LAWMAKER WANTS MARIJUANA LEGAL, TAXABLE

A state legislator is reviving the debate about legalizing marijuana
as a way of raising money for cash-strapped state and local
governments.

Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, a San Francisco Democrat, introduced a bill
Monday that if approved by the California Legislature would put pot on
the same legal footing as alcohol. Adults over the age of 21 would be
allowed to buy it, and driving under the influence of marijuana would
be prohibited.

Under Ammiano's proposal, which has been endorsed by some law
enforcement officials, pot would be taxed at a rate of $50 per ounce
and bring an estimated $1 billion into state coffers.

In 1996, California became the first state to legalize medical
marijuana.