Today, in a 4 to 3 vote, the California Assembly’s Public Safety Committee passed A.B. 390, legislation that would tax and regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. This is the first time in U.S. history that a state legislature has ever passed—or even considered—a proposal to make marijuana legal, taxed, and regulated.

This is a major move forward and should be a sign to Nevadans and our legislators that taxing and regulating is a discussion being had by other states and that it is nothing to fear. In reality, this is a common sense approach that benefits the states.

Marijuana prohibition has failed. Arresting adults who choose to consume a substance safer than alcohol is not cost effective or sensible; allowing drug cartels and gangs to financially thrive from illegal sales is not sensible. Regulating marijuana just makes sense, doesn’t it?