{"id":92131,"date":"2017-12-31T18:53:27","date_gmt":"2017-12-31T22:53:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/?p=92131"},"modified":"2017-12-31T18:54:50","modified_gmt":"2017-12-31T22:54:50","slug":"weed-is-now-legal-in-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/?p=92131","title":{"rendered":"Weed is now legal in California!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hippy dream now a billion-dollar industry with California set to legalize cannabis<\/h2>\n

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The state that is the world\u2019s sixth biggest economy will legalise cannabis on New Year\u2019s Day \u2013 and expects a boom time for jobs and investment<\/h3>\n
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Legalise cannabis campaigners in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California. The drug will become legal for recreational use in the state on 1 January 2018. Photograph: Robert Galbraith\/Reuters<\/p><\/div>\n

Rory Carroll in Los Angeles
\nThe Guardian<\/p>\n

W<\/span><\/span>hile Arctic conditions<\/a> gripped America\u2019s north-east, balmy sunshine bathed Los Angeles<\/a> last week \u2013 but that was not the only reason denizens of the Venice boardwalk were feeling mellow. An astringent, earthy aroma infused the Pacific zephyrs wafting through the buskers, joggers, skateboarders, tourists and panhandlers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWeed is part of the culture here,\u201d said Oni Farley, 30, perched on a sandy mound, watching life go by. \u201cIt\u2019s part of the LA\/California scene, the laid-back vibe.\u201d He ignored a police patrol car that inched through the throng. \u201cI\u2019ve blazed in front of cops and they don\u2019t say anything. To be honest, most of the time I\u2019m so high I don\u2019t notice them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pot wasn\u2019t hiding. In multiple different ways it was on display.<\/p>\n

\u201cAddicted to weed, anything green helps,\u201d said a scrawled sign tilted against the backpack of Alexander Harth, 36, a dusty member of the boardwalk\u2019s homeless population.<\/p>\n

On the pavement, Marc Patsiner hawked wooden ornaments etched with Californian symbols: sunglasses, palm trees and marijuana leaves. \u201cIt\u2019s pretty bohemian out here. People associate us with the leaf.\u201d It is hoped that legalization can help people medicate certain conditions whilst also bringing in much-needed tax revenue. The state of play in Canada is that nationwide legalization has been highly successful. You can even Buy Weed Online in Canada<\/a> now. There is certainly hope that the roll out of legalized recreational marijuana will be just as successful here.<\/p>\n

A vape shop offered glass pipes and other pot paraphernalia. T-shirt stores peddled images of Barack Obama smoking a joint alongside other herb-themed garments saying \u201cbest buds\u201d and \u201cjust hit it\u201d.<\/p>\n

On Monday, California<\/a>, the US\u2019s most populous state, and the world\u2019s sixth biggest economy, will officially \u201chit it\u201d by legalising cannabis.<\/p>\n