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United States News Title: Measure To Legalize Marijuana Will Be On California's November Ballot An initiative to legalize marijuana and allow it to be sold and taxed will appear on the November ballot, state election officials announced Wednesday, triggering what will probably be a much-watched campaign that once again puts California on the forefront of the nation's debate over whether to soften drug laws. The number of valid signatures reported by Los Angeles County, submitted minutes before Wednesday's 5 p.m. deadline, put the measure well beyond the 433,971 it needed to be certified. Supporters turned in 694,248 signatures, collecting them in every county except Alpine. County election officials estimated that 523,531 were valid. The measure's main advocate, Richard Lee, an Oakland marijuana entrepreneur, savored the chance to press his case with voters that the state's decades-old ban on marijuana is a failed policy. "We're one step closer to ending cannabis prohibition and the unjust laws that lock people up for cannabis while alcohol is not only sold openly but advertised on television to kids every day," he said. Lee, tapping $1.3 million from his businesses, has put together a highly organized campaign that he emphasized Wednesday would be led by a team of experienced political consultants, including Chris Lehane, a veteran operative who has worked in the White House and on presidential campaigns. "There's all kinds of big professional politicos who are coming on board now to take it to the next level," Lee said. Opponents have also started to put together their campaign. "There's going to be a very broad coalition opposing this that will include law enforcement," said John Lovell, a Sacramento lobbyist who represents the California Police Chiefs Assn. and other law enforcement groups. "We'll educate people as to what this measure really entails." The measure, like the medical marijuana initiative, could put California on a collision course with the federal government. The possession and sale of marijuana remain a federal crime. This month, President Obama's drug czar, R. Gil Kerlikowske, decried legalization in a speech to police chiefs in San Jose. The initiative would allow adults 21 or older to possess up to an ounce for personal use. Possession of an ounce or less has been a misdemeanor with a $100 fine since 1975, when Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown, who was then governor, signed a law that reduced tough marijuana penalties that had allowed judges to impose 10-year sentences. Legalization supporters note that misdemeanor arrests have risen dramatically in California in the last two decades. The initiative would also allow adults to grow up to 25 square feet of marijuana per residence or parcel. But the measure, known as the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act, goes further, allowing cities and counties to adopt ordinances that would authorize the cultivation, transportation and sale of marijuana, which could be taxed to raise revenue. Supporters hope this feature will win over voters watching local governments jettison employees and programs in the midst of a severe budget crisis. Three other marijuana legalization initiatives have been floated this year but are not expected to qualify for the ballot. One failed, one was withdrawn and one remains active. Lovell said that the initiative would lead to increased marijuana use, cause the same kind of social ills as alcohol and tobacco and put more demands on law enforcement. He said voters are distressed by the medical marijuana law. "Neighborhoods feel very uncomfortable with these locations that have a lot of dope and a lot of cash," he said. Lee countered that the state's experience with medical marijuana shows "the sky didn't fall." He said the measure would allow police to focus on serious crime, undercut Mexican drug cartels and make it harder for teenagers to buy marijuana. Underscoring the importance the backing of law enforcement will play, Lee's campaign on Wednesday highlighted the support of retired Orange County Superior Court Judge James P. Gray, a former L.A. County deputy sheriff and Torrance police officer. With polls showing that a slim majority of voters support legalization, the legalization campaign will be trying to appeal to a slice of undecided voters who are mostly mothers. "It's always easier for people to say no than to say yes for an initiative," said Mark Baldassare, the pollster for the Public Policy Institute of California. Lee hopes to raise as much as $20 million. He will probably be able to tap a handful of wealthy advocates who have supported efforts to relax drug laws, including multibillionaire investor George Soros and George Zimmer, founder of the Men's Wearhouse. Zimmer has donated at least $20,000. Lovell said he expected to raise less than his opponents but would have enough to get his message out.
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#2. To: Brian S (#0)
A topic I think Brian S and I agree on. Should have been decriminalized decades ago. Its always been a fools errand to try to outlaw what is literally 'a weed'.
We are living in one topsy-turvy world.... I'm torn on this issue, a part of me wants our children to have a drug free world, we did the whole DARE thing with our kids growing up, and thank G-d it worked, but others wern't so lucky. But the other part of me sees the futility and injustice in throwing them in prisons like they were mass murderers for smoking a joint, or having a small amount on them..it's just damn dumb and it doesn't do a thing towards re-habilitating anyone. But I'll tell ya one thing POT will do to the whacked out minds of some of the young, stupid, and just plain mean, it'll give them false courage to do shit they might not otherwise do. California, like most large cities, has it's share of CRAZIES, and POT is only going to make some matters worse. But that's just me, it might even be fun to sit here on my little isolated Ranch and laugh my butt off....it may bring in a few extra dollars to that state, but after the flood gates open, what decent person, especially Taxpayers, are going to want to hang around and pay for it...let alone open up a nice business? btw, I'm deadly alergic to pot, always have been, can't even be around anyone who smokes a joint, but if it were legal to grow it, I'd have one hell of a garden...lol
Anyone can get pot. That tells you right there all that you need to know about this issue. If that isn't enough...look at the number of people in jail simply for USING.
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