Our favorite reader submissions. Fri Jan 15, 2010 more galleries 39

GET AN EVENT PASS NOW AT HTTP://MEDCANCUP.COM

The first annual HIGH TIMES Medical Cannabis Cup in San Francisco will include prizes for the best …

Thu Feb 18, 2010 more videos 14

California's Legalization Debate Takes First Step

Thu, Oct 29, 2009 5:22 pm

more: legalization, headline news, california

California’s Assembly Public Safety Committee hearing on marijuana legalization Wednesday produced a consensus on at least one issue: the State of California can legally remove penalties for marijuana use but such a change would not affect the drug’s status under federal law.

The bill, introduced by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, would allow possession, sale and cultivation of marijuana for those 21 and older in the Golden State. Once regulated the state would impose a $50-an-ounce sales tax on pot.

Predictably, proponents of marijuana legalization focused on testimony from financial experts who estimated that taxed and regulated pot could bring in anywhere from hundreds of millions to more than a billion dollars a year.

Even more predictably, opponents theorized that legal weed would lead to an increase in violence. The president of California’s Peace Officers’ Association went as far to predict that any revenues brought in by taxed marijuana would be “offset by the cost of drug abuse treatment, the costs of people who drive under the influence of the drug or commit other crimes.”

An official with the state attorney general’s office even suggested that “legalization would empower Mexican cartels.”

Such a statement seems to go against logic but it could prove effective in scaring the crap out of Cali voters.

Fortunately, the hearing was often positive. And, for proof, check out the video below of retired Superior Court Judge Jim Gray who dispelled myths of violence, gloom and doom and placed the blame for violence associated with marijuana at prohibition’s door in his refreshing, commonsense-laden testimony. ...sfgate.com

» add a comment

Grassy Nole

Dec 7 2009, 1:27 am

When it went legal in Amsterdam, one year later after, they did a survey and actually the crime rate went down by 1/3%, and as of this writing it's gone down to an amazing 2/3%, so that part about marijuana causing the crime rate to go up is "BULLSHIT". Most likely someone has paid that stupied turd to say such a load of crap. No one can for-see what will happen till it actually goes legal. I think the law enforcement people are more concerned that they will be laid off cause the crime rate will go down than anything else.

God has given us a wonderful thing and again we have figured out how to screw it up by making it illegal.
Alcohol is killing people at a rate of 500k a year, I have a feeling that's why it's legal, so it will control the population growth, OUR GOVERNMENT THINKS OF US AS CATTLE, the turn over rate for human beings is their business, herd them in, use them till they die, then start over. The government it's self doesn't want something that's going to actually prolong life, cauae that will cost them money, think about it..........?

Government wants to control everything, including the population. Why do you think they promote homosexuality?
Cause their are no offsprings from the act it self, Duh!

Legalize the weed so the people can get what they need, too many people are suffering. And if it's good enough for 13 states it's good enough for us all. Legalization is way OVER DUE.

The People

Dec 6 2009, 6:02 pm

Legalize it!

anon

Nov 8 2009, 5:22 pm

I love you California keep paving the way maybe in 20 years Indiana will catch up to you LOL

pat the pilot

Nov 6 2009, 12:04 am

I invented a magnetic motor to create free electricity while high on pot. go Ca. fuck the shit eating federel government

its hard to concieve that for a little old weed big brother simply refuses to concede. GO CALIFORNIA

11

L918

Nov 5 2009, 3:23 pm

luv mary jane

L918

Nov 5 2009, 3:22 pm

yall need to chill itz goin ta happin and that is on crip

gstlab3

Nov 5 2009, 1:32 pm

TO: THE NO NAME BRAINLESS WONDER.,
RABBLE RABBLE HATE HATE YOU DESERVE YOUR FATE AT HELLS GATE!!

Bobcat

Nov 2 2009, 11:24 pm

Legalize it!!
hydroponicsoutlet.com

Mary Wanna

Nov 2 2009, 10:01 am

First of all, if it goes legal the crime rate in CA. will go down by 2/3%, it's already been proven in Amasterdam, after the first year of legalization their crime rate went down by 2/3%. Ya might want to lower that tax somewhat, $50 bucks is somewhat too high, maybe $25 bucks would fly alittle better. You could charge the $50 buck for people who want to grow their own, and make it an annual charge. ANYWAY YA LOOK AT IT, IT'S A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. Ya go CA. Good luck, duck.

sandgiggles

Nov 1 2009, 8:55 pm

Will people continue to abuse the words "your" and "you're" for no good reason? The fact that the two words mean two different things, doesn't seem to bother people?! Learn people, if you mean you're just say it! YOUR is THE SECOND PERSON POSSESSIVE!!!! NOT THE SECOND PERSON CONTRACTION OF THE VERB TO BE MEANING YOU ARE! Christ on a bike already . . . I forgot my statement. Oh yeah, all the better weed is in Northern California. I live in San Luis Obispo County and the pot and people here suck, overpriced, too much to drive to Santa Barbara all of the time to those dispensaries. Yes, keep it up Northern Cal. YOU'RE fantastic growers up there. The weed up there is also cheaper. Now back to my grammar lesson . . . .

MR MARCUS420

Nov 1 2009, 10:58 am

NO, THE PRICE IS SUPPOSED TO UNDERCUT THE PRICE OF THE CURRENT PRICES IN CALIFORNIA BY A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT. CURRENT PRICE OF AN .OZ OF PURP IS ABOUT $300 (SACRAMENTO) $350-400 (BAY AREA). THERES A LOT OF PETITIONS GOING AROUND RIGHT NOW IN CALIFORNIA TO GET CANNABIS LEGALIZED. THE PRICE WOULD BE ONLY ABOUT $50-$75 AN OZ + $50 TAX. ;o).

Kiefer

Nov 1 2009, 10:31 am

Bone Thug: if that's too much to pay, just grow it. It'd be legal to grow.

Other Dude: 450 for kush? your getting pumped in the bum man, where i'm at 250 + hash and extra bud, but then again bud's cheap in the Northern Cali coast region.

weed daddy

Nov 1 2009, 9:03 am

Yah !!! Judge Gray rocks, and Cali RULES !!! Peace

Fool me once

Nov 1 2009, 12:38 am

Be real.Obomber isn't anyone's friend except islam:POLITICAL CULT OF HATE.

hawkeyes

Oct 31 2009, 9:13 pm

idk where your from sirsmokesalot but thats outragous prices. im in the heart of the country and we get bomb ass dro for 600 a cutie. you need to expand and look for shit if your paying that much. i know once it is legal somewhere in the united states most likely cali that i am def on my way there asap with a few grand

sirsmokesalot420

Oct 31 2009, 6:31 pm

$50 tax added to an ounce is not really that bad. an ounce in my area usually goes for 450 on kush. if a legal store sells an ounce for 200 +tax (250), then i would much rather buy it from the store. i know that tax money will contribute to community.

Bone Thugs

Oct 31 2009, 4:45 pm

So does a $50-an-ounce tax mean that you have to pay for the ounce plus $50 on top. If so that's silly. Not everyone can afford that.

I'm sure everyone would smoke kind if it already wasn't so expensive...I know everything's more expensive in Cali but damn!

WEBGIRL420

Oct 31 2009, 6:24 am

With the President's repeal of the feds authority to raid states who legalized cannabis, I think we'll see more legalization happening.

magoo

Oct 31 2009, 4:28 am

ill just drive back and forth and i live in virginia

Mary Who?

Oct 31 2009, 3:14 am

EVERYBODY WILL MOVE TO CALIFORNIA!

magoo

Oct 31 2009, 2:23 am

like sending repeat offenders to jail for 5 years or more after they realize your insane

420

Oct 30 2009, 11:47 pm

if they get hung up with the stoned driving then they just do the same shittt they do on drunk driving

gstlab3

Oct 30 2009, 10:25 pm

WILL THIS BE THE NEW PLACE FOR A BIGGER AND BETTER "lab"?!?
WILL HUNDREDS OF GENETICISTS COME TO CALIFORNIA TO EXPERIMENT WITH THIS PLANTS POTENTIAL?!?
CAN WE GET ENOUGH OF THESE PEOPLE TOGETHER TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE THIS PLANT BETTER THAN EVER BEFORE?
THE POSSIBILITIES ARE TRUELY STAGGERING.,
CAN THIS REALLY HAPPEN!!??
THE TRUE INTENT OF THIS "lab" IS SET UPON IS SEEKING THE WORLDS BEST AND MOST UNIQUE GENES FROM MARIJUANA TO CROSS AND RECROSS FOR ALL INTENDED PURPOSES OF GROWING FOR FOOD MEDICINES AND INDUSTRIAL USE.
ALL OF THE PLACES ON EARTH HAVE BEEN NOT YET BEEN FULLY EXPLORED AND EVEN IN OUR OWN NEIHBORHOODS WE HAVE UNKNOWINGLY BEEN BRINGING THESE GENES IN FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD AND MAKING THEM OUR OWN AND USING THEM AND REUSING THEM AND INTRODUCING THE NEW ONES AS WE AQUIRE THEM.,
WHAT WILL NEXT YEARS NEWLY BRED STRAINS DO?
IS THERE A MIRICLE PLANT? THAT BRINGS RELIEF TO THE SUFFERING AND SICK AND DYING? OH YEAH!!!! IT ALLREADY DOES ALL THAT!!!! BUT WHAT ELSE CAN IT DO??!!!!!!

NeedWeed

Oct 30 2009, 9:12 pm

I wish weed was legal so I didn't have to go out side late at night looking for shady arse people to buy it from... If it was legal I'd just grow my own and never worry about it again... or I'd go to 711 and pick it up under some nice safe florescent lighting.

iowabaldguy

Oct 30 2009, 8:42 pm

Oh yeah, I just saw the video.
Judge Gray rocks!
Truth to power!

iowabaldguy

Oct 30 2009, 8:34 pm

Prohibitionist talking points:
[and my responses]
...opponents theorized that legal weed would lead to an increase in violence.

[How? How can a plant that mellows you out and reduces pain increase violence? Has there been more violence since alcohol prohibtion was repealed?]

...any revenues brought in by taxed marijuana would be “offset by the cost of drug abuse treatment, the costs of people who drive under the influence of the drug or commit other crimes.”

[Following that logic, we should once again ban alchol since it costs more to reform an alcoholic and all those people driving under its influence]

...“legalization would empower Mexican cartels.”

[How? Is organized crime still bootlegging liquor since the repeal of alcohol prohibition? Why would I want to buy Mexican brick schwag when NoCal kind is much superior or I can grow my own with Cali, Canuck or Dutch genetics?]

jake

Oct 30 2009, 5:59 pm

Its happaning are you ready

hydroponicsbrew.com

COMPTON

Oct 30 2009, 2:43 pm

it wouldnt be no big of a deal for da mexican cartels....and y? because dey have make alot of other drugs 2 sale...so i think it wouldnt matter for them..they still goin 2 be exporting other drugs in2 da u.s

COtokerhead

Oct 30 2009, 1:47 pm

legalization would empower mexican cartels......how the hell is that when a cartel's whole profit comes from the ILLEGAL sale of drugs....if pot is legalized, it would put an end to drug cartels, or at least lessen their profits

James Crosby

Oct 30 2009, 11:57 am

"9/11 after math soon "

This person is right, check this out: http://www.falloftherepublic.tk/

HU210

Oct 30 2009, 10:55 am

http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=981&full=1

Scroll to -- A Synopitc History of Drug Prohibition. 16THc through 1989

400 years of prohibition failures.

Bobcat

Oct 29 2009, 10:23 pm

Something so wonderfull should be refered to as Cannabis! Not POT!

just some advice

Oct 29 2009, 9:59 pm

......legalization would help the cartels...,dude should've came out and said "WEED IS BAD MMMM"K" that would've been a better argument.

turkey

Oct 29 2009, 7:57 pm

Former Judge Jim Gray is outstanding, very strong and solid arguments for legalization of cannabis he is right on, I could not have said it better this is the kind of person who understands the failure in prohibition and the side effects that it creates, we could be taxing and benefiting from the production of cannabis but what we are doing is outsourcing and sending all the revenue from cannabis sales outside our borders, how will that ever benefit us? people buy it here it should be grown here locally and sold in licensed establishments who pay their ******* taxes and help our economy.

Piax

Oct 29 2009, 6:33 pm

Lol!! Impower the cartels? Wow. I find that kind of funny. What would the logic behind that be? Interesting. Hopefully Mass and Cali Will lead the way.

Piax
Spread the truth.

markymark

Oct 29 2009, 6:03 pm

badass!

karma smoke

Oct 29 2009, 5:56 pm

Tom Ammiano or Ron Paul for president !

skeptical stoner

Oct 29 2009, 5:50 pm

It's up to you CALIFORNIA we're behind you.Aslong as "get to the choppah" arnold and snoop "I like to bring pot plants into my hotel when im amsterdam" if they would pull the needed strings we'd be golden...

pass ab 390

Oct 29 2009, 5:41 pm

thank god for intelligent people who can have an adult debate on the legalization of marijuana !! i hope this bill gets passed soon to show the rest of the states what can be achieved with civility and reason instead of scare tactics and witch hunts. tom ammiano you are the champ!!