Marijuana legalization backers hand in initiative petitions

[grace]

Supporters of legalized marijuana announced today that they have gathered about 700,000 signatures for their initiative, virtually guaranteeing voters will see it on the November ballot.

 

They plan to turn in the petitions today to elections officials in some of the state's major counties, including Los Angeles. Supporters need 433,971 valid signatures to qualify the measure.

 

The measure’s main proponent, Richard Lee, a highly successful Oakland marijuana entrepreneur, bankrolled a professional signature-gathering effort that was bolstered by volunteers from the state’s hundreds of medical marijuana dispensaries.

 

“This is a historic first step toward ending cannabis prohibition,” Lee said. “I’ve always believed that cannabis should be taxed and regulated and that our current laws aren’t working.”

 

The initiative, known as the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act, would make it legal for anyone 21 and older to possess an ounce of marijuana and grow plants in an area no larger than 25 square feet for personal use. It would also allow cities and counties to permit marijuana to be grown and sold, and to impose taxes on marijuana production and sales.

 

Four marijuana legalization initiatives have been proposed, but Lee’s is the only one that appears to have the financial support to make the ballot.

 

Lee's firm, one of the state's most successful marijuana businesses, has spent more than $1 million on the measure and hired professional consultants to run the campaign. Lee owns half a dozen mostly pot-related businesses in Oakland, including Coffeeshop Blue Sky, a medical marijuana dispensary, and Oaksterdam University, which offers classes on marijuana.

 

Polls have shown growing support nationwide for legalization. In California, a majority favors it. A Field Poll taken last April found that 56% of voters in the state and 60% in Los Angeles County want to make pot legal and tax it. That margin, though, is not enough to assure victory.

 

The political climate has turned conservative in this non-presidential election year. Some prominent marijuana legalization advocates have questioned whether 2010 was the right year to test whether Californians would again break new ground on drug legalization, as they did in 1996 when they approved marijuana for medical use.

 

If passed, the initiative would put the state in conflict with federal law. The Obama administration last year announced it would not prosecute medical marijuana dispensaries that adhere to California's laws, but it has adamantly opposed efforts to legalize marijuana for recreational use.

 

Author: John Hoeffel

Date: 28 January 2010

Source: Los Angeles Times

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010...-petitions.html

[Crunchy]

haha, its gonna happen, cant you feel it?

somewhere in the US marijuana is going to be legalized this year (yes im optimistic)

and the passing of that one state bill is going to echo around the world, cannabis smokers everywhere will see and realize that legalizing cannabis is possible! and with that a chain reaction will start, hopefully in 10-20 years cannabis will be legal everywhere around the globe!

[sew850i]

definitely will happen in good time crunchy!!

 

question is when will it happen in oz??

 

also: if marijuana is legal.. that doesnt mean hemp will be legal...

[dudes]

No way it's going to happen, when's the last time petitions made ANY noticeable difference? Especially in the US. It's just not where the power is at.

[mistyville]

You can get a licence to grow hemp in NSW. Apply through the Dept. of Primary Industries

[jabez]

No way it's going to happen, when's the last time petitions made ANY noticeable difference? Especially in the US. It's just not where the power is at.

 

Proposition 215, also known as the compassionate use act. That's the reason California has medical cannabis right now, they did a petition, got enough signatures to get it on the ballot and it passed, with 56% of californians voting 'yes' for medical cannabis.

 

So petitions make a huge difference in cali and any other US state that allows propositions to be put on ballots so the people can acually vote for it.

 

No reason they can't get over 50% this time either, I mean it's almost getting boring reading all the positive news stories coming out of california and even the US in general at the moment. I think Americans have seriously woken up and once they legalize it there and nothing but good comes from it, then Australians will wake up to.

[Budman2012]

Hello,

I agree that it could well happen in the near future.

I understand ya Jabez about "almost getting boring reading all the positive stories from the U.S."

Actually if anything , It's starting to frustrate and cause me depression as Australia seems so behind the 8-Ball in the way things happen (or don't happen) over here ...

 

The whole tax thing kinda irks me aswell ... I mean sure I'm pro-legalize but don't ever remember being pro-tax ... The whole reason all of this is being considered in California is because of the MASSIVE debts they have owing ... they are beyond being broke ... well the whole U.S. isreally ... The debt is in the TRILLIONS of dollars and escelating rapidly (12 trill. last I heard) ... now they can rake in mass taxes from the millions of Cannabis users in order to finish building their tyrannical empire up before WW3. ... Ahem.

 

The best thing about this article is this bit:

would make it legal for anyone 21 and older to possess an ounce of marijuana and grow plants in an area no larger than 25 square feet for personal use.

Note: I cut out the references to taxing. That part above should do ... I'll buy it at the local market yeh?

And the teenagers will still have access just as they do to everything else

 

Now many people won't give a shit as long as they can grow their own or just buy it like Liquor and Tobacco of course. The problem I have is with the Tax thing is that : WHY? ... If the majority vote and the authorities agree that Cannabis IS indeed harmless for adults to use then WHY the need for a tax?

It's about their wealth not our freedom.

They Keep raising the Taxes twice a year on Alcohol and Tobacco ... their excuse is Harm Minimization ... (hmm , sounds familiar huh?) ...

Australia doesn't need the extra taxes as much as the U.S. does but the same scenario would occur with Cannabis as the rest ... the taxes and CPI (And whatever other taxes they decide to add) will force up the Prices until It's Costing you $420 an ounce to go with your $4.20 Schooner (Lets say $10 dollar schooner by the time this would happen here if ever).

(The Criminal "black markets" would just undercut prices and still make a fucking mint would they not? ... especially if there is some sort of I.D. access style card introduced (likely))

 

Well , yes It's the same for many things (like our fucking GST that would never effect food prices and the rest , yeh right) ... I guess not much to be able to get around it ... Better something than nothing?

 

Anyway , Usually I'm quite positive about the entirety of this subject. I don't know a hell of alot about this Richard Lee feller ... He sounds like he's doing well with what he can. This is not a very good reply , but I'm not in a very good state of mind and body either. Forgive my current attitude of negativity , It can all get a bit overwhelming sometimes.

 

Cheerz everyone ... stay well

 

Budman

C'ya round tha Joint.