Written by MARISA LAGOS / Posted on SFgate.com
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – You know that thing they say about counting your eggs? Well, Assemblyman Tom Ammiano apparently didn’t get the message. Or maybe he’s just an optimist.
The San Francisco Democrat — a longtime supporter of marijuana legalization efforts — introduced legislation this week that would implement Prop. 19 “in the event it passes.” The ballot measure will be considered by voters Nov. 2 and would legalize marijuana for personal use in California.
Basically, ABX6 9 would remove marijuana from the controlled substances list and give the Alcoholic Beverage Control agency power over regulation. The ABC would be charged with setting up a “wholesale and retail marijuana sales regulation program to be administered and enforced by the department,” according to the legislative digest; it would also “ban local and state assistance in enforcing inconsistent federal and other laws relating to marijuana.”
Not sure how the ABC — which is run by a former police officer and has received flak in the Bay Area for what’s seen as overzealous club enforcement — will feel about this. Law enforcement officials are coming down on both sides of Prop. 19.
Here’s what Ammiano’s office has to say about the bill:
Assemblymember Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco) has introduced legislation to implement Proposition 19 in the event that the initiative passes on November 2. Proposition 19 allows the legislature to amend it by a majority vote as long as it is in line with the goals of the initiative. The Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act, ABX6-9, establishes a uniform statewide regulatory system while retaining a local option for sales. It also specifically excludes medical marijuana from fees and regulations in the act.
“Proposition 19 is an opportunity for Californians to finally change direction after years of our failed ‘war on drugs,’ said Ammiano. “But no initiative is perfect and the devil is in the details. My bill gives the legislature the ability to fine tune how California will regulate cannabis to ensure that it is done in an effective, systematic way.”
Here is the full text:
https://info.sen.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bill/asm/ab_0001-0050/abx6_9_bill_20100921_introduced.html
