CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLYMAN AMMIANO INTRODUCES BILL TO LEGALIZE POT

State Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, announced today he
has introduced legislation to legalize and tax marijuana in the state
of California.

AB 390 would require that all sales of marijuana be made by licensed
sellers and that sales be taxed $50 per ounce. It would also forbid
sales to anyone under 21.

"With the state in the midst of an historic economic crisis, the move
towards regulating and taxing marijuana is simply common sense,"
Ammiano said at a morning news conference at the state building on
Golden Gate Avenue in San Francisco.

Ammiano said the law, if passed, could generate more than $1.3
billion in much-needed revenue for the state.

"California has the opportunity to be the first state in the nation
to enact a smart, responsible public policy for the control and
regulation of marijuana," he said.