TAX FOR TOKES IN CALIFORNIA? YES, IF NEW LEGISLATION GETS SUPPORT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Could cannabis be a salvation for California's
fiscal misfortunes? Can the state get a better budget grip by taxing
what some folks toke?

An assemblyman from San Francisco announced legislation Monday to do
just that: make California the first state to tax and regulate
recreational marijuana in the same manner as alcohol.

Buoyed by the widely held belief that cannabis is California's biggest
cash crop, Assemblyman Tom Ammiano contends it is time to reap some
state revenue from that harvest while putting a damper on drug use by
teens, cutting police costs and even helping Mother Nature.

"I know the jokes are going to be coming, but this is not a frivolous
issue," said Ammiano, a Democrat elected in November after more than a
dozen years as a San Francisco supervisor. "California always takes
the lead -- on gay marriage, the sanctuary movement, medical marijuana."

Anti-drug groups are anything but amused by the idea of California
collecting a windfall from the leafy herb that remains illegal under
federal law.

"This would open another door in Pandora's box," said Calvina Fay,
director of Save Our Society From Drugs. "Legalizing drugs like this
would create a whole new set of costs for society."

Ammiano's measure essentially would replicate the regulatory structure
used for beer, wine and hard liquor, with taxed sales barred to those
younger than 21.

He said it actually would boost public safety, keeping law enforcement
focused on more serious crimes while keeping marijuana away from teenagers.

The natural world would benefit, too, by uprooting the sorts of
environmentally destructive backcountry pot plantations that denude
fragile ecosystems, Ammiano said.

But the biggest boon might be to the bottom line. By some estimates,
California's pot crop is a $14-billion industry, putting it above
vegetables ($5.7 billion) and grapes ($2.6 billion). If so, that could
mean upward of $1 billion in tax revenue for the state each year.

"Having just closed a $42-billion budget deficit, generating new
revenue is crucial to the state's long-term fiscal health," said Betty
Yee, the state Board of Equalization chairwoman who appeared with
Ammiano at a San Francisco news conference.

Also in support of opening debate on the issue are San Francisco
Sheriff Mike Hennessey and retired Orange County Superior Court Judge
James Gray, a longtime legalization proponent.

"I'm a martini guy myself," Ammiano said. "But I think it's time for
California to ... look at this in a truly deliberative fashion."

He sees the possibility of an eventual truce in the marijuana wars
with Barack Obama now in the White House.

A White House spokesman declined to discuss Ammiano's legislation,
instead pointing to a transition Web site that says the president "is
not in favor of the legalization of marijuana."

Several cities in California and around the nation have adopted laws
making marijuana the lowest law enforcement priority, including Santa
Barbara, Santa Monica, Denver and Seattle. Oakland, Calif., went even
farther in 2004, requiring pot to be taxed if it is legalized.

But where Ammiano sees taxes, pot foes see trouble. They say easier
access means more problems with drug dependency among adults, heavier
teen use and an increase in driving while high.

"If we think the drug cartels are going to tuck their tails between
their legs and go home, I think we're badly mistaken," Fay said.
"They're going to heavily target our children."