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| CA Communities Reject Prop 19, Approve Pot Taxes |
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Posted by CN Staff on November 03, 2010 at 14:50:15 PT By Peter Hecht Source: Sacramento Bee 
California -- Across California Tuesday night, residents of the Golden State voted overwhelmingly to tax and regulate marijuana. Even as they rejected Proposition 19, voters in at least nine cities passed more than a dozen measures authorizing taxes on local marijuana establishments.Several measures, such as Long Beach's approval of a 15 percent tax on recreational marijuana businesses, won't take effect due to the defeat of Proposition 19. One local proposition - Rancho Cordova's vote to impose heavy taxes on personal marijuana cultivation - is inspiring threats of lawsuits from medical marijuana activists. But many other local marijuana taxes will stand. In Sacramento, more than 70 percent of voters approved Measure C to permit the City Council to levy taxes of up to four percent on medical marijuana dispensaries in the capital. Measure C's proposed 10 percent tax on recreational marijuana won't take effect due to Proposition 19's defeat. In Rancho Cordova, where the City Council has disallowed medical marijuana dispensaries, 67 percent of voters approved Measure H to impose 12 to 15 percent taxes should any pot outlets open in the future. Fifty-six percent of local voters approved Rancho Cordova's controversial Measure 0 - which would impose taxes of $600 to $900 a square foot on private marijuana cultivation. Elsewhere in California, voters in Oakland - which last year became the first city in America to impose marijuana taxes - raised the city levy on local medical dispensaries from 1.8 percent to 5 percent. Berkeley voters approved a measure to issue local permits for industrial marijuana cultivation and also approved a 2.5 percent tax on medical pot dispensaries. Stockton approved the same tax rate for medical pot. San Jose voters opted for a tax of up to 10 percent of pot businesses, medical or otherwise. Voters in two cities, Santa Barbara and Morro Bay, rejected local ballot measures that would have banned medical marijuana shops. Proposition 19, which would have legalized marijuana for recreational use, would have permitted local governments to impose taxes on retail pot sales - but didn't spell out what the taxes would be. Dale Gieringer, California director of the National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws, said the "yes" votes on local showed that voters like the idea of taxing pot when shown the numbers. "It doesn't surprise me," he said. "We know it's popular to tax cannabis." Source: Sacramento Bee (CA) CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archives Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help
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| Comment #6 posted by FoM on November 03, 2010 at 16:47:37 PT |
| Thank you. I agree with you too. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #5 posted by Sam Adams on November 03, 2010 at 16:28:25 PT |
| FOM I thought your comments on the other thread were spot-on. The right-wingers were on a rampage this year. I'm learning that turnout has a lot more to do with elections that we think. I think most people don't sit around saying "I'm Republican" or "I'm Democrat". It's more of a moving target. For whatever reason this year the right-wing leaning people came out of the woodwork & voted. And I hate to say it but young people don't vote much in off-year elections. I think 46% for Prop. 19 is a great result. It's the best ever, it's significant progress toward the end goal, the 45% plateau was broken and 50 is next. Look at it from the prohibitionist standpoint - many areas just voted to recognize and tax MJ revenue in CA and CO. Now they're down to a precious few opinion points, like grains of sand in the hourglass, only 4 more points left before the party's over. Prop. 19 also had the effect of wiping out 70,000 arrest per year of real people, that is a huge benefit. It's like a whole city that will not be cuffed and taken down by the enforcers this year. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #4 posted by FoM on November 03, 2010 at 16:09:50 PT |
| This is a new documentary and I thought others might want to watch it tonight on the History Channel. *** A look at the storied and strange history of marijuana in America and how it has been front and center in the war on drugs. While many in the general public think of marijuana as the "safe drug," the DEA has referred to it as a "gateway" drug that can open the door to the use of stronger substances. This illustrates the paradox of marijuana, which is underscored by the fact that while the U.S. has spent over $100 billion dollars to fight its import, sale, and distribution, 14 states including New Jersey and Michigan have legalized it for medicinal purposes. Additional states are set to make it legal for the same purposes. This special will examine the changing social and legal landscapes of marijuana and its history in a fresh and compelling way. TVPG VL | CC http://www.history.com/schedule?view=week
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Comment #3 posted by OG WIZ on November 03, 2010 at 15:36:57 PT:
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All prop 19 would of done was raise prices and put the small farmer out of business. To all you hempsters who don't live in California you should move here. We already are better than Amsterdam, we have delivery services. And the governor signed a bill that takes affect Jan 1st that makes less than an ounce only a $100. fine even for people under 21 with no criminal record or court appearances. The legislators in Sacramento are working on a legalization bill that I hope will protect the small farmers and not turn this industry over to the corporations. Like I said before the prices in Cali are plummeting as more and more people are growing there own legally. By the way sorry I used capital letters before I didn't know I was yelling by doing that. Also FoM are you telling me that I can't use this comment section because I don't believe like you? Please all you people who don't live here move here and enjoy as we do. Peace, Love, and blazing bongs. Stay High! [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #2 posted by FoM on November 03, 2010 at 14:59:17 PT |
| Oakland Pot Entrepreneur Vows New California Marijuana Vote November 3, 2010 [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #1 posted by FoM on November 03, 2010 at 14:56:59 PT |
| Suddenly It's Very Expensive To Grow Weed in Rancho Cordova By Peter Hecht November 3, 2010 URL: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/11/03/3157123/weed-wars-suddenly-its-very-expensive.html [ Post Comment ] |
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