Community | January 31, 2010 | 15 comments

Two Paths Emerge For Full Legalization Of Marijuana In California

source: http://patients4medicalmarijuana.wordpress.com/2010/01/31/two-paths-emerge-for-full-legaliza...

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As supporters of a proposed ballot initiative to fully legalize pot turned in their signatures this week, a spokesman for San Francisco’s Tom Ammiano said the assemblyman would also reintroduce his own decriminalization bill in the state legislature. “We are planning on reintroducing the bill in early- or mid-February,” Ammiano’s spokesman, Quintin Mecke, told the Weekly.

The bill would fly in the face of federal law by removing pot from a list of controlled substances and regulating it like alcohol, with with the over-21 crowd being able to buy it, grow it and have it.

Ammiano’s bill would tax pot to the tune of $50 an ounce, an amount the state Board of Equalization estimates could bring the state a much-needed $1.3 billion a year in revenues.

While the state initiative would allow local governments to decide whether or not to outlaw or control sales (like states with “wet and dry” alcohol counties), Ammiano’s bill would establish a state regulatory body to license growers, wholesalers and retailers.

“Marijuana purists are concerned that the ballot initiative may not go far enough in fully legalizing marijuana,” Drug Policy Alliance spokesman Stephen Gutwillig told the Weekly. “It was drafted to appeal to as many voters as possible. We endorse both of them. The decriminalization of marijuana for adults is the most important thing.”

Ammiano’s original bill died in a committee as time ran out on last year’s legislative session.

(Source: Dennis Romero LAWeekly)
  1. groups:
    Community,   Make Marijuana Matter
  2. tags:
    Marijuana,  Cannabis,  Hemp,  Legalization
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15 comments // Two Paths Emerge For Full Legalization Of Marijuana In California

  • occhipij
  • Confucius
  • FoosMaster
    • 0
      FoosMaster  

    • It's not yet a done deal. Let's keep up the fight.
      The most important thing next will be to have an Overwhelming turnout of people voting for legalization. I would caution people that just because most people support legalization in California that if they only show marginal support that it will hurt the movement in other parts of the country. It will take an Overwhelming turnout in California to convince politicians in other parts of the country that Legalization is the best thing for the entire country. The problem is that too many people that are pro-legalization tend not to vote. If the pro-legalization public can be convinced to vote then I see a Large majority of votes to legalize it. Who actually takes the time to vote will be key. You can be sure that the churches will have programs to get people to go vote against it. They will even give people rides to the polling places. Businesses that oppose legalization and law enforcement will also have strong programs to defeat legalization and they will be turning out in record numbers to fight any form of legalization. If you think that just because most people want legalization that you don’t need to vote then you may as well be voting against legalization.
      Let’s make this happen people. VOTE!

    • 2 years ago
  • DonBueno
  • Vigilia
  • schobiz
    • 0
      schobiz  

    • While I'm a supporter of drug policy reform (and the legalization of marijuana/hemp), it's going to be interesting to see some of the challenges that unfold as a result. What would happen if large scale hemp operations were conducted in California? The majority of medical marijuana is grown outdoors, and since hemp is very low in THC and an aggressive pollen producer, cross pollination would probably be unavoidable, reducing the potency and strength of medical marijuana. I'm sure we'll figure it out...

    • 2 years ago
  • edge0freason
  • serenden68
    • 0
      serenden68  
    • schobiz:

      well the best way to grow cannabis is outside there's no questioning, but indoor cultivating can produce buds that are quite potent. Indoor growing would speed up and could also improve quality of the product because of the control over the climate and cycles of the plant/herb.

      also if sunlight is needed on a indoor farm the retracting roofs are available.

      and as far as hemp goes.... theres two sides to the coin.. on one side hundreds of thousands of jobs if not millions would be created in the state of California alone, on the other side thousands of other jobs from companies that would be in competition would be lost due to revenue drop.... still more jobs would be created then lost and plenty much more money would be generated then lost.

      and for those jobs lost many more would be created for hemp farming, fabricating, and selling, exporting... not to mention all the indirect business and organizations that would be effected or created to produce jobs.

    • 2 years ago
  • juicie
  • serenden68
    • 0
      serenden68  
    • schobiz:

      oh and i almost forgot about the money saved from the penal system. prosecution, housing, use of law enforcement; plus the money we would keep from cartels taking the money outside the country.

      that money would be used for work and jobs.

    • 2 years ago
  • remanns
  • bansheewail
  • meddelem
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