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Berkeley Dispensaries Begin Selling Recreational Marijuana

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Photograph by Talia Cole

People over age 21 can legally purchase and use marijuana for recreational purposes in Berkeley as of January 1, 2018.

Berkeley is one of four cities in the Bay Area to legalize recreational marijuana. Adults can now buy limited amounts of loose marijuana leaves, flowers, and immature cannabis plants, in addition to edibles with limited amounts of THC.

Studies show that, although smoking marijuana can cause lung damage, marijuana is safe in moderation for adults’ brains. However, it can impair pubescents’ brain development. The Berkeley City Council agreed that 21 is an appropriate age to be able to use marijuana recreationally because of scientific studies that indicate this to be the age at which it is safe to consume. However, many studies show that the brain can keep developing until the late twenties, and that age 25 is the average age for the end of pubescent brain development. Heavy marijuana use in teens can lead to memory problems later in life.

Sean Luse, a spokesperson for the BPG said that “as the regulated [recreational marijuana] market grows and becomes more developed, hopefully [dispensaries] do put the black market out of business and there won’t be as much black market marijuana available to underage people.”

Regarding the use of fake IDs to purchase recreational marijuana, Luse said that BPG checks ID visually and uses a scanning device because they “have so much invested in this business”; they can lose their dispensary license if they are caught selling cannabis to people under 21.

However, he does not anticipate an influx of people under 21 attempting to buy recreational marijuana from dispensaries, given the availability of marijuana on the black market.

Berkeley City Councilwoman Sophie Hahn said that marketing marijuana should be regulated as tobacco is: “to limit access to young people whose brains are developing.” While she is sure that some of Berkeley’s regulations surrounding marijuana may need to be “tweaked,” she stated that the city council “will be now turning to other things.”

On January 4, Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded a policy which discouraged prosecutors from pursuing cases involving the drug wherever marijuana is legal under state laws. It has yet to be seen how this policy will affect California’s recent legalization.