Election-talk usually doesn't attract our attention until after Labor Day, but there have been some notable developments recently on the topic of marijuana.
Proposition 19, the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act, is on everyone's list of Most Divisive Issues for November. If passed, adults could possess, grow and transport marijuana statewide, but individual cities and counties would impose regulations and taxes. "Prop 19," by the way, was also the number of the original California marijuana decriminalization initiative back in 1972.
The California Board of Equalization reports that medical marijuana sales taxes are currently bringing in $50,000 to $100,000 annually, and Prop 19 backers say that number will increase, perhaps dramatically, if this initiative passes.
That sounds good in these tough economic times, but U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein says the measure is "a jumbled legal nightmare that will make our highways, our workplaces and our communities less safe."
Gubenatorial candidate Jerry Brown has also come out against it, which is sensible, since his current job of Attorney General is to enforce the laws as they currently stand.
The measure may be flawed, but the "unsafe highway" claim is false, according to clinical trial data published in the March issue of the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs. Their tests conclude that the biggest change in driving while high was that "participants receiving active marijuana decreased their speed," just like in the Cheech and Chong movies of old.
The Oakland City Council isn't waiting for November to begin jumbling the legal rules. The Council's Public Safety Committee approved licensing wholesale pot growing Tuesday, 3-to-1.
KALW News reporter Ali Winston reports from that meeting that sponsors say the main reason for the proposal isn't revenue, it's safety (as their name implies): residential electrical fires more than doubled in the city in the past three years, and officials think there's a good connection between that increase and unregulated pot "grow houses."
That said, the committee proposes that applicants pay fees of over $275,000 per operation. Does that leave any money for fertilizer - or lawyers to bail out owners if and when federal agents come knocking down the door? It must be remembered that no matter the status of cannabis in the state, possessing even small amounts is still a federal crime.
So who does support Prop 19? The California chapter of the NAACP does, for one. Alice Huffman, the organization's president, isn't looking for revenue either, but rather, fairness. The NAACP cites data showing that blacks and Latinos are disproportionately subject to arrest for marijuana offenses in California, "even though African-Americans are less likely to smoke marijuana than whites," which they say makes it a civil rights issue.
Three Bay Area members of the U.S. House of Representatives are in favor of Prop 19. And at least two unions may endorse it. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees could back it because the revenue anticipated from regulation would help the state budget, and that would delay or eliminate the need for their members to take unpaid furlough days, and might save several staff positions. And United Food and Commercial Workers might back it, since Oakland cannabis club employees became part of the UFCW in June.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
Author: Erica Mu
Contact: San Francisco Chronicle
Copyright: 2010 Hearst Communications Inc.
Website: Cannabis control legislation as fractured as ever
Proposition 19, the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act, is on everyone's list of Most Divisive Issues for November. If passed, adults could possess, grow and transport marijuana statewide, but individual cities and counties would impose regulations and taxes. "Prop 19," by the way, was also the number of the original California marijuana decriminalization initiative back in 1972.
The California Board of Equalization reports that medical marijuana sales taxes are currently bringing in $50,000 to $100,000 annually, and Prop 19 backers say that number will increase, perhaps dramatically, if this initiative passes.
That sounds good in these tough economic times, but U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein says the measure is "a jumbled legal nightmare that will make our highways, our workplaces and our communities less safe."
Gubenatorial candidate Jerry Brown has also come out against it, which is sensible, since his current job of Attorney General is to enforce the laws as they currently stand.
The measure may be flawed, but the "unsafe highway" claim is false, according to clinical trial data published in the March issue of the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs. Their tests conclude that the biggest change in driving while high was that "participants receiving active marijuana decreased their speed," just like in the Cheech and Chong movies of old.
The Oakland City Council isn't waiting for November to begin jumbling the legal rules. The Council's Public Safety Committee approved licensing wholesale pot growing Tuesday, 3-to-1.
KALW News reporter Ali Winston reports from that meeting that sponsors say the main reason for the proposal isn't revenue, it's safety (as their name implies): residential electrical fires more than doubled in the city in the past three years, and officials think there's a good connection between that increase and unregulated pot "grow houses."
That said, the committee proposes that applicants pay fees of over $275,000 per operation. Does that leave any money for fertilizer - or lawyers to bail out owners if and when federal agents come knocking down the door? It must be remembered that no matter the status of cannabis in the state, possessing even small amounts is still a federal crime.
So who does support Prop 19? The California chapter of the NAACP does, for one. Alice Huffman, the organization's president, isn't looking for revenue either, but rather, fairness. The NAACP cites data showing that blacks and Latinos are disproportionately subject to arrest for marijuana offenses in California, "even though African-Americans are less likely to smoke marijuana than whites," which they say makes it a civil rights issue.
Three Bay Area members of the U.S. House of Representatives are in favor of Prop 19. And at least two unions may endorse it. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees could back it because the revenue anticipated from regulation would help the state budget, and that would delay or eliminate the need for their members to take unpaid furlough days, and might save several staff positions. And United Food and Commercial Workers might back it, since Oakland cannabis club employees became part of the UFCW in June.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
Author: Erica Mu
Contact: San Francisco Chronicle
Copyright: 2010 Hearst Communications Inc.
Website: Cannabis control legislation as fractured as ever
