Pubdate: Mon, 02 Mar 2009
Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA)
Copyright: 2009 San Jose Mercury News
Contact:  http://www.mercurynews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/390
Author: Dale Gieringer
Note: Dale Gieringer is the director of California NORML (the 
National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws), a supporter 
of Ammiano"s legalization bill. He wrote this article for the Mercury News.
Referenced: AB 390 http://www.canorml.org/prop/AmmianoMarijuanaBill.pdf
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/opinion.htm (Opinion)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Tom+Ammiano
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?115 (Marijuana - California)

LEGALIZE MARIJUANA AND REAP THE REVENUES FOR CALIFORNIA

With the state out of money, the economy in a tailspin and our 
prisons overflowing, California's laws against marijuana make no 
economic sense. Every year, the state shells out millions in 
taxpayers' dollars to arrest, prosecute and imprison marijuana 
offenders in a vain attempt to stamp out its use. Meanwhile, legal 
and more dangerous drugs such as tobacco and alcohol are generating 
billions in revenue for the state.

California taxpayers would benefit from a bill by Assemblyman Tom 
Ammiano, D-San Francisco, that would legalize, tax and regulate 
marijuana for adult use. The bill would establish a state licensing 
system for producers and distributors, who could sell to adults over 
21. Producers would pay an excise tax of $50 per ounce, or about $1 
per joint. Additional revenue would be generated from sales taxes. 
Altogether, tax revenue would be on the order of $1 billion, 
comparable to the cigarette tax. This is a common sense, fiscally 
conservative policy that would regulate cannabis in a manner similar 
to other legal intoxicants and raise much-needed revenue.

At the same time, this policy would eliminate marijuana-related crime 
and law enforcement expenses, which include an estimated $170 million 
annually for the arrest, prosecution and imprisonment of marijuana 
offenders. It would likewise put an end to such prohibition-related 
problems as the proliferation of black market dealers, grow houses, 
smugglers and pirate gardeners on public

Finally, a legal marijuana industry could generate substantial 
additional economic benefits in legal employment, business and 
payroll taxes, and spinoff industries -- like the wine industry, 
which currently contributes $50 billion to California's economy.

History shows that California's laws against marijuana have failed. 
Only after being outlawed did marijuana become widely popular, 
eventually spreading to millions of Californians. By 1975, 
enforcement costs had become so high that the Legislature 
decriminalized possession of small quantities under the Moscone Act, 
saving the state $100 million each year.

Despite dire predictions by opponents, decriminalization had no 
perceptible effect on marijuana use by either adults or young people. 
Nonetheless, production and distribution remained illegal, causing 
continued prohibition-related problems. In 1990, the California 
Research Advisory Panel urged further decriminalization, noting that 
"an objective consideration of marijuana shows that it is responsible 
for less damage to society and the individual than are alcohol and cigarettes."

In 1996, California voters legalized the medical use of marijuana in 
Proposition 215 (though neglecting to establish a legally regulated 
supply system). Contrary to the predictions of opponents, marijuana 
use by youths actually declined after Proposition 215's passage, but 
arrests continued unabated.

In 2007, marijuana-related arrests jumped to 74,119 -- their highest 
level since the Moscone Act. California now has more than 1,500 
marijuana prisoners, more than 10 times as many as in 1980. Marijuana 
accounts for 61 percent of the illicit drug traffic from Mexico, 
where prohibition-fueled gang wars have killed over 6,800. In 
California, agents eradicated a record 5 million illegal plants last 
year, up more than tenfold since 2003. The value of the illegal crop 
has been estimated as high as $14 billion, enough to qualify as the 
state's leading crop.

Ammiano deserves credit for recognizing that the only way to solve 
the marijuana problem is to legalize, tax and regulate it. As usual, 
California is ahead of the rest of the nation. Ammiano's bill 
provides a pathbreaking blueprint for change that would benefit our 
economy, safety and freedom by making marijuana a winning proposition 
for California.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom