Support the Taxation, Regularization, and Legalization of Marijuana in California!

On Tuesday, the California State Assembly voted 4-3 in favor of the AB 390 bill to legalize the sale, purchase, and possession of marijuana for recreational use. The bill was given thumbs up by the California Public Safety Committee and will now be passed to the Health and Safety Committee for their review. Under the new legislation, marijuana use for recreation will be treated in the same manner as alcohol. Purchase, possession, and use would be restricted to those over the age of twenty one and driving under the influence of the psychoactive plant will be illegal – those in violation will face harsh punishment.

There are viable arguments for both sides of the debate as to whether marijuana should be legal. Those who are against it often claim that if marijuana was legalized, underage use will increase as well as the use of harder drugs if marijuana is a gateway drug. Those who are in favor of the bill claim that it will fix, or at least help fix, California’s budget problem through taxation and through the money that would be saved on incarceration of marijuana use by consenting adults. Additionally, this bill will keep harmless and non-violent potheads from clogging up the already crowded judicial system.

The bill requires a $50 excise tax paid for by the marijuana growers as well as applicable sales tax paid for by the consumer. Currently, marijuana is estimated to be a $14 billion per year industry in the state – more than double the combination of all other agriculture in California. Marijuana taxation could potentially put a huge dent in the California deficit and quite possible keep the state from filing for bankruptcy.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, but this is a measure that should have been accounted for long before the current fiscal fiasco. Prohibition of marijuana was drafted as a way to control the public and protect the paper industry, and not as a measure to do what is best for the people of the country. Studies conclude that there are minimal health risks for those who smoke pot and there is no connection between crime and marijuana use. The bottom line is that the state of California is on the right track and we can only hope that the rest of the country will follow suit.

Unfortunately, until this bill passes, or the November ballot’s bill The Tax, Regulate, and Control Cannabis Act of 2010, marijuana remains illegal for those in California who have not gotten a doctor’s permission under Proposition 215. Employers and others can can still drug test their employees in California, as well as in other states throughout the country. Learn how to protect yourself by reading up on How to Pass a Drug Test.