Legal Commentary

CA Marijuana Legalization Initiative Gets Closer to Ballot

By Jeralyn

Backers of an initiative to legalize and tax marijuana have delivered petitions with 700,000 signatures -- more than the required 433,000-- to the state to get on the November ballot.

The new initiative would allow California residents to cultivate up to 25 square feet of pot and possess or transport up to 1 ounce. It would include fines and criminal sanctions for providing marijuana to minors.

The initiative would allow cities to tax pot sales and regulate how much pot can be sold legally. It would permit individual cities to ban local sales but let citizens possess and consume marijuana.

The group behind the effort says legalization would bring in more than $1 billion in tax revenue. [More...]

This will be a well-funded and public fight.

The pro-pot coalition has signed on with a prominent San Francisco political consulting firm, SCN Strategies. Proponents also are working with an Internet fundraising firm, Blue State Digital, that helped create the Web network for Barack Obama's presidential campaign.

"This isn't your teenager's cannabis initiative. ... This was carefully crafted to build a winning coalition of supporters," said Dan Newman, a partner with SCN Strategies. His firm includes veteran Democratic strategist Ace Smith, son of former San Francisco District Attorney Arlo Smith.

The measure faces strong opposition from "law enforcement, church and anti-drug groups."

"This will be a serious campaign," said John Lovell, a lobbyist for the California Peace Officers Association, a group organizing opposition. "They will raise and spend $10 million to $15 million. We will raise a fraction of that. And we will win …"

Can't wait to see the commercials for both sides, which undoubtedly will be posted on You Tube for those of us outside California.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on January 29, 2010 (boomark / email).