CA bill allows marijuana sale in stores that sell alcohol

[jody]

1341. (08-0009) Marijuana Legalization. Individual Rights. Constitutional Amendment.

Summary Date: 04/08/08 Circulation Deadline: 09/05/08 Signatures Required: 694,354

Amends constitution to legalize marijuana and hemp within California and to provide for broad individual constitutional rights, including rights to food, shelter, medical care, and to be free from “unreasonable” taxation. Allows marijuana to be sold in any store that sells alcohol. Establishes local boards with expansive powers, including powers to regulate and tax marijuana. Requires marijuana tax revenues support specified programs. Exempts marijuana sales profits from income tax. Forbids most testing for marijuana used outside the workplace. Prohibits most marijuana, alcohol, and tobacco advertisements. Immunizes marijuana growers and sellers from liability. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local government: Potential savings of up to several tens of millions of dollars annually to state and local governments, which would no longer incur the costs of incarcerating and supervising certain marijuana offenders. Potential costs of up to the tens of millions of dollars to state and local governments to fund the one-time start-up costs of the local boards. A potentially significant increase in state and local spending on substance abuse treatment services that could possibly be partially or fully offset by revenues from this measure. Potential increased revenues in the tens of millions to low hundreds of millions of dollars annually from marijuana stamps and licenses to support specified programs and the local boards. Unknown but potentially significant increase in state and local revenues from collection of sales and use taxes on the sale of Marijuana. Unknown but potentially significant decrease in state and local revenues from taxes on tobacco and alcohol due to a prohibition of advertising for these goods that would likely result in a decline in sales. (Initiative 08-0009.)

[duhneece]

1. Very interesting...and promising. nt

[bamacrat]

2. Awesome.

The federal govt would have to reexamine their laws regarding weed, especially if this proved a success. Oh please please please.

[SteveM]

3. If it passes, it will be interesting to see how the Feds inva... respond (nt)

[tburnsten]

4. Unbelievable

"A potentially significant increase in state and local spending on substance abuse treatment services that could possibly be partially or fully offset by revenues from this measure."

They aren't really dumb enough to think that there would really be an increase in substance abuse needs are they?

[SteveM]

6. But it sounds good, sort of like a Vietnam "peace dividend" (nt)

[SteveM]

5. This came in today on e-mail:

http://www.sensiblemarijuanapolicy.org/

In Massachusetts voters will decide whether or not to decriminalize up to 1 oz of marijuana (re give a no-appearance $100 ticket to those in possession). Again, it remains to be seen how much effort the DEA will take in trying to smash (literally) this effort. They will probably ignore Mass because there is some kind of token penalty. In California, where pot is legal for medical purposes, they are conducting a Curtis LeMay-style scorched earth campaign. IMO, part of the reason for DEA's low-intensity para-military action against California is to keep federal police forces turned-up for future needs.

[Karl_Bonner_1982]

7. I like the treatment funded by pot taxes clause...

This is what I've been advocating all along. If alcohol and pot use increase, so will their respective rates of abuse. Therefore we will have more tax revenue to throw at treatment programs precisely when they are in the greatest demand.

This kind of taxation and funding is what economists call an "automatic stabilizer" since the problem in question (increased use of legal, taxed intoxicants) helps fund its own solution (treatment).