Wyatt Buchanan, Chronicle Sacramento Bureau
Tuesday, January 12, 2010

(01-12) 11:09 PST Sacramento - --
A bill to legalize adult recreational use of marijuana - and allow 
the drug to be sold and taxed in California - cleared a key hurdle 
this morning, as the Assembly Public Safety Committee voted 4-3 to 
move it to the next step in the debate. But a Friday legislative 
deadline could mean the legislation will die before making it to the 
Assembly floor.

Members of the committee who approved the bill are all from the Bay 
Area and said they did not necessarily support the plan but wanted 
debate on the state's marijuana policy to continue.

After the vote, Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, who 
sponsored the bill and chairs the committee, said "the conversation 
is definitely gaining traction in Sacramento."

"This is a significant vote today because it legitimizes the quest 
for debate, the quest for discussion. There was a time when the 'm' 
word never would have been brought up in Sacramento," Ammiano said.

The bill, AB390, would allow possession, sale and cultivation of 
marijuana for people over 21, and impose a $50-an-ounce sales tax on 
marijuana, much like taxes on tobacco and alcohol. The California 
Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control would be tasked with 
regulation.

San Mateo Police Chief Susan Manheimer, who is acting president of 
the California Police Chiefs Association, said she was "disappointed" 
by the committee's action.

"I think we need to have the full dialogue in debunking the myths," 
she said, predicting the social costs would outweigh any tax gains.

While the bill moved out of committee, Ammiano would need special 
permission to have it heard in the health committee before a Friday 
deadline for this piece of legislation. It would have to pass out of 
that committee before it would be heard by the full Assembly.

The vote in Sacramento comes as state lawmakers in New Jersey on 
Monday made that state one of the few on the East Coast to approve 
medicinal marijuana use. Up north in Olympia, the Washington State 
Legislature will consider two bills tomorrow to remove state criminal 
penalties associated with marijuana.

Voting yes were Ammiano, Assemblyman Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, 
Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael and Assemblywoman Nancy 
Skinner, D-Berkeley. Voting no were Assemblyman Warren Furutani, 
D-Gardena (Los Angeles County), Assemblyman Danny Gilmore, R-Hanford 
(Kings County) and Assemblyman Curt Hagman, R-Chino Hills (San 
Bernardino County).

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Read more: 
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/01/12/BA191BH4AR.DTL&tsp=1#ixzz0cRQ0d5UB