TIME HAS COME TO LEGALIZE POT

With the state out of money and its the prisons overflowing,
California's laws against marijuana make no economic sense.

Every year, the state shells out millions in taxpayers' dollars to
arrest, prosecute and imprison marijuana offenders in a vain attempt
to stamp out its use. Meanwhile, legal and more dangerous drugs such
as tobacco and alcohol are generating billions in revenues for the state.

California taxpayers would benefit from a new bill by San Francisco
Assemblyman Tom Ammiano that would legalize, tax and regulate
marijuana for adult use. The bill would establish a state-licensing
system for producers and distributors, who could sell to adults over 21.

Producers would pay an excise tax of $50 per ounce, or about $1 per
joint. Additional revenues would be generated from sales taxes.
Altogether, tax revenues would be on the order of $1 billion,
comparable to the cigarette tax.

This is a common sense, fiscally conservative policy that would
regulate cannabis in a manner similar to other legal intoxicants and
raise much-needed revenue for state and county governments.

At the same time, this policy would eliminate marijuana-related crime
and law enforcement expenses, which include an estimated $170 million
annually for the arrest, prosecution and imprisonment of marijuana
offenders. It would likewise put an end to such prohibition-related
problems as the proliferation of black market dealers, grow houses,
smugglers and pirate gardeners on public lands.

Finally, a legal marijuana industry could generate substantial
additional economic benefits in legal employment, business and
payroll taxes, and spin-off industries - like the wine industry,
which currently contributes $50 billion to California's economy.

History shows that California's laws against marijuana have failed.
The state first prohibited marijuana or "Indian hemp" in 1913 over
concerns that "Hindoo" immigrants might spread its use to whites.
Only after being outlawed did marijuana become widely popular,
eventually spreading to millions of Californians.

By 1975, enforcement costs had become so high that the Legislature
decriminalized possession of small quantities in the Moscone Act,
saving the state $100 million each year.

Despite dire predictions by opponents, decriminalization had no
perceptible effect on marijuana use by either adults or young people.
Nonetheless, production and distribution remained illegal, causing
continued prohibition-related problems. In 1990, the California
Research Advisory Panel urged further decriminalization, noting that
"an objective consideration of marijuana shows that it is responsible
for less damage to society and the individual than are alcohol and cigarettes."

In 1996, California voters legalized the medical use of marijuana in
Proposition 215 (though neglecting to establish a legally regulated
supply system). Contrary to the predictions of opponents, marijuana
use by youth actually declined after Proposition 215, but arrests
continued unabated. Because medical users are only a small fraction
of the marijuana market, law enforcement costs have continued to be a
drain on the state.

In 2007, marijuana-related arrests jumped 13 percent to 74,119 -
their highest level since the Moscone Act. California now has more
than 1,500 marijuana prisoners, more than 10 times as many as in
1980. Marijuana accounts for 61 percent of the illicit drug traffic
from Mexico, where prohibition-fueled gang wars have killed more than
6,800 people.

In California, agents eradicated a record 5 million illegal plants
last year, up more than tenfold since 2003. The value of the illegal
crop has been estimated as high as $14 billion, enough to qualify as
the state's leading crop.

Ammiano deserves credit for recognizing that the only way to solve
the marijuana problem is to legalize, tax and regulate it. Although
politicians have been chary of mentioning the "L-word," public
attitudes are changing.

A new Zogby poll shows that 44 percent of voters now support taxing
and regulating marijuana - and as many as 58 percent in the western
states back legalization. As usual, California is ahead of the rest
of the nation. Ammiano's bill provides a path-breaking blueprint for
change that would benefit our economy, safety and freedom by making
marijuana a winning proposition for California.