Thursday, February 18, 2010

Ammiano Resubmits Marijuana Legalization Bill - AB 2254

Assemblyman Tom Ammiano has re-submitted his bill to legalize, tax and regulate marijuana in California.

The new bill, AB 2254, is identical to its predecessor AB 390, which was approved by the Public Safety Committee in January. Because it was introduced last year, AB 390 ran out of time to be heard on this year's calendar.

Advocates are hopeful that AB 2254 will move forward this year through the Health Committee, as the legislature has yet to hold hearings on the health aspects of legal marijuana.

Recent years have seen mounting evidence that marijuana is safer than previously
imagined
- for example, that it doesn't cause lung cancer and is a
minor highway safety hazard compared to other, legal drugs.


Meanwhile, the state's budget crisis remains an important argument
for legalization.The Legislative Analyst has estimated that the
Ammiano bill would net the state $1.4 billion."With California's
prisons overflowing and the budget a mess, it makes no sense for
taxpayers to be paying money to arrest, prosecute and imprison pot
offenders, when they could be reaping the revenues of a legally
regulated market,
"
said Cal NORML Director Dale Gieringer.

For Cal NORML's analysis of the benefits of legalization, see


http://www.canorml.org/background/CA_legalization2.html
--
Dale Gieringer - canorml@canorml.org
California NORML, NEW ADDRESS:  2261 Market St. #278A, San Francisco
CA 94114 -(415) 563- 5858 - www.canorml.org

1 comment:

Unknown said...

There is a slight difference in AB 2254 in that the old bill required federal decriminalization before California would tax marijuana. AB 2254 does away with waiting for the feds and would immediately begin taxation for California marijuana.

The school district in my city has a 4 million dollar shortfall this year. We are short changing our young people's education to lock up pot smokers. A travesty. Prohibition never worked. Worried about crime? Remove the huge financial incentive for criminal activity. Prohibition only drives the incentive higher. Turn it around and we have a chance to fix California.

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