A new high for pot

LONDON - MAY 15: A man smokes a joint in Russell Square at the start of the cannabis march in London during the annual global cannabis campaign with marches in over 150 cities worldwide May 15, 2005, London, England. Grandma Putt was recently convicted of possessing cannabis after getting caught eating it for medicinal purposes to relieve the Multiple Sclerosis she suffers from. Campaigners have stated the march taking place soon after the general election is the largest 'united front' against the prohibition of cannabis ever assembled in Britain. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images) (Chris Jackson)

Recreational-marijuana fans enjoyed a legislative high Tuesday when a California Assembly committee approved a bill that would allow adults to smoke pot and let the state tax them by the ounce.

But the victory was brief. No sooner had the Assembly's public safety committee voted 4-3 in favor of Assemblyman Tom Ammiano's bill than it became clear the health committee would not consider it before a Friday deadline.

Still, backers of the effort to free marijuana for more than medical use hailed the committee vote as their biggest-ever win in a U.S. legislature and claimed it gives momentum to a pro-pot initiative on the November ballot.

"It represents a sea change in the discussion of marijuana law," said Quintin Mecke, spokesman for Ammiano, chairman of the public safety committee.

Opponents of looser laws on marijuana downplayed the implications.

"It is one of the great nonevents of the legislative session, considering the source," said Steve Cooley, the Los Angeles County district attorney, who has sparred with Ammiano, D-San Francisco, on pot issues.

The bill, AB 390, introduced in February, received yes votes from four of the committee's five Democrats and nos from both Republicans and the other Democrat.

It would allow people 21 and older to possess, grow and sell marijuana, and would let the state charge a $50-an-ounce fee and 9 percent tax on retail sales. Backers say it could help the cash-strapped state government by bringing in $1.3 billion in revenue and saving some of the costs of pot-law enforcement.

The health committee failed to consider the bill at its Tuesday meeting. Ammiano could ask the full Assembly to vote a waiver to reconvene that committee this week. He also could start over by re-introducing the legislation.

Ammiano indicated he would wait to act until after the November election. An Oakland-based group says it has gathered enough signatures to put the so-called Tax and Regulate Cannabis 2010 initiative in front of voters.

Bruce Margolin, director of the L.A. chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said he was "inspired" by Tuesday's action and expects the ballot initiative to pass. Margolin tempered his optimism by adding: "I've been saying for 40-some years now that I expected marijuana to be legalized in the near future."

Could marijuana be legalized for recreational use sometime soon?

Michael Shires, a Pepperdine associate professor of public policy, said Tuesday's milestone "could provide some evidence of momentum" for legalization but is largely symbolic.

"I think the Legislature has sent a message that `This is something we might entertain,"' Shires said. "But it's a long way from passing the legislation."

Shires said pot legalization is more likely to happen at the ballot box than in the Legislature because the issue is risky for politicians.

Though polls have shown better than 50 percent support from likely voters for the proposed initiative, Shires said, backing on such "social issues" often declines as opponents try to change the debate.

Ammiano's bill drew mixed support from Los Angeles city officials, who have grappled for years over how to control the distribution of medical marijuana, legalized in a 1996 state ballot initiative.
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