The California Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act: Part 1

The secretary of state confirmed last night to everyone how the voter initiative to legalize marijuana received about 523,531 legitimate signatures-over 433,971 were needed to get it on the November ballot. The initiative has quite a few supporters who believe that that legalizing pot will not only save the cash-strapped Californian economy, but will even bring in instant cash of tax revenue. Those who don't support the bill suggest that legalizing pot will lead to more crime and large health impacts. Other detractors worry that legalizing gray-market marijuana will decrease the quality of marijuana and significantly harm the budding marijuana industry. Part 1 of this article covers the Regulate, Control, and Tax Cannabis Act in California and the arguments for its passage. Part 2: Arguments against Marijuana Legalization in California covers the arguments against marijuana legalization in California.

History of marijuana legalization in California.

In 1913, the first state law criminalizing marijuana in the United States was enacted in California. Other states quickly followed suit. The federal law made transfer and possession of "Marihuana" illegal for all things except industrial and medical use by 1937.

This act was declared unconstitutional in 1969, but the U.S. Federal government included marijuana in the Controlled Substances Act of 1970. In 1996, California legalized medical marijuana with Proposition 215, reigniting a national debate. On the federal level, marijuana continues to be an illegal Schedule I narcotic considered to have “no valid medical use."

California legalization of marijuana measures.

The California voter initiative to legalize pot, known as the Regulate, Control, and Tax Cannabis Act lays out several limitations on the legal use of marijuana. Anyone 21 or older would be permitted to "possess, cultivate, or transport marijuana for personal use." Marijuana would be taxed and regulated through commercial sales or production by local governments in California. Individuals would also be prohibited from smoking marijuana in public, smoking marijuana when minors are present, providing to any underage person, possessing the drug on school grounds or driving when under the influence of marijuana.

The cost-savings discussion for marijuana legalization

Supporters of the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act argue that the legalization of marijuana would conserve the State of California a significant amount of cash. Because California has a huge spending budget deficit, they have been using payday cash advances on the state to cover spending budget costs.

The cost savings estimates are anywhere from $ 156 million to $ 1 billion. Supporters claim that once the currently-stretched-thin law-enforcement system stops prosecuting individuals for growing, possessing or selling marijuana, they can focus on crimes and criminals that are more violent or dangerous. Those for the act also point out the fact few deaths in California are due to marijuana when hundreds of death each year are due to alcohol.

Taxation for cannabis legalization argument.

While saving California millions of dollars in law enforcement, the Regulate, Control and Tax Act also gives government the ability to tax marijuana. $ 15 billion worth of gray-market and black-market marijuana is sold in California each year as approximated by proponents of the act.

$ 1.3 billion a year or more in revenue would be brought in with an excise tax on the retail sales. Some counties and cities within California already tax medical marijuana dispensaries. These city and county taxes bring in as much as $350,000 per dispensary.

Job arguments in legalizing pot

Humboldt county as well as other areas in California already have a large marijuana tourism industry. The area brings in millions of dollars a year in tourism revenue through services from medical marijuana dispensaries to schools that focus on growing marijuana. As pointed out by proponents, if the marijuana tourism industry grew to even one third the size of the wine industry, it would create at least 50,000 jobs. It would add the agricultural base in California if hemp were to be legal to produce in state with marijuana being legalized.

The Californian's Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act can be on the November ballot. If you were interested in the arguments against the legalization of marijuana in California, I’d suggest you see Part 2: Arguments against Marijuana Legalization in California.