California is considering new laws aimed at legalizing marijuana, but that doesn’t mean the drug is legal in all parts of the state.
As of Thursday, the state is still in the process of studying whether to legalize the drug, which has been illegal for nearly two decades.
“I have not seen the report,” said Michael Mapes, spokesman for Attorney General Xavier Becerra.
“That is a non-starter.”
The state is weighing a proposal that would allow people 21 and older to grow up to six plants of marijuana for personal use, grow up a second marijuana growing operation and possess up to two ounces for personal consumption.
The measure would allow dispensaries to open in select cities.
Under the plan, marijuana would be sold for recreational use.
In Los Angeles, the City Council has already approved a measure allowing for dispensaries to sell recreational marijuana.
The City Council voted 4-2 last month to let dispensaries open.
Mapes said there are currently about 200 medical marijuana dispensaries in California, many in Los Angeles.
The city is also considering a proposal to allow for cultivation of up to three mature marijuana plants, as well as for the production of oils, edibles and other products for use as a medical treatment.
California’s medical marijuana program was created by voters in 1996.
The program has grown from a handful of medical dispensaries to more than 500 dispensaries operating in some of the country’s most populous cities.
Mates said Becerras plan to create a program similar to the state’s recreational marijuana program would allow for dispensaries in the state to open if they meet certain conditions.
That means the city would have to consider whether the existing medical marijuana dispensary network in the city is good enough to support recreational dispensaries.
“It would be great if we could expand it, but it’s hard to see how we would,” Mapes told Fox News.
“There is not a great plan to open up recreational pot dispensaries in our city.
It is a lot harder than opening up medical marijuana in a state that is now legalizing medical marijuana.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
