Marijuana legalization backers hand in initiative petitions

Supporters of legalized marijuana announced today that they have gathered about 700,000 signatures for their initiative, virtually guaranteeing voters will see it on the November ballot.

They plan to turn in the petitions today to elections officials in some of the state's major counties, including Los Angeles. Supporters need 433,971 valid signatures to qualify the measure.

The measure’s main proponent, Richard Lee, a highly successful Oakland marijuana entrepreneur, bankrolled a professional signature-gathering effort that was bolstered by volunteers from the state’s hundreds of medical marijuana dispensaries.

“This is a historic first step toward ending cannabis prohibition,” Lee said. “I’ve always believed that cannabis should be taxed and regulated and that our current laws aren’t working.”

The initiative, known as the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act, would make it legal for anyone 21 and older to possess an ounce of marijuana and grow plants in an area no larger than 25 square feet for personal use. It would also allow cities and counties to permit marijuana to be grown and sold, and to impose taxes on marijuana production and sales.

Four marijuana legalization initiatives have been proposed, but Lee’s is the only one that appears to have the financial support to make the ballot.

Lee's firm, one of the state's most successful marijuana businesses, has spent more than $1 million on the measure and hired professional consultants to run the campaign. Lee owns half a dozen mostly pot-related businesses in Oakland, including Coffeeshop Blue Sky, a medical marijuana dispensary, and Oaksterdam University, which offers classes on marijuana.

Polls have shown growing support nationwide for legalization. In California, a majority favors it. A Field Poll taken last April found that 56% of voters in the state and 60% in Los Angeles County want to make pot legal and tax it. That margin, though, is not enough to assure victory.

The political climate has turned conservative in this non-presidential election year. Some prominent marijuana legalization advocates have questioned whether 2010 was the right year to test whether Californians would again break new ground on drug legalization, as they did in 1996 when they approved marijuana for medical use.

If passed, the initiative would put the state in conflict with federal law. The Obama administration last year announced it would not prosecute medical marijuana dispensaries that adhere to California's laws, but it has adamantly opposed efforts to legalize marijuana for recreational use.

-- John Hoeffel

Photo: Howard Dillon, left, unloads boxes of signatures outside the county registrar's office in Norwalk. At right is retired Judge James P. Gray. Dillon delivered 17 boxes holding 143,105 signatures for the marijuana legalization initiative. The boxes were brought inside to be counted. Credit: Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times

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Comments

[Kari Heaberlin]

Yes. It is time to put an end to the antiquated "refer madness" ideology of marijuana regulation and start the process towards full, nation-wide legalization.

[Rusty Shackleford]

This is a good step towards the legalization of cannabis.

[VT]

So, a bill bankrolled by the guy who will benefit the most in the entire state of California?

What's new about that? Reeks of both corruption and pot.

[No brainer]

Legalize pot already. It is just obvious the only people who do not want pot legal are those profiting off other "legal" drugs that would be in competition, as well as drug dealing thugs. Anyone who tries to keep pot illegal should be investigated heavily for any connections they have to the drug lords, including politicians.

Legalizing pot will save lives, save vast amount of tax dollars, create tax revenue, create jobs and help balance the State budget.

[Jack]

Why don't people understand the law?

Federal statute trumps state law; state law trumps county ordinances; county ordinances trump city municipal codes. THIS is the succession!

The state CANNOT have a law that directly conflicts with a federal statute. So long as the federal government prohibits cannabis, any person who cultivates/sells/distributes/etc. cannabis is guilty of a felony or felonies at the federal level and yes, the DEA can and will arrest a person for this based on their own federal statutes.

If you want to win this fight, you must start at the top, by changing the federal statutes governing cannabis.

What will happen with this law, is people will have a false sense of security until one day, the DEA takes their door down and hauls them off to prison. The case will be heard before a federal judge, who is not governed by the state penal code, and the person will be guilty, plain and simple, of violating the federal statutes in place.

Ultimately, this case ends up being decided by the Supreme Court of the United States (or not, if they decide to not hear it).

Either way, this fight is lengthy, costly and all the while, some poor fool who thought he was abiding by the law, is sitting in a federal prison cell while his case works its way through the system, which can take years!

[H. R. Zelman]

I do not necessarily believe that the majority of voters want marijuana legalized. I think many people are in favor of legalizing marijuana more to alleviate California's financial problems and not so much so it will be legal to use it. While it is obvious that the majority of users want marijuana to be legal, doing so will likely cause similar problems to those caused by alcohol. As such, I don't think legalizing marijuana is a good idea because most Americans will abuse it.

[Mike]

Baby steps, baby steps. We'll get there.

[tangytoo]

Really a bad,very bad decision to legalize this stuff, this is only asking for trouble, and will not increase revenue, but will certainly increase crime and other unneeded behavior, shame on these doctors and legislators and whoever is involved in this "legalizing business" it is a shame to the American public and people who cannot muster the innitiative to generate and come up with voluble plans and ideas to boost revenue, the American mind, has it gone into exticntion, or close to it? or what the American mind is supposed to be or could be, One wonders here about the doctors and lawyers etc who are involved in the "legalizing of this stuff" into the pockets of who does this income go into? God bless America, hmmmmmm, this is a real Shame and disgrace to the American people, to be so at a loss that they cannot keep their heads above water,but must resort to such a lieing and cheating horrible way to generate income, it will only increase drug use, and crime, certainly these doctors are no better than modern day pirates, shame to the American people

[Jim Pomeroy]

I personally don't use marijuana but think that it should be legalized and taxed.

[Martin]

If this passes, I will be moving my family and business out of California at any cost! That will un-employ another 5 people!

The next thing will be prostitution, then porn industry.

This is the wrong direction to go in, trust me.

Anyone with any form of business will be pulling out as fast as they can.

[Moe Hawke]

Hopefully common sense and a need for new sources of tax revenues will finally prevail. Legalizing medical marijuana is a win-win situation. It will take the criminal element out of the business, provide tax revenues for the state and free up DEA agents to do something useful.

[Debbie]

Let's go! It will help agriculture, manufacturing, transportation, distribution, and bring in tax revenue!

[Diablo]

Why not legalize? It's way safer than alcohol and tobacco, and has medicinal purposes. Tax revenue and job creation are the pros. Federal prosecution is the one con here. But we passed that law in 1996, when everyone thought we were crazy here in Cali for trying. Now 14 years later things are finally starting to turn around and the wheels of legislation are turning towards full legalization. Everyone is scared about a joint landing into a 14 year old kids hand, but that same kid can get a 40 oz of Ol' English anytime he wants.

[Gray]

So the drug addicts are at it again, but with the backing of a bazilionaire...don't we have enough problems with alcohol? Now by legalizing marijuana you want to add more highway deaths and crime to the climbing statistics. Why doesn't Lee use his influence on more important issues that could really help people, like poverty or crime.

[JustSay'NO'ToDonuts]

I am voting YES and I am going to make sure for all of my friends and others to go out and end the failed war on this plant. I am sick of being put down by others because I choose cannabis over alcohol, tobacco, pills and your precious guns. You guys can go kill yourself with those substances, but let me choose to put in my body something that promotes cell growth in my brain, minimizes tumors in my body and does not cause cancer or overdoses.

The public has been lied to by the authorities. All the DARE programs and anti-weed commercials are all propaganda from lobbyists that are affiliated with the synthetic commercialized pharmaceutical corporations. And the alcohol companies.

Growing up being lied to by all these people has made me realize that I need to go out and vote to have a change. We need change in our society, and the best thing we can do is vote to end this absurd war on something that can never be controlled.

[Joe]

In response to some prior posters, marijuana is not alcohol - not as addictive and not as inebriating.

While federal law might trump state law, federal law cannot force California to have its own laws making use of marijuana illegal. Further, federal law lists marijuana as a schedule I drug with no medically acceptable use, yet California seems to have laws allowing for its medical use, and the Feds aren't arresting people for that anymore.

A top-down approach is absolutely the wrong way to go. The only way to get anything populist done in this country is from the ground up. Politicians at the national level are, for the large part, owned by the powerful elite.

[Mitch]

So, your telling me having mexican cartels kill thousands of people a year just because of this harmful substance is a good thing? Millions of people getting there lives ruined every year for a plant that god obviously wanted us to find. When you have judges, docters, lawyers, just about any job considers this a legit way to bring the state tax revune. And btw, 1.4 billion is just a estimate. Realize that theres over 30 million people in cali, and some people dont smoke only because of the law. Not only is this something that needs to be done, but it will be done. Get ready folks, legal weed in 2010

[smpierre]

tangytoo: "Really a bad,very bad decision to legalize this stuff, this is only asking for trouble, and will not increase revenue, but will certainly increase crime and other unneeded behavior"

Please. Increase crime by, uh, regulating its growth and sales? The only reason it's such a crime-ridden enterprise right now is because the state ISN'T regulating its consumption but attempting to restrict its use. There'll of course be a black market for the stuff, just like there's a black market for alcohol and tobacco. But, other than that, how will a bunch of stoners watching "Dude, Where's my Car?" while eating Fritos at home lead to more crime? (Arguably, that's unneeded behavior but at least it keeps the snack industry in business...)

And, really, have you looked at the jail statistics lately? A large proportion of people there are there for selling or possessing pot, which doesn't hurt anybody but some people's 1950's-era sensibilities about what's "right." It's a state crime against society that these marijuana prohibition laws are still on the books.

Get out of the suburbs and figure out the real world.

[IheartCA]

Jack, while you certainly bring up very valid points I must disagree with your bleak outlook on things. While the Federal law would need to change to completely end this senseless prohibition, perhaps it is monumental events such as California taking the steps to legalizing that would propell the Federal government to do the same. An entire state showing that the will of the people is to legalize would send a very clear message. Or maybe it will be the continued effort of other states decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana and recognizing it's positive medical attributes.

Further, the President (and/or his administration) has said on more than one occasion that the use of Federal power can be better allocated. In the case of Federal judges sending American men & women to prison: This will be handled on a case by case basis. There was a situation last year where a Federal judge was purposefully leniant on a Dispensary owner during sentencing --- I believe this very paper covered the story. Of course, any jail time is bad jail time, but there seems to be a definite climate of realization and change.

Simply insulting the readers and supporters of this article by asking, "Why don't people understand the law?" comes off as a little condesending. I also don't see what positive effects spreading fear of the DEA beating down your door can have either.

Yes, Federal law must change and it will be the will of the people that will help that change come about.

[TD]

how would making weed legal lead to more crime? that makes no sense. in fact, it would be quite the opposite and the gov. could focus more attention on other drugs that ARE dangerous and DO lead to crime. if you think weed makes you commit crimes you may be a re-tard. criminals will always do illegal things, weed just makes LA traffic a little less annoying, bad movies better, and keeps people from getting drunk and driving and making stupid drunk decisions. you ever hear someone say "i was so stoned i beat my wife and kids and crashed my car into a tree, went to jail and lost my job?" no. you hear stuff like, "damn i ordered like 3 pizzas and played madden for 5 hours." who does that hurt? but, booze is ok, right?

[ray]

It'll make California a better place to live.

[Erik]

I can't help but notice that the postings for legalization have proper punctuation and spelling. Wheras the postings against look like the ramblings of a five year old. Is this some type of microcosm for the ignorance of the nay-sayers?

[kelly]

LOL, more "highway deaths" because of POT? Come on now. I bet the same people who are against legalized marijuana have NO problem with a person driving a car while doped up on LEGAL vicodin. At the end of the day, its taxing and regulating an activity that grown adults choose to engage in. Not only will the state gain revenue off of distribution, but our jails will be less crowded with ridiculous sentences for smokers.

And NO, I dont smoke pot myself. But step by step, we NEED to realize that the "war on drugs" is a farce and can never be won. Time for a new approach.

[Joseph Smith]

They NEED to make it LEGAL ! They have to do this NOW! VOTE,SIGN and do whatever it takes to get this passed.Its for the BEST for us ALL! PLEASE MAKE IT LEGAL!You can make it like Alcohol so you NEED to be 21 or over but it should be our right to use it or not! It could generate more money for public services and such!

[Charlie Stix]

It's time for the US to grow up and face the reality.
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