Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Freeing and Taxing the Weed in California?

Whilst Gordon Brown and the Government classify marijuana upwards in the controlled substances league, State legislature Assemblyman Tom Ammiano in California is introducing a legalisation bill. According to SF Weekly the bill would,
remove all penalties in California law on cultivation, transportation, sale, purchase, possession, or use of marijuana, natural THC, or paraphernalia for persons over the age of 21.
Not only that, the Bill will also prohibit state and local law officers from enforcing the Federal marijuana laws. Then comes the killer, the Bill would establish,
a fee on the sale of marijuana at a rate of $50 per ounce.
Is the Bill likely to pass? Who knows. It will certainly do the budget issues in California the world of good if it does.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ok so I'm out of touch, but can somebody tell me how much an ounce costs on the streets of CA at the present and also how much would it would cost in a 'tabaconist' were it legal.

Maybe the current cost on the streets of London and in Amsterdam would also be helpful.

Sue said...

No idea in California, but you can buy a carrier bag full here in Spain for 20 euros!

T England. Raised from the dead. said...

Amsterdam Average Marijuana & Hash Price

T England. Raised from the dead. said...

london street prices
From 2007

Hope that helps ;O)

Linda said...

Guess there's going to be a lot of "California Dreamin'" if it goes legal, yeah man.

Dave said...

I've long held the opinion that the only reason that cannabis, heroin etc are illegal is simply because the government has no control over the supply in that same way it has over alcohol and tobacco. If it could control the supply then it would be legal at a price.
The california proposals could be argued that the State government want a share and will be willing to offer amnesty to the suppliers.
Good luck to them. I somehow doubt whether the UK government has th erquired firepower to muscle in on the yardies and the vietnamese gangs who control the UK drugs traffic.
I bet wacky Jacqui is watching this with interest. Likewise mad gordo and his badger.
Keep the population stoned and collect the revenue.

Anonymous said...

Should be legal and taxed like spirits etc. It's stupid making it 'sort of legal, but not really' which is what we have in the UK at the moment.

Unknown said...

The reality is that anybody who wants drugs, of any classification, can get as much as they want. The prices of illegal drugs have been falling for decades. Nobody is being protected by the "war on drugs". There is an unholy symbiosis between drug enforcement and drug dealing. The USA spends $30 bn a year on the former. That's a lot of jobs and a lot of people interested in the status quo. Most of the damage, criminal activity, poverty, ill health etc. are caused by the fact that the drugs are illegal and so a great business for organised crime.

mint said...

weed is practically legal already in california thanks to the medical marijuana laws.
you pay a dr $100 and claim insomnia. He will then give you a card that enables you to buy marijuana at $50 an eighth from any cannabis club shop.

Anonymous said...

Boun Giorno, Signor D

... but isn't Marijuana a dreadful poison that rots your Brain & your Soul, which should be legally banned

Yr obedient servant etc

G E

jailhouselawyer said...

Amsterdam here I come...

There is the slight problem in that the MoJ holds the view that a life sentence prisoner on life licence cannot travel abroad without first seeking permission from the government.

This view, is of course, contrary to EU law. In Europe there is no such thing as a life licence, which amounts to being fastened to s strong elastic band.