Pubdate: Wed, 23 Sep 2009 Source: Times-Standard (Eureka, CA) Copyright: 2009 Times-Standard Contact: http://www.times-standard.com/writeus Website: http://www.times-standard.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1051 TWO MARIJUANA INITIATIVES ENTER CIRCULATION Secretary of State Debra Bowen announced Tuesday that the proponents of two new initiatives may begin collecting petition signatures for their measures. The first measure would legalize marijuana and allow it to be regulated and taxed. The measure permits people 21 years old or older to possess, cultivate, or transport marijuana for personal use, but prohibits people from possessing marijuana on school grounds, using it in public, smoking it while minors are present, or providing it to anyone under 21 years old. The second measure would legalize, regulate and tax marijuana, and repeal state laws that make it a crime for people to use, possess, sell, cultivate, or transport marijuana. It would require the Legislature to adopt laws regulating and taxing marijuana within one year of passage. The proponents of both measures must collect the signatures of 433,971 registered voters -- the number equal to 5 percent of the total votes cast for governor in the 2006 gubernatorial election -- by Feb. 18, 2010, in order to qualify it for the ballot. A third measure -- supporting the repeal of all state laws currently making it a crime for people 21 or older to use, possess, cultivate or transport marijuana, except those laws that make it a crime to drive under the influence -- has been in circulation since Sept. 8. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr