California to impose TAX and THC driving standards

[jump /injack]

Its time to contact your Legislator in Sacramento and tell them of your displeasure with the proposed taxes and a new driving offense law that even the Highway Safety Commission says is inappropriate. Legislators must listen if they want to continue with their cushy job with the free car, gas and per diem, let them know nicely that you and everyone in your family will vote against them in the next election if they go for these two bills. These bill are coming up soon, vote against.

California: Oppose Bill To Impose Presumptive THC Impairment Standards
Members of the Assembly Committee of Public Safety previously voted 4 to 2 in favor of Assembly Bill 2740, legislation that seeks to "make it an offense for a person who has 5 ng/ml or more of delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol in his or her blood to drive a vehicle."
The bill would establish a rebuttable presumption for this offense.
NORML is opposed to this proposal.
The presence of low levels of THC in blood is an inappropriate and inconsistent indicator of psychomotor impairment. No less than the United States Traffic Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) agrees, stating, "It is difficult to establish a relationship between a person's THC blood or plasma concentration and performance impairing effects. ... It is inadvisable to try and predict effects based on blood THC concentrations alone." It should not be presumed that the detection of THC equates with a strong likelihood psychomotor impairment and such a presumption should not be codified in California's traffic safety statutes. The imposition and enforcement of this measure risks inappropriately convicting unimpaired subjects of traffic safety violations.
The legislation is now scheduled to be heard by members of the Assembly Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, May 4th.
Please visit NORML's #TakeAction Center to let your member of the Assembly know that you oppose this unscientific proposal:
http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/51046/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=18764

California: Legislation Pending To Impose Retail Taxes On Medical Marijuana
Legislation is pending in the Senate that seeks to impose new taxes on the production and purchase of medical cannabis.
Senate Bill 987 imposes a special 15 percent statewide tax upon medical marijuana sales. This tax would be in addition to the imposition of existing state and local taxes.
Assembly Bill 2243 imposes a new $9.75/ounce tax on the cultivation of medical-only marijuana. At current wholesale prices of ~$1,500/lb, this is tantamount to a 10 percent tax on the value of marijuana.
While NORML generally does not oppose the imposition of fair and reasonable sales taxes on the commercial sales of cannabis for recreational purposes, we do not support such excessive taxation on medical sales. Laws enacted by the legislature last year to regulate medical marijuana explicitly did not include additional taxation, and lawmakers should not try to impose such taxes now.
Please visit NORML's #TakeAction Center to contact your Senate/Assembly members and urge them to oppose this measure.

Additional information on these and other pending efforts is available from California NORML.

Sincerely,
The NORML Team

 

[Tynehead Tom]

what a scam.

 

[mr.brunch]

Would this tax still apply if you set up as a charitable organisation? Would that be allowed even?
Seems like a good way to help out low income patients and raise the image of cannabis

 

[soil margin]

These greedy fuckers don't even wait until something is legalized before they try and get 15 different taxes permanently attached.

 

[Picarus]

They also proposed a $2.75/oz tax for trim...

 

[cooterbrown420]

we are screwed in CA they will pass AUMA this year it has a lot of money backing it. Most people don't know what it really says and will vote yes because they think it is just about legalization. Personally I can wait till 2018 and hope they come up with something that benefits the people and not big business.

 

[MJPassion]

Taxed meds?
Who pays taxes on scripts?

5ng/Kg is a flippin joke!
While granny that never used before would be stoned as a rock... most Cali smokers I know would probably be just fine w 10x that in their systems.

 

[Bush Dr]

At least you guys have a chance to comment (albeit with a snowballs chance in hell they'll listen) we just heard about it from the newspapers when the first poor fucker failed his roadside swap test, got him 12 months suspended for 2 yrs plus fine

Lots of Listerine mouthwash, the swaps are testing for traces of weed in your mouth not your blood, so scrub your teeth and gargle is the way to go

 

[stoned-trout]

half of cali is gonna have to start walking everywhere,,, as even driving a bike impaired is a fine.....welcome to California biotches....yeehaw...yall are the new cash cow...wait till everyone votes for legal weed and they then clamp down on homegrowing..yall aint seen shit yet..that said they wont be getting my tax money ...coming soon,,,, stoned trouts tax free weed...long live the black market...their greed will make it thrive again...

 

[soil margin]

I'd honestly rather give my money to drug cartels by buying bricked out mexican schwag than get taxed on both the purchase and cultivation of my medicine. That's just outright tyranny.

"Why put a new tax on luxury items when we could tax medicine?" Go fucking tax alcohol, perfume, tobacco, coffee, prescription painkillers, shiny spinning 19 inch rims and those $500 gladiator sandals I see rich chicks wearing everywhere, jesus fucking christ. I have epilepsy and rely on affordable cannabis as a medicine to stop me from having a seizure and crumpling onto the floor every other week. As someone with basically zero disposable income, what am I supposed to do if taxes do seriously increase the price of my meds? Take money from my grocery budget and go hungry 2 days a week?

Viewing sick people as an opportunity to increase tax revenue is about as disgusting as behavior can get.

 

[Principante 8]

half of cali is gonna have to start walking everywhere,,, as even driving a bike impaired is a fine.....welcome to California biotches....yeehaw...yall are the new cash cow...wait till everyone votes for legal weed and they then clamp down on homegrowing..yall aint seen shit yet..that said they wont be getting my tax money ...coming soon,,,, stoned trouts tax free weed...long live the black market...their greed will make it thrive again...

No doubt man. I met a guy a while ago that got a dui for riding a bicycle home from the bar. I thought the idea was to scare drunk people from driving with heavy fines and jail time so they don't kill people with their heavy ass cars while speeding down the road. I try not to think much nowadays because nothing ever seems to make since.

The black market was obviously a good idea and was completely planned by the powers that be. No way they're going to shut it down. There will always be rebels and renegades and most everyone needs a job if society is to run properly, regardless if it's black market or whatever. I remember telling my mom when I was 16 and she found out I was selling weed, that "as long as I follow the rules I won't get caught. They have no interest in catching me just to put me in jail. They want to bust the flashy Guy that everyone knows so they can send a message to the community that selling drugs is bad.." I didn't really understand then like I do now why that was, it was just what I gathered from looking around and reading etc, But obviously the scarier weed is, the more expensive it will be,so they need to bust people that can make headlines, or at least big players that are well known in local communities. It's not cheap to keep people in jail so they must plan accordingly or go bankrupt from busting and housing too many people. Every new bill will have something in it that allows the black market to thrive. For many I don't think much will change except for the customer base. Small timers selling $40 bags or ozs or whatever will have to wholesale lbs instead because there will be too many choices readily and easily available. Time will tell I guess.

 

[oneofus]

I try not to think much nowadays because nothing ever seems to make since.

The black market was obviously a good idea and was completely planned by the powers that be. No way they're going to shut it down. There will always be rebels and renegades and most everyone needs a job if society is to run properly, regardless if it's black market or whatever. Every new bill will have something in it that allows the black market to thrive. For many I don't think much will change except for the customer base. Small timers selling $40 bags or ozs or whatever will have to wholesale lbs instead because there will be too many choices readily and easily available. Time will tell I guess.

Just one thing tho...what about those "little guys" that have been doing only 1-2 lbs. every month or so to their local dispos and have lost all their black market connects because they were doing it legally for many years. What do they do...?

Hello Bud trader?

 

[stoned-trout]

once they tax the shit out of the products your customers will return on their own..yeehaw...//weren't they also saying there needs to be a middle man who also takes a cut ?? no direct from grower to dispensary got to have a guy in the middle ? thought that was what I read...gonna be some expensive weed when all get their cut....relax as your phone will be ringing all day if you got good product and aint greedy like some...

 

[oneofus]

once they tax the shit out of the products your customers will return on their own..yeehaw...//weren't they also saying there needs to be a middle man who also takes a cut ?? no direct from grower to dispensary got to have a guy in the middle ? thought that was what I read...gonna be some expensive weed when all get their cut....relax as your phone will be ringing all day if you got good product and aint greedy like some...

you read that part correctly, Trout.

All I can say is that I hope they do.

and yeah, my weed is good and I ain't greedy.

Just trying to get by and feed my family.

 

[stoned-trout]

I predict you will be fine and actually might do better...all I have to feed is myself and my dog..but we both like to eat well...I predict good things,, if ya don't mind being illegal again...yeehaw...I also predict they will be more aggressive about enforcement tho and have better funding than ever previously...

 

[oneofus]

^^^K+

and no, I sure as hell don't mind being illegal again....that's how I started out and if that's how they're gonna play the game then I would rather BE illegal...fuck 'em

 

[soil margin]

I mean hell in a way this could actually be good news for the black market growers. If taxes and bullshit regulations really do increase the price of legal weed by 30/40/50% or whatever, it's gonna mean the black market will be able to increase their prices a bit as well and still have much more competitive pricing than the legal market does.