Marijuana Vote in California May Herald End of Prohibition Era
Source: Bloomberg
October 28, 2016 — 5:00 AM EDT
U.S. voters next month in five states, including bellwether California, are poised to expand the legal use of recreational marijuana to almost a quarter of the American population, a move that could prove to be one of the most consequential shifts in U.S drug policy since the 1930s.
Passage in California, where polls show it has wide support, would make pot legal along the entire West Coast and give momentum to efforts to lift the ban nationwide. The state, the most populous in the U.S. with 39 million residents, was the first to allow medical marijuana two decades ago. In all, nine states will consider marijuana-related ballot measures on Nov. 8, which could more than double the $7 billion market for pot products by 2020.
“If this passes in California, and particularly if it passes in the other four states, it’s lights out for marijuana prohibition,” said Troy Dayton, chief executive officer of The Arcview Group, an Oakland-based firm whose 550 investor members have poured $85 million into 131 cannabis companies.
Attitudes toward legalizing marijuana in the U.S. may have reached a tipping point. Opinion polls show a majority of Americans support it. That’s a dramatic shift from decades past -- partly the result of a new generation reaching voting age and nearly half the adult population trying pot. Failed drug policies that jail nonviolent users and growing evidence that it’s less harmful than cigarettes and alcohol have fueled calls for a change.
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Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-10-28/marijuana-vote-in-california-may-herald-end-of-prohibition-era
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Myself, I really don't care one way or the other. We've already decriminalized possession of small amounts and legalized it for medical use. Personally, I'm not a fan of pot at all. But, if alcohol and tobacco are legal, I'm not sure why marijuana shouldn't be.
The Mass bill allows people to grow up to 12 plants, for personal use. I guess what might be in my interest would be if that cap were lifted down the road...my 3.5 acres of cleared, full sun all day, invisible from the road and any neighbors/easy to secure, land (VERY hard to come by in Eastern Mass) would suddenly become worth much more as a potential, small scale, commercial, growing site. My retirement plan could be selling to a pot farmer 
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