California: Historic Vote On Cannabis Regulation To Take Place On Tuesday, January 12

[Cali smoke]

California: Historic Vote On Cannabis Regulation To Take Place On Tuesday, January 12
January 5th, 2010 By: Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director

On Tuesday, January 12, members of the California Assembly will hold a historic vote on statewide marijuana policy. Members of the Public Safety Committee will decide on Assembly Bill 390, the Marijuana Control, Regulation, and Education Act, which seeks to regulate and control the production, distribution, and personal use of marijuana for adults age 21 and older.

Tuesday’s vote will mark the first time since 1913, when California became one of the first states in the nation to enact cannabis prohibition, that lawmakers have reassessed this failed policy.

If a majority of the Public Safety Committee votes ‘yes’ on AB 390, the bill will immediately face a separate vote in the California State Assembly Committee on Health. (I have been tentatively invited to testify before this committee; you can read my prepared testimony here.) In short, members of both committees will likely be voting on this historic measure next week. That is why we need your support in contacting the members of these legislative committees today!

To date, over 8,000 of you have contacted your California Assemblymembers via NORML’s Capwiz ‘Take Action’ Center. This is a tremendous outpouring of public support, but we need to ramp up our advocacy before next week’s vote.

If you reside in California please click here to find a list of Assembly members who sit on the key committees overseeing AB 390. Constituents in their districts are urged to phone or fax support their for AB 390 today. Lawmakers’ district phone numbers, fax numbers, and e-mail contact information appears here.

If your member of the Assembly does not appear on this list, please take a moment this week to call and leave a polite, concise phone message voicing your support for AB 390 with the Assembly Committees of Public Safety and Health. You can find the direct line for these committees, as well as for their Chair and Vice-Chairs, here and here.

Finally, Californians can also send a letter of support directly to their individual member of the Assembly by using NORML’s pre-written letter service here.

Let’s begin 2010 by letting California’s politicians know that the time to end the state’s nearly 100-year failed experiment with marijuana prohibition is now!

 

[inbud]

Hear Hear!
excellent, I hope they get it right this time.

 

[Mystre.Pharmer]

honestly, about time.. Cali will go from one of the poorest states to richest in a year! lol.

-Pharmer

 

[Mystre.Pharmer]

I wish I had time to read up on the bill, anyone know anything about about the regulations? will the government be growing it? or can everyone grow it in the back yard? haha screw rose gardens, everyone will be having contests near harvest ;)

-Pharmer

 

[jflo]

poorest states??? wtf are you talking about...no offense intended but have ya seen Michigans economy and employment stats? or New mexico's, or alabamas, mississippi, kentucky? Cali is far from "one of the poorest"...again no offense just thought I'd send a lil reality out there.

but great to hear about the new bill! Cali Blazes the trail and the rest of us follow their lead.

 

[Rolln J]

lol poorest was just a bad choice of word - cali is what the worlds 5th largest economy or some shit - brokest - most in debt for sure...

Id rather see this pass then the richard lee prop - at least a senate bill cant trump a proposition as far as medical growing goes

30 billion in debt - 1 bil projected taxes - but I think the biggest impact on the state will be on jobs and revenue...

Imagine how many people would travel to cali for vacation when the whole state is like amsterdam.

I should build 4 cabins on my property and run a pot getaway B&B with cultivating classes included - lol

I dunno bout blazing a trail but Im gonna be blazing some kush here in about 2 seconds!

 

[Sway]

I hope you guys realize that this is terrible news for growers. You will no longer be able to make a living off growing unless you have the major funding to compete with the state. This is a horrible decision and you guys should look at it from other points of view.

Say they legalize it, then what.. EVERY stoner in america will move to california to make it rich off pot. All of our land in northern california will be gone. Drug tourism will be the new thing. Pot prices will fall tremendously making the guys who actually grow and make a living off of it probably lose their homes and have to figure out another way to make money to feed their families. Pot will be cliche within an instant. This is a sacred plant, and CORPORATIONS will exploit the fuck out of it.

Everyone up north is freaking out about this. Think about it, the state will practically own pot. the man is very concerned about the greater potency of cannabis these days and will probably reduce its potency. They will be seriously harming the cannabis gene pool. I can guarantee you if they legalize cannabis, it will be a sad sad story for out sacred plant.

Big pharma companies WILL control cannabis, and probably have huge plantations where they grow their lowgrade crap.

It wont be like this...
"Hey guys pots legal, lets open up a garden and a coffee shop and grow for a living"

they will have MAJOR restrictions on it. Think of the tobacco industry. There are practically no private small tobacco companies who arent owned or fed by a major corporation because so much land is needed to actually make money off of it. Cannabis will be the same way.

Im seriously scared that one of these bills might get passed. What SHOULD be passed is a more clear and defined MEDICAL law. Stop the DEA from busting clubs, put more regulation on patients and clubs. Keep laws the way they are, but more clear and less grey area. Make it more legit for vendors to the clubs. But i tell you, if they legalize it, we will all be out of work.

 

[crippled1]

this is exciting!

 

[Rolln J]

I agree with you sway - but I dont see that happening anytime soon with a better med law - nobody is even working on one - theres sb 390 and the richard lee prop and sb 390 seems to me like the lesser of 2 evils - one of these will prolly pass and if sb390 passes first then theres no reason for richard lee to spend more of his money on the cause and his prop dies...

I dont grow for a living or to make house payments - but if the gov does lower potency and jack up the price with taxes seems like there will still be plenty of people willing to buy like they do now - from medical clubs and people they know...

also a senate bill cant override our prop 215 rights...supposedly

 

[Sway]

it scares the hell outta me that they might legalize it. these bills are giving the government complete control over our plant. granted, we will still have our moms and all that, but cannabis will be cliche. everyone will be doing it. they will sell blunts at gas stations. little ghetto kids will be running around with blunts and acting like the idiots that they are. a HUGE surge of people will move and visit here. i guarantee our land prices will go up, and we wont have any land left after the flood of people arrive.

All I know is if they legalize it, its probably best to say your goodbyes and get the hell outta california if you make a living off of it. its a damn shame. and all these people think its fuckin cool to smoke pot, so of coarse they support to legalize it. but no one thinks about the guys already doing this and feeding their families with it. or the huge social problems that will arise. all they think about is the fuckin money it will give the state. why dont they figure out how to MANAGE their money, then they wont need pot to bail them out

 

[nughit]

If it makes the ballot Im voting for it. Nor cal will have to become the Napa Valley of weed. Instead of vineyards with wine tasting there would be pot fields with tasting etc. Instead of micro breweries there would be micro growers. I don't think you are looking at it right Sway, pay the $5000 license fee and open up a BB&B (Buds, Bed, & Breakfast)

 

[Rolln J]

if that prop passes everybody is fucked - mandatory jail time for minors w/possession - penalties go up for over an ounce - how can you have a garden and only an ounce of weed? and counties have the right to decide if they will allow and tax gardens...

mine will not - they still dont offer a medical card here and have been confiscating peoples hash the last few months telling people its illegal even if your medical - but they never press charges - they just keep it... up until a year ago they were still trying to prosecute medical growers - wasnt until they lost a highly publicized case that they backed off - if you get put on any kind of probation here they dont allow you to have medical pot - and they will continue to get away with all this until somebody sues them and wins...

another side is even if any senate bill 390 or the oaksterdam tax and regulate prop legalizes pot it will prolly be held up in court for a long time because pot is a schedule 1 drug and as long as it is there will be a battle between the states and the feds over legalization for recreational use...

 

[Sway]

no i dont think your looking at it right. if you were allowed to open up something like that, which you wont be if you read the proposed bill, the competition would make it very hard to stay afloat. the proposed bill puts the regulation of production in the hands of the state. think about that real hard buddy. you want to put the production of your herb in the hands of our government?!? is so, then sure, vote yes for it.

its not going to pass unless its on a national level. one state cannot legalize a drug and be singled out like that. they would have no way of controlling interstate trafficking. what would stop people from coming to california, buying their bud, then going out of state to sell it? they would have to set up major border stations which they cant afford, and still it wouldnt stop the flow. if its legal in one state and not another there is going to be MAJOR problems. hopefully they are smart enough to see this fact.

 

[Mystre.Pharmer]

poorest states??? wtf are you talking about...no offense intended but have ya seen Michigans economy and employment stats? or New mexico's, or alabamas, mississippi, kentucky? Cali is far from "one of the poorest"...again no offense just thought I'd send a lil reality out there.

but great to hear about the new bill! Cali Blazes the trail and the rest of us follow their lead.

your right poorest is bad word choice. no offense taken! ;)

I should build 4 cabins on my property and run a pot getaway B&B with cultivating classes included - lol

I dunno bout blazing a trail but Im gonna be blazing some kush here in about 2 seconds!

haha how cool would that be! :) I'd come :cool0044:





Hey sway interesting point of view, and very true. I bet they'll focus on bulk not quality :(

 

[mr. chunky nugz]

sway i couldnt agree with u more! we are terrified

 

[kushpheen]

if that prop passes everybody is fucked - mandatory jail time for minors w/possession - penalties go up for over an ounce - how can you have a garden and only an ounce of weed? and counties have the right to decide if they will allow and tax gardens...

...another side is even if any senate bill 390 or the oaksterdam tax and regulate prop legalizes pot it will prolly be held up in court for a long time because pot is a schedule 1 drug and as long as it is there will be a battle between the states and the feds over legalization for recreational use...

LETS HOPE!


This bill is being solely introduced to take away the power of the people by taxing and regulating them even MORE!

It completely undermines the medical marijuana movement, the soldiers of our movement who are battle scarred and those who have righteously taken chances to provide relief in the face of certain prosecution.

Instead of LEO focusing on real crimes, they can add a host of new crimes associated with the 'legalization' of marijuana. Legalizing it might generate more fines and fees than the current system does. What a win-win for the gov't. Not only will they tax the hell out of something you already enjoy tax free (except dispensary sales tax)
They reserve the right to impose fines (imprison still?) if you happen to go beyond your ridiculously limited personal amounts.

If you think your kush is going to taste better because its legalized, support this bill
(id argue swag gov't pot prolly won't taste so good)

If you think we should pay more taxes to support wasteful government spending, (not republican btw) support this bill.

If you need the approval of the gov't to enjoy the simple personal liberties you already obviously enjoy, then support this bill.

 

[wantaknow]

politics at its best ,what happend to for the people by the people ,,and the persuit of happyness ?lets get back to basics here ,stop regulatory messures ,or revolt !the people of cali have no problems taking it to the streets ,give me liberty or you die ,wheather thats politically or what have you ,change needs to be made by the people this time ,I hope that the people of cali get together and demand there way ,its your state ,hell if they could run it right ,you would not be in the fix you are now ,what makes anyone thing they are now capable of handling this issue ?i hope you put your feet down

 

[Lost]

Im not the brightest crayon in the box, but I do have a few questions..

Ok, the new prop will not and cannot overide prop 215.

So medical Growers can still grow... And the plant limits issue should resolve later this year, ending the plant limit thing (California appelate court), right?

So what is to keep madical patients and growers from growing and selling to the public, perfectly legally? I can see it now, little markets on the side of freeways like fruit stands with medical patients selling to every Tom, Dick, and Harry? Or supplying liquor stores with their herb after paying the tax on it? Your simply making reasonable compensation for your work, paying for your own meds, etc.. lol..

Ok, sorry for the stoned post, :)

 

[kushpheen]

So what is to keep medical patients and growers from growing and selling to the public, perfectly legally? I can see it now, little markets on the side of freeways like fruit stands with medical patients selling to every Tom, Dick, and Harry? Or supplying liquor stores with their herb after paying the tax on it? Your simply making reasonable compensation for your work, paying for your own meds, etc.. lol..

I admit I don't know the exact details of this bill. But I'm guessing 2 things will prevent this lost. First the gov't production, distribution and packaging regulations probably wont allow giant bushels of weed for sale on the side of highways. Second, look how corn is currently grown by giant agricultural companies. They drove the price down by creating super corn strains which yielded 300%-400% more per acre, which in turn flooded the market and forced family farms to close. Ultimately these farmers accepted buyouts or became caretakers of the farms their families owned for generations. Now corn is a commodity which has to be subsidized by our gov't. I predict the same will happen. Suitable land once used for food production will turn its focus on producing commercial grade weed. This land will be purchased and ravaged in the pursuit of corporate profits. The poorest cheapest laborers will be brought in to manage production. Ultimately, you might see farms similar to wineries catering to a more knowledgeable customer, with tours and tastings. But with little to stop this mass production and a demographic limited to just california adults (sure none of this weed will cross state lines lol), pot will lose almost all its value as a commodity which will undermine the potential taxes this gov't so desperately wants to raise. All in the pursuit of making a few extremely wealthy people richer under the false pretenses of helping our economy and the pseudo freedom to smoke.(which you already enjoy TAX FREE!)

Please correct me if I'm wrong or Im not seeing the bigger picture.

 

[markscastle]

Any way you look at it ,it`s bad to give control over to the Goverment! I don`t like people going to jail over a plant so the only changes in law I support is decriminalisation.The State has been putting people in jail for growing/sales for years now we should support the Goverment with taxes on Marijuana? Don`t Tread On ME!