California Artisan Cannabis Initiative & Marijuana Control, Legalization and Revenue Act Collaborate on Language, Encourage Others to Join
[Press Release] San Jose, CA (April 8, 2015) Americans For Policy Reform (AFPR), the group behind the Marijuana Control, Legalization and Revenue Act of 2016 (MCLR), is pleased to announce a collaboration with the cannabis freedom lawyers behind the California Artisan Cannabis Initiative, constitutional and criminal defense attorneys Omar Figueroa and Heather L. Burke.
“AFPR has been working hard to bring people together for 2016,” said the group’s director, John Lee. “We know the key to success in advocacy is group unity. The last thing we need is a repeat of Prop 19.”
MCLR was developed in 2014 as the first “open-source” method for advocates and experts everywhere to contribute directly to the language of California’s marijuana legalization law. Thousands contributed to the first draft of the initiative. The draft was then “cleaned up” and formatted by the law firm of Churchwell White LLP, known for its focus on sound public policy. The MCLR team then worked with the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) for several months to insure the language would have the intended interpretation.
The California Artisan Cannabis Initiative was crafted by Mr. Figueroa and Ms. Burke with the assistance of the Office of Legislative Counsel (OLC), whose primary duty is to help the state Legislature write legislation. Government Code § 10243 provides that the OLC shall help the proponents of an initiative in crafting the language.  The authors drafted their initiative with the goal of reestablishing California as a world leader in the cannabis movement, while protecting and encouraging the craft of small farm cannabis cultivators and cottage cannabis producers.
“It is crucial to any legalization effort that California respect and protect its unique cannabis heritage,” stated attorney Heather Burke. “We are excited to work with AFPR to further that goal.”
The language is still open for public input and an updated 2.0 version of MCLR 2016 is now available at www.MCLR.us. Â Version 2.0 includes extensive community input and significant contributions from the California Artisan Cannabis Initiative. MCLR 2016 will establish clear guidelines for medical marijuana and adult-use marijuana, in addition to allowing for the production of industrial hemp in the state.
“Californians love freedom and are ready to legalize the responsible use of cannabis by adults,” stated attorney Omar Figueroa. “This move is a great step in the right direction.”
The MCLR team continues to reach out to other groups including: The ACLU, Americans for Safe Access (ASA), California Cannabis Voice Humboldt, CaNORML, CCHI, CCPR, Drug Policy Alliance (DPA), Emerald Growers Association (EGA), Gavin Newsom’s Blue Ribbon Panel, Greater Los Angeles Collectives Alliance (GLACA), Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), Sonoma County Growers Association, Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), The Human Solutions, WomenGrow and others in the hope of creating a single, unified initiative for California in 2016.
MCLR 2016 Version 2.0 Language
California Artisan Cannabis Initiative
Source: Americans For Policy Reform (AFPR) and the Marijuana Control, Legalization and Revenue ActÂ
