Pubdate: Sat, 28 Dec 2013
Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal (NV)
Copyright: 2013 Las Vegas Review-Journal
Contact: http://www.reviewjournal.com/about/print/press/letterstoeditor.html
Website: http://www.lvrj.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/233
Author: Reid Wilson, the Washington Post

CALIFORNIA BALLOT MEASURE WOULD LEGALIZE POT USE

A proposed ballot measure that would legalize possession, use, growth
and cultivation of marijuana would save the state of California
hundreds of millions of dollars a year, according to a summary issued
Thursday by the state attorney general's office.

The summary, which the office of Attorney General Kamala Harris, a
Democrat, releases for each proposed ballot measure, said the state
would save "in the low hundreds of millions of dollars annually" on
law enforcement costs associated with enforcing marijuana laws.

As an added bonus, Harris' office said sales tax revenues could add
more cash - again, in the "low hundreds of millions of dollars
annually" - to the state's bottom line.

Supporters of the proposed ballot measure would need to collect
504,760 signatures by May 23 to get the initiative - formally known by
its ballot title, "Marijuana Legalization. Initiative Statute" - on
the 2014 ballot.

The group backing legalization won't be collecting signatures for this
version of the bill; the lead sponsor told the San Francisco Chronicle
that they had tweaked the initiative's language to allow individuals
to grow more marijuana for personal use. A revised version of the
ballot initiative, dubbed the "Marijuana Control, Legalization and
Revenue Act of 2014," is scheduled to be reviewed by the attorney
general's office by the end of January, the Chronicle reported.

Both versions of the measure would legalize the use, growth,
cultivation, possession, transportation, storage and sale of
marijuana, while creating a commission to regulate and issue business
licenses for cultivation and sales.

The measure would apply retail sales taxes to marijuana sold for
recreational purposes, while allocating that money equally to
education, health care, law enforcement and drug abuse programs. It
also prevents state and local law enforcement officials from enforcing
federal marijuana laws.  
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