2010 could be the year when California finally legalizes the recreational use of marijuana.
Under the Control, Regulate and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010 ballot measure, California residents could possess up to one ounce of marijuana and cities could sell and tax the plant. Individuals could grow their own pot as long as the garden is 5 foot by 5 foot. The measure would also give local governments the power to legally sell cannabis and sets the legal smoking age to 21 years.
The ballot measure’s supporters, among them Richard Lee an Oakland pot dispensery owner, feel that the current budget crisis and a shift in public opinion towards recreational use of pot, will give the measure an electoral edge. A recent Field Poll shows that 56 percent of California voters approve of legalized marijuana.
Assembly member Tom Ammiano alo introduced Assembly Bill 390 this February which would charge a tax of $50 per ounce of marijuana sold, and it sets the legal marijuana smoking age to 21. The bill could raise $1 billion in revenue for the state if passed.
Even if both measures are successful they will still face problems with the U.S. government that still views any use of marijuana illegal.
