Pubdate: Sun, 8 Mar 2009
Source: Los Angeles Daily News (CA)
Copyright: 2009 Los Angeles Newspaper Group
Contact: http://www.dailynews.com/writealetter
Website: http://www.dailynews.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/246
Author: Dale Gieringer
Note: Dale Gieringer is the director of California NORML, the 
National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?115 (Marijuana - California)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?161 (Marijuana - Regulation)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?420 (Marijuana - Popular)

TIME HAS COME TO LEGALIZE POT

With the state out of money and its the 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 revenues for the state.

California taxpayers would benefit from a new bill by San Francisco 
Assemblyman Tom Ammiano 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 revenues would be generated from sales taxes. 
Altogether, tax revenues 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 for state and county governments.

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 lands.

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

History shows that California's laws against marijuana have failed. 
The state first prohibited marijuana or "Indian hemp" in 1913 over 
concerns that "Hindoo" immigrants might spread its use to whites. 
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 in 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 youth actually declined after Proposition 215, but arrests 
continued unabated. Because medical users are only a small fraction 
of the marijuana market, law enforcement costs have continued to be a 
drain on the state.

In 2007, marijuana-related arrests jumped 13 percent 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 more than 
6,800 people.

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. Although 
politicians have been chary of mentioning the "L-word," public 
attitudes are changing.

A new Zogby poll shows that 44 percent of voters now support taxing 
and regulating marijuana - and as many as 58 percent in the western 
states back legalization.  As usual, California is ahead of the rest 
of the nation. Ammiano's bill provides a path-breaking blueprint for 
change that would benefit our economy, safety and freedom by making 
marijuana a winning proposition for California.