Facing Budget Crisis, Calif. Gov Asks, What About Legalizing—and Taxing—Marijuana?
Advocates for the legalization of marijuana apparently may be gaining traction with a perhaps-unlikely ally to their cause—the Republican governor of California.
In news that has been making national headlines for weeks, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says he is not necessarily in favor of decriminalizing marijuana, according to the Christian Science Monitor. But the tax revenue that could be generated by permitting recreational use is one option that should be considered concerning the state’s budget crisis, he says. Currently, marijuana use is prohibited under federal as well as state law, but a bill that would permit private recreational use by adults 21 and over has been drafted by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco).
“I think it’s time for a debate,” says Schwarzenegger. “All of those ideas of creating extra revenues, I’m always for an open debate on it.” At the same time, however, “I think we ought to study very carefully what other countries are doing that have legalized marijuana and other drugs, what effect did it have on those countries,” he continues.
Ammiano’s bill would permit users to grow their own marijuana for recreational use—if permitted by federal law, reports the San Francisco Chronicle.
Related coverage:
New York Times: “Legalization? Now for the Hard Question”
Sacramento Bee: “Legalize it? Medical evidence on marijuana blows both ways”
San Francisco Chronicle: “Pot bill passes, U.S. laws change, then what?”
CBS News (2007): “Schwarzenegger: Marijuana’s Not A Drug”
ABAJournal.com: “Supreme Court Rejects Medical Marijuana Appeal”
ABAJournal.com: “California Courts Lose Millions of Dollars in Budget Compromise”
