Marijuana Legal in CA by 2010?

Calif. Pot Legalization May Be On 2010 Ballot

Jul 22, 2009 7:41 pm US/Pacific

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OAKLAND (CBS 5 / BCN) - The head of a trade school for the
cannabis industry said Wednesday that he hopes the victory of an Oakland
measure that creates a business license tax for cannabis businesses will
build momentum for a statewide measure to legalize the recreational use
and taxation of pot.

Richard Lee, the president of Oaksterdam University, which was founded
in 2007, said an initiative he plans to file with state officials on
Thursday would make possession of up to an ounce of marijuana by adults
legal throughout California.

Lee said it would also give cities and counties the option of allowing
the cultivation, sale and taxation of marijuana within their borders.

In a mail-in election that ended on Tuesday, nearly 80 percent of
Oakland residents who participated approved Measure F, which makes
Oakland the first city in the nation to establish a special tax rate for
cannabis businesses.

The measure taxes gross receipts of all cannabis businesses at 1.8
percent.

City Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan, who helped sponsor the measure, said
she hopes it will generate up to $1 million a year for Oakland's general
fund.

Kaplan said the passage of Measure F and three other funding-relates
measures that were on the ballot is "great news."

Lee and other overseers of medical marijuana dispensaries supported the
measure as a step in having them become perceived as more mainstream and
legitimate.

Lee said paying the new business tax "is a lot better than being
arrested and put in prison."

He said, "It's cheaper to pay the tax than it is to pay lawyers."

Lee said TaxCannabis2010. org plans to start collecting signatures for
the statewide initiative in September, after state officials have
reviewed its title and summaries.

He said the group plans to turn in its signatures in January and place
it on the ballot in November 2010.

Lee said legalizing the possession of up to an ounce of marijuana by
adults would make the drug "like alcohol" in the eyes of the law.

Oaksterdam University gets its name from the so-called "Oaksterdam"
district in downtown Oakland where several medical marijuana
dispensaries are located.

The Oaksterdam district earned its nickname for its similarities to
Amsterdam, the Dutch city known for its legal marijuana clubs.

Oaksterdam University, which is described on its Web site as America's
first cannabis college, is located at 1776 Broadway. It provides
training for the cannabis industry.

The school also has campuses in Los Angeles, Sebastopol and Ann Arbor,
Mich.

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