Feb 24, 2009 12:11 am US/Pacific
Calif. Assembly Bill Would Legalize, Tax Marijuana
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ?
A state legislator is reviving the debate about legalizing marijuana as a way of raising money for cash-strapped state and local governments.
Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, introduced legislation Monday, that if approved by the California Legislature, would put pot on the same legal footing as alcohol — legalizing its sale and having the state tax it.
Under AB 390, adults over the age of 21 would be allowed to buy marijuana from licensed sellers, and driving under the influence of it would be prohibited.
Ammiano said massive eradication efforts have failed to make a dent in this underground industry, so it's time to bring what he calls "a major piece of our economy into the light of day."
His proposal, which has been endorsed by some law enforcement officials, would tax all pot sales at a rate of $50 per ounce.
Ammiano called it "simply nonsensical" to keep marijuana, the state's top cash crop, unregulated and untaxed in light of the state's massive financial problems.
"With the state in the midst of an historic economic crisis, the move towards regulating and taxing marijuana is simply common sense," Ammiano said at a news conference at the state building on Golden Gate Avenue in San Francisco.
California's marijuana crop is estimated at $14 billion annually. Ammiano noted that is almost twice the combined value of vegetables and grapes, the state's second and third most-valuable crops.
He estimated passage of his pot legalization proposal could generate more than $1.3 billion in much-needed revenue for state coffers.
"California has the opportunity to be the first state in the nation to enact a smart, responsible public policy for the control and regulation of marijuana," he said.
In 1996, California became the first state to legalize medical marijuana.
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