulfilled the will of the voters to provide legal access under Proposition 64,” said Assemblyman Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), who authored the measure.
“I think it’s ridiculous and I think it’s an overreach,” Burbank Mayor Emily Gabel-Luddy said against the proposal. “The bill is an example of Sacramento deciding what should happen at the local level, and it’s just wrong.”
