AMMIANO WANTS TO MAKE MARIJUANA LEGAL IN STATE

California would become the first state in the nation to legalize
marijuana for recreational use under a bill introduced Monday by
Assemblyman Tom Ammiano of San Francisco.

The proposal would regulate marijuana like alcohol, with people over
21 years old allowed to grow, buy, sell and possess cannabis - all of
which is barred by federal law.

Ammiano, a Democrat in his third month as a state lawmaker, said
taxes and other fees associated with regulation could put more than a
billion dollars a year into state coffers at a time when revenues
continue to decline.

He said he thinks the federal government could soften its stance on
marijuana under the Obama administration.

"We could in fact have the political will to do something, and
certainly in the meantime this is a public policy call and I think
it's worth the discussion," Ammiano said. "I think the outcome would
be very healthy for California and California's economy."

A spokeswoman for the Drug Enforcement Agency in Washington, D.C.,
declined to comment on the proposal. A White House spokesman referred
to a statement on a question-and-answer section of an Obama
transition team blog that says the president "is not in favor of the
legalization of marijuana."

While Californians have shown some tolerance for marijuana, such as
use for medical conditions with voters' passage of Proposition 215 in
1996, the proposal will face tough opposition in Sacramento.

A lobbyist for key police associations in the state called it "a bad
idea whose time has not come."

"The last thing our society needs is yet more legal intoxicants,"
said John Lovell, who represents the California Peace Officers'
Association, California Police Chiefs Association and California
Narcotic Officers' Association. "We've got enough social problems now
when people aren't in charge of all five of their senses."

But Ammiano's proposal has the support of San Francisco Sheriff
Michael Hennessey, who said the idea "should be the subject of
legislative and public debate."

It also has the backing of Betty Yee, who chairs the state Board of
Equalization, which collects taxes in California. An analysis by the
agency concluded the state would collect $1.3 billion a year from tax
revenues and a $50-an-ounce levy on retail sales if marijuana were legal.

The analysis also concluded that legalizing marijuana would drop its
street value by 50 percent and increase consumption of the substance
by 40 percent.

A spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project, which advocates for
reform in marijuana laws and is backing Ammiano's proposal, said any
expected increase in consumption is a "false notion."

"They are making an intuitive assumption that a lot of people make
that really does not have that much evidence behind it," said Bruce
Mirken, the group's spokesman, who predicted it could take up to two
years before the idea wins legislative approval.

"Don't tell me that doing something like (this) proposal is going to
introduce another drug into society. That's a load of bull."