Most of us are already aware California passed Proposition 64 this past election season, but many of us have no idea what that actually meant for us immediately following the vote!

 
Marijuana possession was made legal on November 22, 2016 for all Californians over the age of 21, but because the system for licensing legitimate retail marijuana establishments has not yet been created, no one will be able to legally purchase cannabis until January 2018. What in the world does that mean? It means that although you can legally smoke and possess cannabis, it may be difficult to find some legally! Until January 2018, you will only be able to acquire cannabis by growing it yourself, or having it gifted to you by someone else – absolutely no money can change hands or you will be breaking the law.

Is it Legal Everywhere?

 
There is a big difference between possessing marijuana, and smoking marijuana in the eyes of the law. You can possess marijuana just about anywhere in the state (with a few exceptions which are outlined below), but you are seriously restricted by where you are allowed to consume cannabis. Cannabis will be treated like alcohol in a sense – you cannot consume it in public, you won’t be able to use it will you are driving, and you will not be able to use it where smoking is prohibited (like certain housing complexes).

Another key aspect of use and possession that people often forget is that although cannabis is now legal in the state of California, the state doesn’t actually own all of the land contained within its boundaries. The federal government owns quite a bit of land across the country, especially in CA, where we have massive national parks, military bases and thousands of miles of protected shoreline. The national parks are under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service, a federal law enforcement agency that can and will arrest you for breaking the laws of the park, which include cannabis consumption or possession. The same goes for the coast guard, who enforce maritime law and federal law, meaning they have the ability to arrest you for marijuana possession on land or at sea! There are dozens of places that its still illegal to possess cannabis in CA, below you will find a list that we have put together to help you stay legal!

Places You Still Can’t Possess Cannabis in California

 
National Parks

• Channel Islands National Park
• Death Valley National Park
• Joshua Tree National Park
• King’s Canyon National Park
• Lassen Volcanic National Park
• Pinnacles National Park
• Redwood National Park
• Sequoia National Park
• Yosemite National Park

Military Bases

• Beale Air Force Base
• Boron Air Force Station
• California World War II Army Airfields
• Cambria Air Force Station
• Camp Curtis
• Camp Horno
• Camp Low
• Camp Calvin B. Matthews
• Camp McQuaide
• Camp Roberts
• Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range
• Coast Guard Air Station Humboldt Bay
• Coast Guard Air Station San Diego
• Desert Training Center
• Edwards Air Force Base
• Elk Camp
• Fort Anderson
• Klamath Air Force Station
• Leach Lake Tactics Range
• Lompoc Air Force Station
• Madera Air Force Station
• March Air Reserve Base
• Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms
• Marine Corps Air Station Miramar
• Marine Corps Air Station Santa Barbara
• Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton
• Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow
• Mill Valley Air Force Station
• Mira Loma Air Force Station
• Naval Consolidated Brig, Miramar
• Mount Laguna Air Force Station
• Naval Air Facility El Centro
• Naval Air Station Lemoore
• Naval Auxiliary Landing Field San Clemente Island
• Naval Base San Diego
• Naval Postgraduate School
• O’Sullivan Army Heliport
• Palm Springs International Airport
• Parks Reserve Forces Training Area
• Point Arena Air Force Station
• Riverbank Army Ammunition Plant
• Roberts Army Heliport
• Sacramento Army Depot
• Salton Sea Test Base
• San Clemente Island Air Force Station
• Santa Rosa Island Air Force Station
• Sierra Army Depot
• Skaggs Island Naval Communication Station
• Travis Air Force Base
• Tule Lake Air Force Station
• United States Army Reserve Center, Rio Vista
• Vandenberg Air Force Base
• War Eagle Field

If you are being charged with a college related crime, contact our Sacramento criminal defense lawyer immediately for a consultation.

Contact us online or call at (916) 441-4888 for a free and confidential initial consultation with an experienced Sacramento criminal attorney, available in Spanish. We appear in state and federal courts in the Sacramento and Davis communities as well as throughout Placer and San Joaquin counties.

The Law Office of Wing & Parisi serves clients in the Sacramento and Davis communities as well as throughout Placer County and San Joaquin County. Hablamos espanol.