Pubdate: Wed, 25 Feb 2009
Source: Daily Democrat (Woodland, CA)
Copyright: 2009 Daily Democrat
Contact:  http://www.dailydemocrat.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3030
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?115 (Cannabis - California)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)

AN EASY, AND REALISTIC IDEA FOR SMOKING OUR DEFICIT

Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, may be ridiculed for his 
idea, but it's worth considering if only for its novelty.

Instead of keeping it illegal to sell marijuana, legalize its sale to 
those over 21 years old, and tax it.

This idea of creating another "sin tax" is not new. We already do it 
with cigarettes and tobacco, but have shied away from going after 
what is considered a "narcotic," like marijuana -- probably because 
law enforcement and growers like the money that comes their way. Law 
enforcement would have to redirect their anti-drug teams against real 
crimes, and growers would see their enormous profits taxed.

However, the time may have come to consider Ammiano's idea 
officially. His Assembly Bill 390 would charge cannabis wholesalers 
$5,000 initially and $2,500 annually for the right to distribute 
weed. Retail outlets would pay fees of $50 per ounce of cannabis to 
generate revenue for drug education programs statewide. The bill 
would prohibit cannabis near schools. It also would ban smoking it in 
public places or growing it in public view. Millions in revenue could 
be used by the state for health programs -- and more.

We should have learned our lesson years ago when the nation tried to 
prohibit the sale of alcohol. As a result we saw a growth in 
organized crime. The same thing has occurred with the criminalization 
of minor drugs such as marijuana, which is a lot less harmful than 
some of the pills popped by those suffering back pain.

"Marijuana already plays a huge role in the California economy," 
Stephen Gutwillig, state director of the Drug Policy Alliance was 
quoted as saying this week. "It's a revenue opportunity we literally 
can't afford to ignore any longer."

Let's admit our present drug policy is a failure and try something 
new. Let's tax the state's largest cash crop.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom