SPOILER ALERT: It passed! Read the update here. For the first time in the history of the United States of America a state legislative body is actually considering ending marijuana prohibition! Today, the first step to legalizing marijuana is happening in California as lawmakers in Sacramento vote on Assembly Bill 390—legislation to tax and regulate marijuana written by San Francisco Assemblyman Tom Amiano. The assembly’s Public Safety Committee is expected to vote after a hearing that begins at 9 a.m. this morning.
Assembly Bill 390 would allow adults over 21 to possess, smoke, and grow weed, essentially treating marijuana the same way alcohol is currently treated under the law. The bill also calls for a $50 per-ounce-sold fee to be used for funding drug eradication and awareness programs. And, of course supporters of the bill claim it could raise around $990 million and help pull the severely cash-strapped California out of its budget crisis.
Amiano’s camp is confident the bill will receive the four votes needed to pass. “We believe we have the votes to move it out of committee,” says Quintin Mecke, Ammiano’s spokesman. “Sacramento being what it is, you never quite know, but we’re confident.”
Sure a lot of government bodies have passed symbolic measures regarding legalization, but today’s vote is different as it’s on a state level by a body that could actually legalize marijuana! Democrats hold five of the seven seats on the Public Safety Committee. So if AB 390 does pass today, as predicted, it will have to come before the Health Committee as early as this week. There, democrats hold 13 of the committee’s 19 seats and Ammiano sits on that committee too.
“The mere fact that there will be votes in the Assembly to regulate and control the sale and distribution of marijuana would have been unthinkable even one year ago,” says retired Orange County California Supreme Court Judge Jim Gray via a public statement. “And if the bill doesn’t pass this year, it will soon. Or, the bill will be irrelevant because the voters will have passed the measure to regulate and tax marijuana that will be on the ballot this November.”
brazil loves california =D
This is wonderful news. Congratulations from Sweden.
Conraz from Finland =) Push it trough!
Woot! Now make it happen in NYC!
YEEEEEES! WAY TO GO!!!!!
//Finland
This is fantastic head way for the movement, I hope the rest of the world follows suit.
I’m in as as a resident of cali
Ah*
If Cali did legalize Marijuana Can I go to cali from out of state for a vaction and buy buds and smoke down or only residents of cali have the right to do so
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