On February 23, 2009, Democratic Assemblyman from San Francisco, Tom Ammiano, introduced a new bill to remove penalties in California against responsible marijuana users. This bill is called the AB 390 bill. It is the first of its kind to reach the assembly since 1913. Each year, an estimated $170 million are spent on arresting, incarcerating, prosecuting, and housing marijuana offenders. Marijuana plants in California are estimated to be worth upwards of $13.9 billion. In 2008, 5.2 billion marijuana plants were destroyed in California - and that does not even account for half of those grown in California! In addition, illegal marijuana is being supplied across US-Mexico borders by Mexican cartels and gangs. Legalization of marijuana in California would stop this traffic and lower the amount of crime that results from this importation.
Tell your state legislators to support A.B. 390!
The new bill would put an age limit on marijuana just like alcohol - 21 years of age. Users would have to be at least 21 years old to buy, sell, or grow marijuana. Marijuana could not be near schools and driving while stoned would still be illegal. Plants could not be grown in public view or in public sight. Producers of marijuana would pay an excise tax of $50 per ounce, and sales tax would be charged on sales, just as it is on cigarettes. The result would be equal to $1 in tax per joint.
This excise tax and sales tax would bring in an estimated $1 billion in tax revenue to the state of California. In addition, this legalization would cut an estimated $170 million which is currently used to prosecute users of marijuana. Estimates show that the overall economic impact would be approximately $12-18 billion. Based on recent polls on Zogby, the total number of marijuana users in California was approximately 3 million in the past year. Of those, 2 million people used Marijuana in California in the past month, with an estimate of 500,000 – 600,000 daily users. This could be a significant and major boon for the faltering California economy by eliminating some of its own budget, increasing tax revenues, booning the economy, and eliminating a source of illegal activity that has resulted in major gang related activity in Mexico, as Mexican cartels fight for control over who can ship marijuana into the United States.
Tell your state legislators to support A.B. 390!
Help support the AB 390 bill by submitting a letter to your local representative. Click the link and fill out your information to show your support!
2 responses so far ↓
AB 390 would be the greatest thing to ever happen to California, since well. the 60’s it would free up so much violence, people getting robbed, killed etc.. over marijuana. this bill would stop most, if not all the marijuana transported over borders, it would help this state with its budget, not only by taxing it, but also freeing up all the money we spend on it now by prosecuting, housing arresting and so forth all marijuana cases, when can we find out if it will be passed
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