The first step to legalize marijuana in California was taken earlier today.
California lawmakers today approved Assembly Bill 390, which would tax and regulate marijuana within the state. The Assembly’s Public Safety Committee voted 4-3 on the bill at a hearing in Sacramento. The bill will now be sent to the full Assembly on January 15th for consideration.
The bill, authored by San Francisco Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, basically treats pot the same way alcohol is treated under the law and would allow adults over 21 to possess, smoke and grow marijuana. If it becomes law, it would also call for a fee of $50 per ounce sold, which would be used to help fund drug eradication and awareness programs. Supporters say it could help pull California out of debt by raising up to $990 million from these fees.
Among the supporters for legalizing marijuana in the state is a group composed of police, judges and prosecutors who formed a group called Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. This organization believes that legalizing marijuana for adults will help improve American society by restricting youth access to it and taking the attraction away from cartels that traffic pot as an illegal substance.
“The mere fact that there will be votes in the Assembly to regulate and control the sale and distribution of marijuana would have been unthinkable even one year ago.” Retired Orange County California Supreme Court Judge Jim Gray said via a statement from the group. “And if the bill doesn’t pass this year, it will soon. Or, the bill will be irrelevant because the voters will have passed the measure to regulate and tax marijuana that will be on the ballot this November.”
This is the first time in U.S. history a state legislative body has ever considered repealing the prohibition of marijuana put into place in 1913.
What do you think?
Take this poll and I will post the results when adequate data is collected.
January 23rd update – Only eleven people voted, and they all voted No.
Tags: Government, Interesting, Taxes
Well they need the tax money, government blows all the tax money now they are going the drug route, Wonder how much they will make on this? Just go to show you how corrupt the government is. Now we will have to have people to manage all this new money and what will happen to it? I give up.