cannabisnews.com: Legal Pot: Bill Sees Cash Harvest for State Legal Pot: Bill Sees Cash Harvest for State Posted by CN Staff on February 24, 2009 at 04:51:55 PT By Jim Sanders, Bee Capitol Bureau Source: Sacramento Bee Sacramento, CA -- Smoke weed – help the state? Marijuana would be sold and taxed openly in California to adults 21 and older if legislation proposed Monday is signed into law.Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, said his bill could generate big bucks for a cash-starved state while freeing law enforcement agencies to focus on worse crimes. "I think there's a mentality throughout the state and the country that this isn't the highest priority – and that maybe we should start to reassess," he said. Critics counter that it makes no sense for a Legislature so concerned about health that it has restricted use of trans fats in restaurants to legalize the smoking of a potentially harmful drug."I think substance abuse is just ruining our society," said Assemblyman Paul Cook, R-Yucca Valley. "I can't support that.""I think it's a slippery slope," Assemblyman Tom Berryhill, R-Modesto, said of easing pot laws. "We'll do everything we can to defeat it."Medical use of marijuana already is legal in California, but the new legislation would go a step further by allowing recreational use.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.Before California could sell marijuana openly, however, it would have to persuade the federal government to alter its prohibition on pot.Ammiano said that such a change in federal law might be possible because new President Barack Obama – several years ago – expressed a desire to consider decriminalizing marijuana. Snipped Complete Article: http://www.sacbee.com/topstories/story/1647570.htmlSource: Sacramento Bee (CA)Author: Jim Sanders, Bee Capitol BureauPublished: February 24, 2009 - Page 1ACopyright: 2009 The Sacramento BeeContact: opinion sacbee.comWebsite: http://www.sacbee.com/Related Articles:Taxing Pot Could Become a Political Toking Pointhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread24512.shtmlBill Would Legalize, Tax Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread24510.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #29 posted by Vincent on February 25, 2009 at 18:32:06 PT: Anti-Legalization Knuckleheads Remember the 1940s film, "Casablanca"? I'm referring to the line that was said by Claude Rains--"round up the usual suspects". In the legalization debate in California, and in the Medical Marijuana debate in New Jersey, the negative remarks come from...Republicans! Talk about "The Usual Suspects"! The two Republican numbskulls in California-I forget their names (probably on purpose), said that they cannot support it. Since their ranks have dwindled to the point of irrelevance, we don't need their damn support. And the jackass in New Jersey came out his face with, "it is a bad message to our children"--Oh my God, how many times have I heard that crap--kinda like a default argument of their's. [ Post Comment ] Comment #28 posted by FoM on February 25, 2009 at 06:06:29 PT runruff I found this link to buy tobacco seeds.http://www.localharvest.org/tobacco-seed-sacred-ceremonial-C6426?r=fr [ Post Comment ] Comment #27 posted by runruff on February 25, 2009 at 02:34:30 PT To grow tobacco? I don't know the legalities, I've never asked permission to grow anything? The trouble with growing tobacco is finding seeds! [ Post Comment ] Comment #26 posted by FoM on February 24, 2009 at 17:52:41 PT mykeyb420 I'm sure it is legal to grow your own tobacco. [ Post Comment ] Comment #25 posted by mykeyb420 on February 24, 2009 at 17:47:00 PT tobacco is it legal to grow your own tobacco?? [ Post Comment ] Comment #24 posted by FoM on February 24, 2009 at 15:23:24 PT knightsmanx I looked a little but couldn't find the lady you mentioned. Did they go to Nancy Pelosi? [ Post Comment ] Comment #23 posted by FoM on February 24, 2009 at 15:09:02 PT knightsmanx Thank you. My concern about if it passes it might doom other states to the same thing. Also if we honestly want to help the American economy we need it to be reasonably priced so it won't be worth while for any other country to smuggle it here. Money is what causes that. [ Post Comment ] Comment #22 posted by knightsmanx on February 24, 2009 at 14:46:49 PT: and just to be complete he also didn't write the bill full himself either... it was an existing bill from 2004 that was never introduced. and that's just for completeness' sake. [ Post Comment ] Comment #21 posted by knightsmanx on February 24, 2009 at 14:45:33 PT: FoM No, he didn't I would post an excerpt from it, but he actually went to one of the legalize pot group's in California to get help with estimates, along with the head lady of something big in California... I don't remember if it was one or the other or both, but it was in one of the last 4 articles, or in one of the links someone posted. If anyone else remembers, correct me if I'm wrong. [ Post Comment ] Comment #20 posted by FoM on February 24, 2009 at 14:18:14 PT Hope The only thing good is this is a talking point. It's just a place to start. I wonder how the money figures came to be? Did he think this all up himself? [ Post Comment ] Comment #19 posted by Hope on February 24, 2009 at 14:02:56 PT Reasonable... So far, it looks like a lot of reason isn't part of any plan yet. Fifty dollars tax on an ounce is like fifty dollars tax a package on cigarettes. Outrageous. [ Post Comment ] Comment #18 posted by FoM on February 24, 2009 at 13:54:11 PT Hope My opinion is if it would be heavily taxed for growers like tobacco an illegal market wouldn't go away. Real Estate has come down in price so should the price of cannabis. Everyone will be living on less and the price shouldn't make it worse for people. If the price of cannabis like in California came down to a fair level people would have money to buy other things and that would spur on the economy. [ Post Comment ] Comment #17 posted by Hope on February 24, 2009 at 13:31:16 PT A plant that's easier to grow than tobacco... Tobacco is heavily taxed. A similar pricing structure to tobacco's would be sensible. [ Post Comment ] Comment #16 posted by Hope on February 24, 2009 at 13:30:00 PT I agree, FoM. There's bound to be some wild eyed greed and get rich quick folks, looking to make it big time in the legal cannabis business. But there will also be people who just need to make a decent living at a decent legal job and will appreciate having a decent income. That's what's good about it. And the great thing about unforeseen fears... no matter who grows what... we don't have to buy it... and they know it... if they don't, they will. Just like anything else legal, they better have something a customer appreciates, or they won't have a customer.I can't see corporations getting control of all the cannabis grown and losing it all to some disease or something ... ever. [ Post Comment ] Comment #15 posted by FoM on February 24, 2009 at 12:55:16 PT Hope Anything's better then it is now. The future will be what they want it to be or what other people want it to be. Farm Aid has talked and talked about factory farms over the years and why they are so wrong. By big people whoever they are controlling all the cannabis anything could wipe the whole crop out and then the cost would go up like produce does. If there are pockets of small time mom and pop growers the wealth would be spread around and different areas would benefit from such a nice little profession. The cannabis might not be as good as it has been for years if it is grown by tobacco companies. The diehard determination of people all over the USA growing and working with different strains and always fearing arrest should be the highest priority in my opinion. We need jobs everywhere. I want the price to drop so it is almost free like it was before big money got tangled up in it all. [ Post Comment ] Comment #14 posted by Hope on February 24, 2009 at 10:06:39 PT And also it's better than government agent raiders shooting your dog.It's worse when they kill people... but it's still wrong. [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by Hope on February 24, 2009 at 09:30:38 PT FoM Comment 4 "Back in the 70s we would talk about names for marijuana since everyone thought the tobacco companies would be the ones to do it. I don't know if anyone remembers that too."I remember it. It was a very widespread rumor... unless it's true. Patents and patented trademark names? It ought to be in open records somewhere then. There's always the possibility of big corporations getting involved. It's still better than government agents busting in people's homes, breaking down their doors, throwing firebombs, killing people, destroying lives, futures and entire families. [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by FoM on February 24, 2009 at 08:31:27 PT runruff That's exactly what I meant. Sounds good to me. I could see our land growing hemp and selling it for different products that hemp could make. The cannabis plant is so versatile. It could make a person a modest living and then with another strain of cannabis allow the farmer to relax in the evening by a fire with a pipe. [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by pottalktv on February 24, 2009 at 08:13:23 PT: What will they think of next We worked so hard to get where we are with Prop 215! The California Medical Marijuana Act of 1996. And yet, we haven't established proper proceedures and/or guidelines for the Cannabis Despensaries to obtain their Permits to Operate the existing Cannabis Despensaries around the Cities, throughout the State of California. And here were are, the leading State; California. Now launching, an Across the Board, Legalization of Marijuana! In hope to save the States Economical Crunch. So, it only took the state of California, too nearly go broke, for them to realize the revenue they can generate off the legalization and taxation of marijuana as a whole... Pot in the News [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by runruff on February 24, 2009 at 07:59:40 PT What the dickens is a ,"dickens"? I have let my mind wander and I fore see a time when most services and goods will be local. I have imagined a small type business where a single guy with a flatbed truck. Mount a hopper in the front by the cab. Feed into a hydraulic press. go around to local little guys with enough property to grow enough hemp to fuel their house and car for a year. Take his hemp seed press it into oil . He pays me a percentage of his oil for the service. I go to a local distributor and dump my oil off on him for so much per gallon. Since hemp grows every where in the US, all hemp/cannabis products will be produced and sold locally. This would pretty much be the end of mega-corps as we know them. Cannabis will bring the Big-Phama to their knees one day. I predict all this will happen and change the world over time.But hey, who am I except some guy who knows what the dickens he is talking about! [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by FoM on February 24, 2009 at 07:42:05 PT runruff If they are going to tax the way it seems it will not stop the underground market. I think that the reality should be just legalize cannabis and let people get involved in any industry that cannabis would create. I mean food products and hemp for different uses as an example. The sky is the limit when you let your mind wander. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by runruff on February 24, 2009 at 07:35:40 PT ".....feed your head!" These tarnished idiots who want to drag the dark ages into the 21st century do so for personal gain and to elevate their social standing artificially, acting all pious and community minded by spouting regurgitated rhetoric on a subject they obviously know nothing about!Good Morning friends! [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by FoM on February 24, 2009 at 07:21:31 PT goneposthole Yesterday George Soros said in an article and on the news that uncontrolled Captalism is over. He said it started with Reagan when he deregulated everything. I think it will be years and maybe never until we recover. I think we won't recognize the USA in 10 or so years. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by goneposthole on February 24, 2009 at 07:13:47 PT Now they want to legalize cannabis too funny. It could have been legalized and taxed thirty-five years ago and the amount of money spent to enforce cannabis prohibition could have been saved and used for more productive government entities.It's too late. California is broke. All of the banks are insolvent and the economy is looking like a depression is coming.It all could have been avoided just by having the right fiscal approach.Right now, the underground economy is stronger than the above ground economy.It didn't have to be this way, but when you have a government that sticks its nose into everybody's business, what can you expect?The dominant paradigm has been subverted.Pride goeth before fall. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by FoM on February 24, 2009 at 06:55:16 PT One More Thought If cannabis is mass produced the price would be practically pennies per plant and the tax would be the reason the cost would stay up for consumers. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by FoM on February 24, 2009 at 06:51:56 PT Hope Back in the 70s we would talk about names for marijuana since everyone thought the tobacco companies would be the ones to do it. I don't know if anyone remembers that too. To justify a tax like that cannabis would have to be produced in major volume and the industry would become like Walmart. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by Hope on February 24, 2009 at 06:45:31 PT More "Gouging", to the point of criminality. "Assembly Bill 390 would charge cannabis wholesalers $5,000 initially and $2,500 annually for the right to distribute weed.Sheer, pure, and unadulterated greed isn't a pretty thing to see. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by FoM on February 24, 2009 at 06:18:49 PT A Question How could a small time grower pay this? This will probably eliminate mom and pop type growers and tobacco companies could very well jump in. I really hope that personal gardens aren't taxed like home brew beer is left alone.Excerpt: Assembly Bill 390 would charge cannabis wholesalers $5,000 initially and $2,500 annually for the right to distribute weed. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on February 24, 2009 at 05:59:41 PT It's Time for State To Legalize Marijuana URL: http://www.fresnobee.com/columnists/walters/story/1218175.html [ Post Comment ] Post Comment