This New Year comes with something new. California has accepted the legalization of marijuana.

This New Year comes with something new. California has accepted the legalization of marijuana.

The nation's most populous state joins a growing list of other states, and the nation's capital, where so-called recreational marijuana is permitted even though the federal government continues to classify pot as a controlled substance, like heroin and LSD. 

Pot is now legal in California for adults 21 and older, and individuals can grow up to six plants and possess as much as an ounce of the drug. 

But finding a retail outlet to buy non-medical pot in California won't be easy, at least initially. Only about 90 businesses received state licenses to open on New Year's Day. They are concentrated in San Diego, Santa Cruz, the San Francisco Bay Area and the Palm Springs area. 

Even with this, they are still places were recreational pot won’t be allowed. Fresno, Bakersfield and Riverside are among the communities that have adopted laws forbidding recreational marijuana sales.

Marijuana has been much anticipated for legalisation in this state as Customers began lining up before dawn to be among the first to purchase legal marijuana in state, and before that, just after midnight, some Californians were raising blunts instead of champagne glasses.

Different reactions from individuals as a result of the legalisation have been noticed.

Johnny Hernandez, a tattoo artist from Modesto, celebrated New Year's Eve by smoking “Happy New Year blunts” with his cousins. 

“This is something we've all been waiting for,” he said. “It is something that can help so many people and there's no reason why we should not be sharing that.”

Mr Hernandez said he hoped the legalisation of recreational marijuana would help alleviate the remaining stigma some still believe surrounds marijuana use. “People might actually realise weed isn't bad. It helps a lot of people,” he said.

For those who worked for this day, the shift also offered joyful relief.  “We're thrilled,” said Khalil Moutawakkil, founder of KindPeoples, which grows and sells weed in Santa Cruz. “We can talk about the good, the bad and the ugly of the specific regulations, but at the end of the day it's a giant step forward, and we'll have to work out the kinks as we go.”

With the legalisation of marijuana in California, maybe more states in USA  might join and we expect to see advert like; Smoke responsibly.

Culled from, #independent.co.uk

Arira Joseph, Co-Editor VerdTalks