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Ballot to decide whether California legalises mariguana
CALIFORNIA took a step closer to being the first American state to legalize marijuana, after state officials agreed the issue would be included in the November 2 ballot.A voter initiative to let the drug be legally sold and taxed was supported by a massive petition, with many more signatures than the 433,971 needed for the plan to be certified submitted before Wednesday's 5pm (local time) deadline, The Los Angeles Times reported. Lawmakers are allowed to place constitutional amendments and proposed changes in law on the ballot. These can be driven by "ballot measures" - voter initiatives that need a certain number of signatures on a petition. Passage of the marijuana measure on election day is not certain but it places California at the forefront of America's debate on drugs. It could also put California at odds with the US government, which opposes legalizing marijuana. Supporters say outlawing marijuana has failed - and that taxing the drug could help California's troubled finances. "We're one step closer to ending cannabis prohibition and the unjust laws that lock people up for cannabis while alcohol is not only sold openly but advertised on television to kids every day," said legalisation advocate Richard Lee, an Oakland marijuana entrepreneur. However, a broad range of opponents will be fighting the measure. "We'll educate people as to what this measure really entails," John Lovell, a Sacramento lobbyist who represents the California Police Chiefs Assn, told The LA Times. "With legalization of recreational marijuana use, impaired driving, fatalities, injuries and crashes will go up, and we don't want to see that," California Mothers Against Drunk Driving spokesman Silas Miers said. Posted by: tipper 2010-03-25 |
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