California's Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom said he would back a marijuana legalization initiative in 2016. He stated, "I don’t like drug abuse, or drug use. That said, I dislike the ‘war on drugs’ more. It is a war on people of color, it is a war on poor people, and it is an outrage."

There are a million uses for cannabis. But America is falling behind, due to the prohibition of this miracle resource. 

In Canada, planes are being manufactured from plastic made from hemp. 

The interior of BMW's new electric car is made from hemp, a lightweight material which maximizes fuel efficiency and driving range. The car is 800 pounds less than the Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Volt.

With gas prices reaching $5 a gallon this summer, the fact that we don't take a more serious look at hemp for biodiesel fuel is just stupid. 

Hemp is much more environmentally friendly to produce when compared to sugar beet, palm oil, or corn. It can grow in practically any temperate to hot climate, leaving the ground in better condition than when it was planted. 

If you missed it, Jesse Ventura and Dan Skye, the Editor-in-Chief of High Times Magazine, break down the high profits of marijuana in this video:

The first attempt to legalize marijuana in California through the initiative process came in 1972, when activists got an initiative certified for the ballot. The measure was defeated. Next year, marijuana will be back on the ballot, so remember to vote for more than just the president in 2016!

If you live in California, there are currently SIX marijuana bills you will have the opportunity to vote on at the ballot box.

The good news is, all these bills will legalize marijuana, but there are somewhat subtle - yet very important - differences between them:

CALIFORNIA "RESPONSIBLE USE ACT" INITIATIVE

• If passed, this would legalize marijuana! 
• Marijuana possession, production, cultivation, transportation, manufacture, processing, and sale would all be legal. 
• This bill will also create board to license and regulate the marijuana industry and establish procedures for the release or re-sentencing of persons convicted of marijuana offenses. 
• The bill establishes procedures for erasing records of marijuana related convictions. 
• Taxes on marijuana would include: $8 per ounce of dried marijuana, $.20 per gallon of liquid marijuana-infused products, or $1.00 per gram of concentrated marijuana. 
• The initiative also permits local taxes on marijuana sales, up to 2% of retail price, with voter approval. 
• The bill will exempt medical marijuana from all taxation. 

CALIFORNIA CANNABIS LEGALIZATION INITIATIVE

• If passed, this bill legalizes cannabis plants and products under state law, including hemp. 
• It will release nonviolent marijuana offenders from prison and erases their criminal records. 
• Designates Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to regulate and license recreational marijuana industry. 
• Imposes 15% tax on non-medical marijuana and 3% tax on medical marijuana, and additional temporary taxes. 
• Applies general retail sales taxes to non-medical marijuana. 
• Prohibits local governments from enacting taxes, fees, or bans targeting marijuana. 
• Allows personal use of five pounds of dried marijuana, one pound of concentrated, and three gallons of liquid extracts; and private cultivation of 500 square feet per adult (1,500 per parcel).

CALIFORNIA CRAFT CANNABIS INITIATIVE

• Retroactively legalizes, under state law, marijuana and hemp use, cultivation, possession, transportation, processing, distribution, and sale by persons 21 years and over. 
• Creates commission to regulate and license marijuana industry. 
• Bars commission from capping number of licensed businesses that grow less than 100 plants. 
• Allows unlicensed cultivation for use, or sale at cost, of up to six plants per person. 
• Applies general retail sales taxes to non-medical marijuana sales. 
• Permits additional taxes on non=medical marijuana processing and sales totaling up to 30% of retail price. 
• Allows certain local regulation, but not regulation inconsistent with measure’s policies.

CALIFORNIA MARIJUANA CONTROL, LEGALIZATION AND REVENUE INITIATIVE

• Legalizes under state law marijuana use, growth, cultivation, possession, transportation, storage, or sale. 
• Creates commission to regulate and license marijuana industry. 
• Applies general retail sales taxes to marijuana, unless medical or dietary exemptions apply. 
• Permits taxes on non-medical marijuana sales, up to 10% of retail price. 
• Prohibits discrimination against marijuana users or businesses. 
• Prohibits Legislature from enacting marijuana laws. 
• Imposes personal liability on law enforcement for wrongful marijuana destruction or assisting with certain marijuana investigations. 
• Requires voter approval to zone beyond set limits. 
• Nullifies other local regulations. 
• Exempts medical marijuana collectives from licensing and local zoning.

CALIFORNIA MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION INITIATIVE

• The California Marijuana Legalization Initiative may appear on the November 8, 2016 ballot in California as an initiated state statute or initiated constitutional amendment. 
• The campaign in support of the initiative has not stated whether the initiative will seek to amend state statute or the constitution.
• This bill would legalize recreational marijuana for adults and, according to proponents, regulate and tax the drug like alcohol. 
• The initiative will be similar to 2012's Washington Initiative 502 and Colorado Amendment 64, which were both approved by voters.

CALIFORNIA MEDICAL MARIJUANA ACCESS INITIATIVE

• Bars state and local laws that restrict patients’ ability to obtain, cultivate, or transport medical marijuana, including concentrated cannabis, in any way that does not apply equally to other plants. 
• Bars state and local laws that create a non-competitive market for medical marijuana. 
• Broadens the definition of marijuana under state law to include all parts of, and anything made from, the marijuana plant. 
• Bars state and local laws that restrict doctors’ ability to recommend marijuana to patients in any way that does not apply equally to herbal or therapeutic treatments.
• Therefore, if passed, cannabis in all forms, including but not limited to its flowers, leaves, and derivatives and concentrates thereof, will be a legal alternative medicinal treatment.
• No state or local agency or body shall adopt a law that burdens in any way the ability of doctors to recommend cannabis for medicinal and/or therapeutic purposes, unless said law applies such burden equally to the recommendation of other herbal or therapeutic treatments.

According to the Field Poll (an independent and non-partisan survey) and the PPIC Statewide Survey,  the majority of California residents support legalizing marijuana. 

However, the margins between those who support and oppose full legalization is close. 

When it comes to freeing non-violent offenders from prison, commuting marijuana related convictions, allowing farmers to grow hemp, and regulating the way in which recreational and medical marijuana is taxed in California, every vote counts in 2016. 

Let's create more American industry, decrease unemployment, and balance the budget by voting in marijuana in 2016.