Cooley to Brown: Do Not Approve MJ Ballot Title

[vta]

The fight to legalize cannabis in California continues. The LA DA disagrees with California State Attorney General Jerry Brown and wants the law's wording changed before it is even voted upon!

Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley has called on Attorney General Jerry Brown not to approve the title and summary of an initiative to legalize marijuana that will appear on the November ballot.

Cooley, one of three candidates vying for the Republican nomination to replace Brown, yesterday announced his opposition to "The Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010" and criticized the title and summary prepared by Brown's office last September.

"The marijuana initiative is terribly misleading, poorly drafted and not in the best interests of California residents," he said in a written statement. "It will not regulate, not control nor effectively tax marijuana in California."

Under the language prepared by Brown's office, the title of Initiative Measure 09-0024 says it "changes California law to legalize marijuana and allow it to be regulated and taxed."

The initiative's summary adds that it allows people 21 years old or older to possess, cultivate, or transport marijuana for personal use; permits local governments to regulate and tax commercial production and sale of marijuana to people 21 years old or older; prohibits people from possessing marijuana on school grounds, using it in public, smoking it while minors are present, or providing it to anyone under 21 years old; and maintains current prohibitions against driving while impaired.

The summary further states that the initiative could save up to several tens of millions of dollars annually to state and local governments on the costs of incarcerating and supervising certain marijuana offenders, and could potentially lead to major tax, fee, and benefit assessment revenues to state and local government related to the production and sale of marijuana products.

But Cooley argued in his letter to Brown that the title "impermissibly and unfairly misleads the public into believing that the Act accomplishes what its title denotes."

He said the initiative would not establish a regulatory framework, inasmuch as it leaves such responsibility to individual cities and counties, and would lead to confusion in addition to burdening local governments.

Instead, Cooley contended, the initiative was actually deregulatory in nature because it grants an absolute right to cultivate marijuana on private, and possibly public, property.

Cooley further asserted that the title's reference to taxing cannabis would mislead the public into believing that the act would allow a state marijuana tax. The initiative's language prohibits a statewide tax on marijuana, but allows taxation at the local level.

To read the full story go to this link:
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v10/n300/a04.html

 

[jayburtonboy]

Warm an Fuzzy Initiative... sound better?

 

[smokefrogg]

i second "warm and fuzzy initiative"!

cooley needs to cool down

 

[le crunch]

Does Cooley think that prohibition controls and regulates MJ effectively in California?

 

[inthelight]

"Instead, Cooley contended, the initiative was actually deregulatory in nature because it grants an absolute right to cultivate marijuana on private, and possibly public, property."

You mean people wouldn't have to answer to the authorities to grow a plant???? we cant have that happening can we!??!?!??! good lord.

 

[High Noon]

No state tax, just local? That's a really good idea. If you want to benefit from the tax of cannabis then legalize it in your county.

 

[Darth Fader]

Cooley = #1 Prohibitionist in CA.

 

[vta]

Cooley = #1 Prohibitionist in CA.

This guy is out of control...he thinks his point of view is supreme and the end all answer.

 

[PharmaCan]

Poor, poor, Steve. WTF is he going to do for a career if he doesn't have pot to demonize? ROFL - the drug warriors in California are pissing their pants right now.

PC