Bill would regulate, tax cannabis
Will Ammiano's bill to legalize marijuana get the green light in California?
Assemblyman Tom Ammiano in California thinks he has come up with a partial solution to the state’s budget problems: legalize marijuana.
The Democratic lawmaker introduced the bill Monday. The proposal would allow people older than 21 to buy, sell and grow marijuana.
Cash crop
According to a video on CNN.com, marijuana is an estimated $14 billion-a-year industry in California. That’s more than any other crop in California makes. Advocates say that tax revenue from legal sales of pot could generate up to $1.3 billion per year for the state.
Ammiano says the move could save up to $1 billion a year on law enforcement. Other advocates say legalizing marijuana would carry the benefit of crippling large Mexican drug cartels in California and drive them out of the state.
Factoring it all in
Analysis from the state Board of Equalization says legalization would likely decrease the price of marijuana by about 50 percent. The same research estimates it would increase usage by 40 percent.
The bill proposes a $50-per-ounce levy on retail sales of pot.
Money problems
California struggled to pass its budget this year as it faced a $42 billion shortfall. The state is now facing higher sales, income and vehicle licensing taxes to try to fill in the gap.
This year’s California budget also calls for massive spending cuts and borrowing against lottery revenue. Voters will get a chance to approve the tax increases in May.
Point counter point
Tom Ammiano
Ammiano and other advocates of the bill insist that legalizing marijuana would generate revenue that could greatly ease the state’s financial crisis.
Opponents say that it’s simply a bad idea. Law enforcement representative John Lovell says it’s “The last thing our society needs.”
“We’ve got enough social problems now when people aren’t in charge of all five of their senses,” Lovell says.
However, the San Francisco Sheriff believes the issue should be up for legislation and debate.
TJ must be working for big pharma.
TJ says:
March 20, 2009 at 5:15 am
Please don’t be insulting and fling insults such as ‘moron’ around. If less people were stoned, they could possible concentrate better in school during vocabulary lessons.
(snip)
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How about ‘clueless’? It’s in the dictionary as well as moron. Score one for school!
If you like to fight mexican drug gangs then keep up your prohibition against all those drugs that you personally disagree with. You know, not the ones that you take but the ones that others take (shhhh-marijuana, it’s the dangerous one!). Unless you cut these drug gangs off at the knees (by legalizing their products) then they will soon be in your neighborhood…and they are deadly serious. I’ve been to Mexico. The drug war isn’t working. The drug war allows total profit to the drug gangs; No taxes, no fees, no licenses. We’ve tried it your way for 70+ years. Not working. Look back through history (oh, that school thing again) and show me where ANY civilization has successfully prohibited any product that the population wanted. Think about it; If the Feds can’t keep drugs out of a maximum security prison what makes you think you can stop them at all?
Legalize, Tax, and Regulate
Please don’t be insulting and fling insults such as ‘moron’ around. If less people were stoned, they could possible concentrate better in school during vocabulary lessons.
The habitual pot-smoker (not the occasional recreational user) is very much addicted, so that argument is not valid. In Utopia, it would be best if everybody just ‘tried reality’. It can be a wonderful experience, better than any other ‘high’ to be found.
Pot should not be compared to prescription drugs or alcohol (or meth etc). Prescription drugs (painkillers) are to be taken in moderation and only to take the edge off the pain as the body heals. Alcohol serves no good purpose. Most people would agree most illegal drugs should remain as such.
Pot on the other hand tends to make people lazy. It makes them have no motivation to be productive. People who ‘wake and bake’ cannot truly function as well as a non-drug induced member of society.
The debate is whether it should be legal. There are medical benefits. Give it to the cancer patient. Give it to Grandma who has Alzheimers. Fine. I’m just saying that it is not in the best interest of anybody to make it available at the Grocery Store next to the seasonings or produce section.
Apparently I’m the only non-drug blogger, but that’s ok. I will continue to stand by my convictions based on what I’ve seen pot turn people I love into. It breaks my heart whenever they are at a family function and are all glassy-eyed. It’s called being ‘baked’ for reason. The good things in life are passing them by.
I suppose all the supporters of the bill can rejoice I do not live in California to vote against this bill.
wow just like with anything else in life, some of you are correct, and some of you are wrong. wow anyway, TJ, you are a moron. A clear level headed voice. omg!!! youre a moron dude. if i took 500 drunks and 500 stoners and let them do their worse with pot and alcohol, I BET YOU A TRILLION DOLLARS THAT ALMOST NONE OF THE STONERS WOULD CRASH!!! And maybe half of the drunks would crash. the fact that this plant is illegal is a joke. its because of White (im white just so you know) Republican Soccer moms and jerkoffs like you, that make innocent people look like scumbags. amazing. whats great though is stoners from around the world are going to laugh when this happens cause its a huge contradiction to let people buy pain killers online and hurt themselves, and not let the average person smoke pot. really stupid
i don’t know about it resolving “all” of our economic problems, but it would deffinatelly have a possitive impact
What have you been smoking?????
Have you ALL lost your minds? Seriously! The last thing needed is another vice/addiction. There is A LOT wrong with this plan. It is a drug!!! It messes up the ability to concentrate. It is a ‘who cares what’s going on around me’ drug. Plain and simple. Why not hand out valiums by the handfull? It would make about as much sense.
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What Tell Your Children said. The DEA and drug lords don’t want their profits taken away.
You can become physically dependent on valiums and other generic man-made painkillers. You can overdose on those, too. You can’t overdose or become physically dependent on marijuana.
Alcohol is legal, and aside from some heart benefits, alcohol doesn’t have many benefits to its use, except to help you get laid. Tobacco is legal, and its end use is DEATH. Marijuana helps people with non-treatable diseases, nausea, glaucoma, and more. Ironically, it even helps stave off Alzheimers! There’s an article online somewhere about those findings.
So, to say that it should not be decriminalized, taxed, regulated and controlled means that (a) you are misinformed, in which case there are many articles online to help get you up to speed; (b) are law enforcement, where busts help net profits; (c) are high-level drug dealers where the legalization of weed would take away up to millions in profit from them and into the hands of the government.
And all of this fuss is over a simple plant.
Not only would it completely resolve all of Arnold’s, CA. economy…if it were legalized throughout the US it would COMPLETELY RESOLVE our country’s economy!.
TJ says:
March 4, 2009 at 2:59 pm
What have you been smoking?????
Have you ALL lost your minds? Seriously! The last thing needed is another vice/addiction. There is A LOT wrong with this plan. It is a drug!!! It messes up the ability to concentrate. It is a ‘who cares what’s going on around me’ drug. Plain and simple. Why not hand out valiums by the handfull? It would make about as much sense.
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Well, another clear headed voice of reason for the reefer madness movement. Apparently, this person is in a drug gang and wants to protect their investment. The WHOLE point is to remove the profit from the drug gangs and place it with the government in order to protect us from violent gangs who will stop at nothing to profit.
Just yesterday, using Google news and searching for marijuana, I discovered news stories that detailed a little over 5000 lbs of marijuana that was confiscated by the police on the first page alone. The Office of the National Drug Control Policy, the Border Patrol, and the DEA estimates that only 10% ever gets caught. That means they missed 45,000 lbs!!!
So, are we winning the drug war yet? We’ve spent $22.5 TRILLION (fed and states dollars) since Nixon started the War on Drugs. Yeah, I’d say we’re winning, if you consider that having the country awash with marijuana is a goal. I don’t think that we can get any more folks to use marijuana since apparently people that want to use it already are using it!
Legal or illegal, I can go to the corner convenience store and get anything I want…I mean ANYTHING….within a day at the most. Winning that drug war, huh?
TJ, you need to understand that people will use marijuana if it is legal or illegal.
Prohibition on alcohol didnt work, and in my opinion, it is easier to grow a plant than it is to ferment alohol.
In addition, society already accepts substances that are PROVEN to be more harmful than cannabis like cigarettes and alcohol.
This is all not even considering the billions of dollars saved on anti-marijuana ads that clearly dont work
What have you been smoking?????
Have you ALL lost your minds? Seriously! The last thing needed is another vice/addiction. There is A LOT wrong with this plan. It is a drug!!! It messes up the ability to concentrate. It is a ‘who cares what’s going on around me’ drug. Plain and simple. Why not hand out valiums by the handfull? It would make about as much sense.
There is a huge drawback that not a lot of people are aware of to legalizing marijuana – NOTHING! There is nothing to lose, and far too much to gain. Never mind the ostentatious reduction in crime, and therefore spending on corrections, that would result, but also tax revenue, and then there’s the benefits itself of the hemp plant. Excellent and durable cloth, there’s a really good biofuel you can make from it…the list goes on. There’s no good reason to keep it illegal.
i think it is a great idea, i am just worried that too many people will decide to grow it because of how simple it is to grow. before we know it the gov will have to start paying people not to grow it. but i still like the idea. -maybe they could set restrictions on who could grow it in mass quantities….or maybe you have to already be growing something else, like corn….idk, just a thought
The civil war was started over states’ rights.The people of the south believed that they had the right to own slaves.A war was fought, Americans against Americans, because of this principle. Now a large percentage of Californians are consuming marijuana, and are tired of being treated like criminals.Marijuana may have some supposed health risks, but is it inhumane? It is the cure for bordom. It makes u laugh, and isn’t laughter the best medicine? Maybe someone doesn’t have a health plan, and can’t afford to get anti-depressents or pain medicine, so instead grit their teeth, wipe a tear, and smoke a joint….. Who stocks your shelves, who makes your burgers, who sells your liquor, who mowes your lawns,… who delivers your pizza, who digs your ditches,who works midnight shifts, through all the yawns,…who blows their money, all up in sm0ke,… could it be your moms? Taxation and legalization of marijuana is the only reasonable thing to do this broken economy. We tax many “legitimate” addictions …money, oil, cigs, commercial goods, and even hot food.
TO ANY FOLLOWERS OF THE HOLY BIBLE WHO DO NOT AGREE WITH THIS: CRACK OPEN YOUR BIBLE AND FLIP THROUGH THE FIRST FEW PAGES OF GENESIS. LOOK FOR SOMETHING ABOUT “GREEN HERBS BEARING SEED”.
Take the drug profits away from drug gangs and let the government….Legalize, Regulate, and TAX! Prohibition didn’t work for alcohol. Why do people think it will work for marijuana? Bring this stuff out into the daylight. Regulation will lessen the availability for youth. Marijuana is ‘controlled’ now. I don’t know what they mean by ‘controlled’ unless that means that it’s available 24/7 to anyone. It’s harder for kids to get beer then weed because you are carded to get the beer. Who cards for weed?
$1.3 billion a year is a lot of money. Imagine how much more it will be if they actually manage to legalize marijuana. I have to agree, it will help California a great deal especially considering the state is facing a HUGE budget deficit. The main issue I am worried about is the substance being used among adolescents. Just like alcohol, it should be used responsibly and I don’t believe children should be allowed access to it in shape or form.
WOOT! yeah, i belive if people need weed they will get it any way. Now if it legalizzed the gov. can controll and make money insted of the money going to criminals