PROMPTED BY SCHWARZENEGGER, NORTH COAST BEGINS DEBATING LEGALIZING POT

North Coast officials are skeptical of proposals to legalize and tax
marijuana. But some said they would welcome and participate in the
debate that could put the drug in the same category as alcohol.

We have to get the discussion started," said Mendocino County
Supervisor Kendall Smith, who believes legalization and regulation of
marijuana for general adult use is likely to occur at some point.

The issue was raised earlier this week when Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger said it is time to debate legalizing pot for
recreational use and taxing its sales to help balance the state's
ailing budget. State Board of Equalization chairwoman Betty Yee has
estimated a regulated marijuana industry could yield $1.3 billion in
tax revenue.

The debate over legalization is familiar to North Coast residents,
who supported Proposition 215 in 1996, saw Mendocino County adopt
liberal growth standards in 2000, only to see a backlash against
loosening restrictions as both the stench of marijuana and related
crime invaded neighborhoods.

I think we need another drug like we need a hole in the head," Sonoma
County Sheriff's Capt. Matt McCaffrey said.

The societal costs of having more people using drugs would exceed the
tax benefits, he said.

A lot of the money would be going to the ills caused by this drug,"
in much the same way alcohol taxes don't cover the costs of problems
caused by alcohol consumption, he said.

Sonoma County District Attorney Stephan Passalacqua said he'd be
willing to participate in discussions about legalization. But he
questioned whether now is the time.

I don't think on an important topic like this it can be done when
we're facing a deficit at our doorsteps," he said. "At this point it
serves as a needless distraction to Sacramento."

Education officials said legalization would do more harm than good.

It would contribute to greater abuse" by children if it's freely
available to adults, said Sonoma County schools Superintendent Carl Wong.

Children living on the marijuana-rich North Coast already use
marijuana at a higher rate than elsewhere, said Lynn Garric, the
director of Sonoma County's Safe Schools Program.

A survey conducted by the group ranked Sonoma County fourth in the
state in student marijuana use. Marin County students reported the
highest use, followed by Mendocino and Humboldt counties, she said.

The survey showed that 30 percent of Sonoma County eleventh-graders
had used marijuana in the month preceding the survey. The state
average was 16 percent.

We have to be careful about impacts on children," she said.

Despite the hesitancy among school and law enforcement officials,
advocates of legalizing marijuana for adult consumption are
optimistic that the tide is turning in their favor and say the
governor's comments are a reflection of growing public sentiment in
favor of legalization.

We are starting to see a real change," said Ellen Komp, a Humboldt
County-based spokeswoman with the National Organization for the
Reform of Marijuana Laws.

She noted that Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, introduced a
bill in February that would regulate marijuana much like alcohol,
restricting its use and cultivation to people over 21. Similar
efforts have been made elsewhere in the country, Komp said.

A Field Poll, conducted in April, showed 56 percent of the state's
registered voters were in support of legalizing and taxing marijuana
for recreational use to fill some of the budget deficit. Those
results fueled some of the governor's comments this week, which also
included a call to see how legalization has played out in other countries.

Ammiano's bill would impose a $50 tax per ounce on marijuana sales.
Good quality marijuana sells for about $50 for an eighth of an ounce
at medical marijuana dispensaries, Komp said.

Heavy taxes could simply drive marijuana back underground by those
who don't want to give up their profits, critics say. Additionally,
Mendocino County Sheriff's Lt. Rusty Noe, who opposes legalization,
said the tax revenue might not be substantial if marijuana prices
drop because of legalization, as some pot activists claim it would.

How's that going to help" the state budget?" he said.

Komp said the price of marijuana from the North Coast likely would
remain high, much like premier wines from the region.

She envisions "tasting" rooms, which could boost tourism and bring
relief to the North Coast's battered economy.

Advocates also claim that crime related to marijuana cultivation
would decline with legalization.

The crime question is difficult to answer. Mendocino's experiment
with medical marijuana, originally allowing individuals to grow 25
plants, brought abuses. Violence and home invasion robberies were
often associated with pot operations, even in suburban neighborhoods.

Santa Rosa's new police chief, Tom Schwedhelm, said his department
allocates lots of time and resources to battling crimes associated
with marijuana use.

He said he would never tell voters how to vote. But regarding legalization:

I don't think that's a good idea, basing that on our experience now
and the violence associated with people growing marijuana, and those
that want to take from those growing. ... They're heavily armed and
very violent encounters."

Sonoma County Supervisor Shirlee Zane said she agrees with the governor.

It's time for a meaningful debate." But that's a long way from any
blanket endorsement by Zane and others of whether marijuana should be
legalized.

I don't think the state's ready for it," Zane said.