New Times / News

Legalize it and tax it

BY KYLIE MENDONCA

In light of the state fiscal crisis, one California assemblyman has proposed legalizing marijuana in California and taxing it, just like alcohol. Tom Ammiano, a Democrat from San Francisco, introduced Assembly Bill 390 Feb. 23, which would effectively legalize the weed for recreational use for anyone over 21. Ammiano estimated the state could reap $1 billion in new tax revenues every year from marijuana crops. The bill is currently in a 30-day review period before it goes to committee.

As a former San Francisco supervisor, Ammiano pushed to make marijuana a low priority for cops in the city and has supported the establishment of medical marijuana dispensaries in the Bay Area. While medical marijuana has proven to be a messy proposition in California, with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration busting dispensaries, a spokesman for Ammiano, Quintin Mecke, said they hope for less federal interference under the Obama Administration.

“We’re counting on a different dynamic with a new administration,” Macke said.

California’s annual illegal marijuana crop is estimated to be worth $14 billion dollars, according to the Drug Policy Alliance Network, a group that favors legalizing marijuana. At $14 billion, pot would be the most valuable cash crop in agriculture-rich California.