The Marijuana Tipping Point

[Jim Behr]

While Schwarzenegger Wants to Debate Pot Legalization, Californians Are Ready to Do It and the Mainstream Media Lets You Know Where You Can Buy Some.

It looks as if marijuana has reached a tipping point. Last week, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said he welcomed a debate on legalizing and taxing pot. And of course, Assemblyman Tom Ammiano of San Francisco has a bill that would do just that. Ammiano estimates that California could reap $1.3 billion a year in marijuana tax proceeds. And the governor's surprising comments indicate that he wants Ammiano's bill to get a full airing.

So did the former steroid-using bodybuilder and self-admitted pot smoker experience have some sort of latent realization? Or is he just watching the polls? Because public opinion has definitely shifted. An ABC News/Washington Post poll last month that found that 46 percent of Americans want to legalize small amounts of pot for personal use. And in California, a Field Poll revealed that 56 percent of state residents want to make cannabis legal and tax it.

Even the mainstream media is starting to take the question seriously. On Monday, the San Francisco Chronicle ran a front-page story that essentially asked the question: If pot becomes legal, where can I buy some? Not surprisingly, Richard, Lee, president of Oaksterdam University in Oakland, thinks California should follow Amsterdam's model and allow cafes to sell pot. But that seems a bit limiting. If the state is going to reap tax benefits, why not make it available wherever alcohol is sold? Or at least require retailers to get a license, much like the ones they have for booze. Still, there's this thorny question: Who will grow marijuana and sell it to retailers? The issue is key, and likely will require some serious regulations, because if legal pot becomes a boon for drug dealers, then the experiment will fail.


News Hawk: User: http://www.420magazine.com/
Source: East Bay Express (CA)
Copyright: 2009 East Bay Express
Contact: East Bay Express
Website: East Bay Express
Author: Robert Gammon

[L8tNightSkunk]

nice story lol

[Bonehead]

I used to think all the stories about marijuana as a medicine were nice too when the people really started talking more about it in the early to mid 1990's. Funny thing though, people listened and Calfornia passed the first state law. We must continue to educate the public and especially our elected officials. If marijuana remains a schedule I drug and or remains illegal for adults to posses, I cointinue to fight to have it changed. No matter if that is 5, 10, 20 years from now. If you have been around a while in the struggle, you will know that the way people view marijuana has changed and will continue to change. All because of the hard work, outspoken voices and those who took a risk. The least someone can do in their state is to call their representatives and ask them "why aren't we doing what California is doing" at the very least.