Support California Assembly Bill 390 (the Marijuana Control, Regulation, and Education Act)
Monday, February 23rd, 2009 at 5:06 pm | By: Radical Russ
NORML is asking for your support of Assembly Bill 390, the Marijuana Control, Regulation, and Education Act — the first bill ever introduced to legalize the sale and use of marijuana in California.
As introduced, this groundbreaking proposal would raise over $1 billion in annual revenue by taxing the retail production and sale of marijuana for adults over 21 years of age.
The bill would not alter existing legislation on the use of medicinal cannabis, nor would it impose new taxes or sanctions on the noncommercial use and cultivation of cannabis.
Assembly Bill 390 proposes to make California the first state in the nation to enact a rational public policy for the control and regulation of marijuana. Please show your support for this measure by contacting your California Assembly members and urging them to support the Marijuana Control, Regulation, and Education Act. For your convenience, a pre-written letter will be e-mailed to your state elected officials when you enter your contact information at our Legislative Alerts page.
For more information about this measure, please visit: http://www.canorml.org.
Thank you for supporting NORML’s marijuana law reform efforts in California. A sample letter to your Assembly member is provided below.
Topics: CA AB390, CA Assem. Tom Ammiano, CaliforniaSubject: Raise Revenue, Improve Public Safety: Support AB 390
I’m writing to urge your support for Assembly Bill 390, the Marijuana Control, Regulation, and Education Act.
This measure seeks to tax and regulate the use of marijuana by adults age 21 and over. A fiscal analysis of this proposal by the State Board of Equalization estimates that AB 390 could raise more than $1.3 billion yearly in tax revenue for the state of California.
In addition to raising needed state revenue, AB 390 would: restrict access to marijuana to those under age 21; and the environmental damage to California’s public lands from the cultivation of illicit crops; and improve public safety by redirecting law enforcement efforts to focus on more serious crimes.
Public support is strongly in favor of AB 390. According to a February 2009 Zogby poll, nearly six out of ten voters on the west coast say that they support taxing and regulating the use and sale of marijuana like alcohol.
It¹s time for California taxpayers to stop wasting money trying to enforce marijuana prohibition, and to instead realize the tax benefits derived from a legal, regulated cannabis market. I urge you to vote “yes” on Assembly Bill 390.
we need to legalize it the money for taxes will be great but if you know how to grow it then you really have an advantage it’s alway’s better when it’s free and you grew it it really is a rush.
I’m hopeful that this bill will become law in CA and that will create a domino effect throughout the country. California is usually on the front lines of controversial initiatives, it seems. The proof of this can be seen in the events following CA’s approval of medical marijuana. Now there are (14?) states that have medical marijuana laws, and several more that are considering legislation on the matter.
Everyone should also be aware of a similar bill submitted on the Federal level by Barney Frank called the Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2009 (H.R. 2943). PLEASE support this by writing to your local congressional rep and tell them you want this bill passed. If we don’t keep the pressure on them, it will be too easy for them to let the bill die. We need to show them that approving personal use of marijuana is not political suicide for them. We need to show them the opposite is true, that if they don’t listen to us, we’ll not vote for them. After all, it’s the votes they are after.
just legalize it already!! cuz when i turn 21 im gonna get higher than a bird on peyote!!!!!
Oh and just one thing, legalize acid too!!
I know plenty of people that smoke pot, and are still able to maintain careers. Personally I use it for recreation and ailments. I prefer pot for my ailments instead of the man made drugs our bodies pay for in the long run. I have also had family members who have gone through kemo(sp?) therapy and pot gave them the appetite they lost and put a smile on their faces.
Please support this bill.
[...] for recreational purposes. Supporters estimate that marijuana legalization would generate more than $1.3 billion in tax revenue for the State of California. The bill was introduced in the state assembly before the government [...]
MAKE SURE TO E-MAIL YOU REPRESENTATIVE!!!!!!
The only way that this bill will be passed is if ALL OF US contact our rep. to vote in favor of the bill. They wont ingnore us if a huge population of their voter base supports it.
For e-mail and letter templates as well as contact information for your representative go to:
http://ab390.vze.com/
Why legalize pot? Someone who did pot got straight Fs in his school
lol only those who are truly ignorant make those those kinds of statements…Marijuana is just like any other Vice.in which restraint and responsibility need be used..AKA if you drink dont drive..and if that kid smoked weed all day and didn’t study the fault doesn’t lie with weed, its the kids fault for being lazy.and not putting his priority’s in order…and or poor parenting..i know hand fulls of people who smoke weed and are either becoming prominent members of society or already are ..so to all the people who’s government spoon fed biased opinion’s that lead you to believe everything negative you hear about marijuana,Open your eyes and shut your mouth for once..and do some research…Change is inevitable.and weather or not your current state of mind or beliefs is ready to handle it is going to happen.and coming to places like this and spouting your old beliefs isn’t going to accomplish more than making you sound like an outdated text book..
“the smart one” you are dumb man, i bet you that you get shit for grades and you’re sober, kocf_owned, pretty much lit you up, if someone is going to get straight f’s its because they are stupid and dont even try, ive done homework blitzed and goten better grades then when i was sober, i think its all about how ambitious of a normal person you are, i think smoking weed does make u a little lazy and maybe not want to do things, but its mainly the person, anyone could get good grades if they tried hard enough, so please leave this page if your gonna say unintelligent little sentences thinking anyone will agree with you, this page is for people who want this to be passed, not people like you
dont be a nerd! u nerd!
[...] Act Marijuana Control, Regulation, and Education Act – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Support California Assembly Bill 390 (the Marijuana Control, Regulation, and Education Act) | NORML’… Ammiano Bill to Tax and Regulate Marijuana Would Raise Over $1 Billion for State | California [...]
man i cant wait for this shit to pass so i can smoke without worry
the cal. gov is stupid why do you think they banned it in the frist place… weed kills people and you who says “yes they sould legalize” is just bring back death to the state
yeah where are your facts to back up your statement. millions upon millions of people smoke it and maybe even almost a billion have at least tried it. i mean hell even the damn president has smoked it before and the governor of california
its pretty badass i know lol
dont be so stupid, weed helps people get rid of breast cancer, so if your a girl, shut up….
marijuana does not get rid of breast cancer. it can however alleviate the pain associated with this horrible sickness.
i just hopw this bill gets passed
what’s the point.
i mean seriously i really wanna know what you get form being on pot. what’s so fun about it?
there are plenty of other ways that you can have fun with out having to do drugs to get that high sensation.
i just hope that it doesn’t pass. i mean what has our country come to?
besides it’s just going to turn into an invesment for the government.
M.T., do you drink alcohol? Do you think we should lock up people that do?
There are plenty of ways to get high, you’re absolutely right. So long as I bungee jump, ski, fish, skydive, drink beer, have sex, hunt, play sports, collect stamps – or smoke pot – without harming you, it doesn’t matter if you see the point in any of those activities. (And aside from the collecting stamps and smoking pot, the rest of those activities can injure and kill you.)
no shit its an investment for the government which is billions in debt. alcohol is to. and tabacco. no harm no foul.
“weed doesn’t MAKE people stupid or lazy. if the person smokes pot and acts like a dumbass it’s probably because he is actually just a dumbass and the weed just made him have fun being himself”
M.T you have to support something that may do the greater good for our society…the harm is using marijuana cannot shake a stick at the already legal over the counter drugs. ie afrin, sudafed, even motrin has killed more than marijuana. marijuana has potential to alleviate the symptoms of the seriously ill. it can also produce an extreme amount of revenue for a finacially desperate nation. try and think of all the reasons you think the legalization of marijuana is bad and i can tell you that an industry that stands to lose profits has planted this in your brain. think outside the box be a person of truth.
Full support, why have our tax dollers go into law enforcement, for a truely victimless crime, when we can instead turn the tables and make some money. In the recession, its timing couldn’t be more prestiege.
I think its about time the goverment gets back to doing what the people want this is our country not theirs to do what ever they frickin want to. more than the majority say legalize marijuana. Now they will shuffle this bill around and ignore the people once again. put it on the table pass the bill and that’s it. This should not even be a question of how much money it will generate it’s what the people want…..remember that!
so is this going to be voted on by the people? is it just a bill in senate/house? what happens from here and when?
Most people over look the other benefits f legalizing marijuana. aside from the fact that we will all be able to go to our local suerrmarket to purchase pot, but the industrial hemp aspect. industrial hemp i an ultra renewable resource that most us us would use on a daily basis. not only would we beable to process the hemp plant for fibers to make clothing and paper but it can also be used t create ethanol or Bio diesel. far more benefitial in this aspect than corn because it is a high oil producing plant and grows with little to no maintenence. there is a company in CA called LS-9 that creates, almost tank pure oil with plant waste water and modified e-coli bacteria. everything on the hemp plpant can be utilized!
Well i have 4 degrees and could not have done them without pot for iwas always in cronic pain while going to school.Now i had to retire due to pain at the age of 45 and then the doctors had me wiped out on oxycotin for years and years until i forgot to take it and had a seizure.Well they got me off it to something i could handle and with pot i survive.I can handle the pain from neck back shoulder surgery and not sleeping with the use of marijanna and not all the crap that is so additive you die if you don,t take it . please everyone finnally pass at least for medical if not for money in taxes and bring the price down where there is no reason to smuggle it accross the border no more. Let us ibn high pain or any pain use it instead od codieen morphene and all the normal crap that is additive every time you have a broken bone tooth pulled or can,t sleep. pass the right law now. thanks one and all and normal for all your work. thanks YEA me STEAMER EL CAJON,CA.
Not to mention all the people who would move to California to escape persecution in other parts of the Union. Maybe then they can finally take those “Come to California” commercials off the boob tube.
Laissez-faire!
States right & a weak central government keep a nation healthy, wealthy, and wise.
this is wut people haven been saying for 20 years
The one thing that I havent seen much talk of through all my digging for information on this bill is that 90% of all drug arrests are pot related. If we stop putting people in jail for it that right there is going to save our state alot of money above and beyond actual tax revenue. I have long joked with friends and family about being able to go to the store and buy a pack of joints.. and it looks like in a sense that will soon be a reality. I am 100% for AB 390 and believe that if any state in the union would pass this law it is our own beautifal California and I hope that once we do more states will follow and eventually our federal government. There is less harm in a consenting adult consuming marijauna than in that same consenting adult consuming the liqour that could one day lead to liver failure or any number of other medical problems not to mention the imediate threats to ones safety that could be caused by a drunk driver. I remember reading (possibly in high times) a few years back about a study done that showed people under the effects of marijauna are actually safer than drivers under the influance of alcohol. They are more likely to driver slower and be more careful.
I for sure support this act. I’ve been smoking for a bit now, and my life is still on track; I’m a full time student (3.2 GPA), and I work full time.
What’s wrong with smoking a nice blunt after a long day of studying or working? I’m not harming the community, I’m hanging out with friends and talking about what went on through out the day. I’m responsible when it comes to getting what I need done, and smoking after it.
During last semester in college, I smoked about everyday, and finished the semester with a 3.1. Why should I be punisehed for smoking? I’m doing my part in the economy.
This situation is exactly alike the past situation with alcohol. Alcohol was illegal in the mid-1900s, the government then later legalized it, taxed it, and is now making a large amount of money off of it.
I feel it’s no different and can help the economy out A LOT.
Also, for those who say pot is bad for..well what about ciggeretts? I see that smoking cigs affect you just as much. Alcohol is horible for your liver, if you drink a lot.
To legalize marijuana, I feel we must show support with reason.
Perhaps it’s because I don’t hang out with wastrel, lazy types – my friends tend to be hard-working professionals…
But over the years, the people I’ve known who smoke marijuana, tend to do it to de-stress from long hours at difficult jobs, where they perform extremely well and are respected.
The people I have met in my life that fit the stereotype of the lazy stoner with the glazed expression were like that before they started smoking pot.
Also, and this is anecdotal, but people I knew, who in college, experimented with lots of different substances, almost universally stopped doing anything _except_ marijuana, and often stopped doing even that. I’ve even counseled a few people (I’m a minister) who used marijuana to ease themselves off of addictions to nicotine, caffeine, stimulants, prescription drugs, and alcohol problems.
It’s not a gateway drug! It’s an exit drug!
I’m an incredibly addictive person. I’m addicted to coffee, cigarettes, and for a while struggled with alcohol. And it doesn’t take a lot for me to become hard-core addicted to something – I went from zero-to-sixty with my smoking, and went from not drinking at all for decades to drinking every night in maybe a week, after being seduced by a couple of good martinis.
I’ve tried pot several times in the past, liked it very much, but never feel the urge for it. When people offer it to me, I politely refuse. I don’t think it’s addictive. If I had one of my migraines and someone offered some, I’d probably take it, and risk breaking the law, but that’s because my migraines are so bad that I’d commit suicide if I could move. I just don’t buy the whole “addictive” or “gateway drug” idea. If it happens, it’s never happened where I can witness it, and I have lived in several college towns!
Sorry, I’d rather have something that can’t kill you, and makes you sit in a comfy chair without bothering anyone be legal, rather than something that makes people’s livers or lungs rot out, and inspires them to crash cars or kill each other.
coyote. what you just wrote is what should be sent to California representatives. we need to convey that pot smokers come from all walks of life. we need to change the common perception that all pot smokers are low lives and social deviants.
This bill is a lie as far as generating revenue is concerned. First, the way they come to the taxable income number of 1.1 bil per year is gross marijuana produced. First, once it is legalized, most of the “gross” production for profit will stop because it will be free to grow in your backyard.
On top of that, people who are making money growing illegally will be forced out of their business. The problem with that is that most people making any money at all growing are already paying taxes by laundering it through legitimate businesses. Take away their ability to make money, you take away tax revenue that is already being generated.
Think about it, all of you who make enough money to have a generally decent life out from under the 10 hour a day 40 year work cycle grind: Where is the profit and thus tax revenue when anyone can grow it in their backyard?
About 2% of people will continue to buy it: Those who cannot get it any other way who need it for true medical reasons, and a very slim %age of those who are “connoisseurs.” Remember a large amount of that “pie in the sky” assumed tax revenue is going to be gone because 99+% of people now buying it with 215 cards in dispensaries are doing so because they don’t want to break the law–not for true medical reasons. That business is going to be gone. Thus, the huge tax revenue of 1.1 billion will not be even 2% of that in reality.
And also for all you mathematicians out there thinking that 1.1 billion will solve our budget crises, think again. Our debt is 35 BILLION. Taxing marijuana, even if it did generate the 1.1 billion, would take 35 years to pay off–w/o adding in interest on that 35 billion.
There are legitimate reasons for legalizing pot, but solving CA budget crises isn’t one of them.
Nobody says it will solve the problem, but leaving money on the table when there is a crisis makes no sense. Furthermore, this idea that “anybody can grow it in their backyard” assumes people like gardening, have the space for gardening, and are good gardeners. I’m not. Don’t like dirt. Can’t keep a houseplant alive. Don’t own my own home, landlord won’t allow gardening. And what of all the urban dwellers in California without backyards? They’re going to setup indoor grows?
Sounds to me like someone growing illegally doesn’t want to have to compete in a legal market…
Okay, I’m laughing at the idea that people will just grow it in their back yard. Not to be mean, either.
One of the most entertaining things I’ve ever watched, over the years, is people who decide to “save money” by growing their own marijuana.
Turns out, growing hemp for production is easy. Growing something you would smoke is not. I’ve watched more people kill pot plants, make unsmokabe pot plants, and waste hundreds or thousands of dollars on this process than you could shake a felony at.
I’ve even heard stories from the cafes in Amsterdam, where they sell marijuana legally, where the business owners decided to grow their own, only to discover it was costly, high-maintenance, and tended to turn out low-quality material.
Some people are really good at growing things. But most people I know can’t keep a plastic houseplant from wilting.
I’m sure there will be lots of hobbyist growers at least at first, but most people will likely end up purchasing from experts who make their living growing marijuana and know what they’re doing.
I’d love to see the money kept local, local industry rewarded, and people able to live with less fear – whether it makes a little or a lot of money, it’s money made, instead of money wasted.
I laugh with you!
Some people must think you throw a pot seed in the ground and nine weeks later you’re smoking killer green bud. I imagine there will be about as many hobbyist home pot growers as there are hobbyist home beer brewers.
Bah, Humboldt! What a douchebag.
You’re forgetting all the jobs this fine herb can create for everyone but your own damn self.
Your diatribe reeks of self-interest and your inane rambling rhetoric is designed to keep your customers to yourself.
The whole state, and then the whole world will prosper if California would pass this landmark legislation.
Keep your stupid whining to yourself, crybaby.
You say that if legalized, most people will just grow it in their backyards. I think you overestimate the gardening skills of the average Californian. The majority of produce is sold in grocery stores even though there would be no reason I couldn’t grow all of my potatoes out back.
Please voice your support for CA AB390!
The civil war was started over states’ rights.The people of the south believed that they had the right to own slaves.A war was fought, Americans against Americans, because of this principle. Now a large percentage of Californians are consuming marijuana, and are tired of being treated like criminals.Marijuana may have some supposed health risks, but is it inhumane? It is the cure for bordom. It makes u laugh, and isn’t laughter the best medicine? Maybe someone doesn’t have a health plan, and can’t afford to get anti-depressents or pain medicine, so instead grit their teeth, wipe a tear, and smoke a joint….. Who stocks your shelves, who makes your burgers, who sells your liquor, who mowes your lawns,… who delivers your pizza, who digs your ditches,who works midnight shifts, through all the yawns,…who blows their money, all up in sm0ke,… could it be your moms? Taxation and legalization of marijuana is the only reasonable thing to do this broken economy. We tax many “legitimate” addictions …money, oil, cigs, commercial goods, and even hot food.
TO ANY FOLLOWERS OF THE HOLY BIBLE WHO DO NOT AGREE WITH THIS: CRACK OPEN YOUR BIBLE AND FLIP THROUGH THE FIRST FEW PAGES OF GENESIS. LOOK FOR SOMETHING ABOUT “GREEN HERBS BEARING SEED”.
END GLOBAL WARMING…GROW WEED EVERYWHERE!!!
END GLOBAL WARMING…GROW WEED EVERYWHERE!!!
I hope this idea spread all cross the country. Bless those who work to make this possible. For they are true crusaders of light! May the shine for all to see!
i completely support bill 390, the best idea for economic stimulus we could hope for
I support it. Let’s get the revenues out of organized crime’s hands and into the state’s coffers where it’s needed. I am sorry to say this but it if people think substance abuse is ruining our society or they don’t want to send the message that drug use is ok, then why did we ever repeal the prohibition on alcohol? And the those who say young kids are already using, it’s because gangs don’t care where they get the money from. I support D.A.R.E and it kept me not wanting drugs until I became an adult and started making my own decisions that affect my own life. It hurts me to see kids, trying other drugs (fatal drugs) because they want to get high and do silly stuff. Prescriptions, alcohol, whip-its. I even remember kids dying from helium huffing. The worst thing I remember was kids eating moonberries and dying. A legal “weed” has many applications. Will the people speak up?
decriminalize it first. The CA government should grow it or contract growers and charge a license fee for the distributors just like alcohol. If they can make a better and more affordable product(after tax) then more power to them. don’t forget the Free market… local growers will still have a fighting chance to make ends meat through loyal customers.they should be free from any growing licensing fee, as should anyone who want to grow their own personal crop.
Maybe I’m just not looking in the right place but I don’t see any way to add my name to this.
This article says “For your convenience, a pre-written letter will be e-mailed to your state elected officials when you enter your contact information below.”
Ok, where do I do that?
Sorry about that – I’ve fixed the link and the text above. Just go to http://capwiz.com/norml2/issues/alert/?alertid=12758896&type=ST&show_alert=
I have a small but possibly very significant suggestion for pro-cannabis action. It’s clear that the prohibitionists will never respect our preference, but some of them may respect our dollars. The Kellogg’s boycott is a good start, but hard to pull off, as some have noted, and it doesn’t quite show off the economic might of the cannabis consumer. Instead, let’s show them how strong we are through a simple but effective stealth campaign:
MARK EVERY DOLLAR!
You don’t have to spend your money any differently, just put a mark on every bill you get to show you support cannabis law reform. I’ll leave it to the internet hive-mind to come up with the mark. I thought perhaps “C = $” would be simple enough to get attention, while putting a doobie in George Washington’s mouth would pay tribute to his farming practices. I find the leaf is too hard to draw regularly, but if you like that, go for it. In the end, it doesn’t matter so much that we all use the same mark, but that every dollar we use gets marked.
The beauty of this campaign is that the message gets across while being covert. What, there’s a cannabis leaf on my bills? I got them like that…. they just seem to be showing up these days.
So I will be hitting the ATM these days, instead of using the card, and I’ll break out the ballpoint pen.
Let this go viral! Send to every stoner in California!!
Defacing currency is a federal crime. Even if you were to take a marijuana leaf and then have it made into a stamp and keep a pad of dark green ink with it and applied that stamp on every bill you touch, I still believe that would be illegal and I could never recommend that you do that. So don’t. Really. Don’t do it. I mean it.*
Checks, on the other hand, I believe you can print on them any ol’ design you like.
*This routine brought to you by the Eddie Izzard Entertaining Information Organization, the people who brought you my New Years Resolution to always say f’nTAStic instead of fantastic. Cake or death?
do it
You people have got to be kidding supporting this. Just another way for fiscally irresponsible politicians to bend you over w/no lube and no kiss when they are done.
The founders of this country would be ashamed of anyone supporting AB 360.
Are we as a “free people” going continue being taxed to death on every aspect of our lives?
No on AB 360!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So, then, do you prefer being arrested and locked up versus paying a tax? (It’s AB 390, by the way. You’re thinking of CNN’s AC 360.)
This message brought to you by the Save the Exclamation Points Society, which reminds you that the once flourishing population of exclamation points has been devastated and become endangered due to overuse and mismanagement in the wild.
Lol. Good one about the Save the Exclamation Points Society, Radical Russ.
As for A.B. 390, I’d rather it pass and have cannabis legitimized, than uphold the status quo and have the morally irresponsible law enforcement/judicial system “bend [us] over w/no lube and [not] kiss when they are done.”
Taxes < being treated like a criminal.
yes indeed, our founding fathers would be turning in their graves.
“We shall, by and by, want a world of hemp more for our own consumption.”
- John Adams
90% of the time I’d agree with you on this kind of sentiment, but real and innocent people are hurt by not voting for laws like AB 390. You are far more free with the capitalists paws in your pipe than you are behind bars, and I hope you’ve reconsidered your position by now.
AB 390 allows an individual to grow up to 10 plants in the home without obtaining a license. So it enables one to grow their own supply without being taxed.
Try reading something before you jump to a conclusion on how to vote on it.
More people have died from tainted peanut butter crackers (8 to date) than have died from Marijuana use in the thousands of years humankind has been using Cannabis. That’s right folks to date the number of deaths (world wide) directly attributed to Marijuana is still 0!
More people die from prescription drugs they were prescribed from their Doctors (and I’m not counting those who use scripts for recreation and OD), wanna talk about hypocrisy / irony!
As hopeful as I am that this Bill will pass, there is no way on this green earth that Pharmicutical, oil, and textile companies and their well paid lobbiests are going to let it happen. Let’s face there’s more cash in misery and injustice (disguised as morality), than there is in freedom and peace. Just ask the Bush administration.
[...] Title: Support California Assembly Bill 390 (the Marijuana Control … [...]
I fully support AB 390. There is no proven reason which supports the prohibition of marijuana. I could write a book’s worth of substantiated reasons that marijuana should be regulated to adults over 21 years of age nationwide. I will not vote for anyone who is pro-prohibition.
Michael D. Wandzilak
CEO / Wandzilak Web design
There is an error in the final sentence of your sample letter:
“I urge you to vote ‘yes’ on Assembly Bill 309.”
This should be:
“I urge you to vote ‘yes’ on Assembly Bill 390.”
Keep up the good fight!
waiting for this to HIT HuffPo and the MSM.