This initiative will amend the Constitution of California to defend and safeguard the inalienable rights of the People against infringement by governments and corporations, providing for the lawful growth, sale, and possession of marijuana. Marijuana will be taxed through a system of stamps and licenses--a $5 stamp will be required for the sale of an eighth ounce of marijuana and a $50 annual license will be required for the growth of one marijuana plant. To protect participants and encourage participation in the system, such licenses and stamps will be available anonymously in stores where marijuana is sold. - Thomas Hawk from Bookmarklet

and it will never happen :) - Steven Hodson

Oakland is hemorrhaging death right now from a territorial drug war that's been going on in the City for the past few years -- a tremendous amount of blood and violence. It would be nice to take pot away as one of the crops that they are dealing out on the streets and give people an alternative to fueling more gang violence. Won't make gang violence go away, but could take a major drug away from their economy. - Thomas Hawk

I'm not sure it will never happen Steven. That's what they said about gay marriage too in California and it's happening. California is a progressive state. I could see California voters getting this on the ballet and approving it. They already passed an initiative decriminalizing medicinal marijuana. This would be the next logical step. - Thomas Hawk

Thomas - agreed with your last comment. I saw that flash site recently (sorry for no link) that showed deaths on a map over a sliding time period. Very grim. - Phil G

The federal govt will never allow it. This is unfortunate as there may be plenty of legitimate medical purposes. - Ryan

I would like to see more "Green" states. All kidding aside, I think Thomas raises some great points not only about the voters but about trying to reduce 1 of the forces driving street violence. Julian: I have been prescribed Marinol and it just doesn't do anything for my physiology (nausea, weight, etc). - Mathew A. Koeneker

LEGALIZE IT! for shits sake. Republicans support this too. Obama are you listening? - Noah David Simon

it wont happen due to quality controls and not any way to really tax it unless they implimplented more jobs for the farms. thou if they did they could also make cord from the stalks(hemp) and just think how the economy could rise from that!!! - Charles Rice from twhirl

This is amazing news! A good friend of mine is rotting away in federal prison right now for running a medical marijuana enterprise out of Oakland, something that is currently perfectly legal under state and local law. This helps to exert pressure on the feds to get them over the tipping point on this issue. Be nice to see the corrupt and morally reprehensible "drug war" end once and for all, in my lifetime! - Eddie Codel

Obama should be talking about this. He is the first major Presidential candidate who has admitted to active marijuana use. Instead he cowers away from it and won't touch the topic. - Thomas Hawk

I would like to add though that this will never work because it will bring the criminal element to wherever it is legal. this needs to happen on a nationalor federal level. Perhaps that is the price we pay for making this illegal in the first place... but I just thought I should warn you. Legalize it anyway on moral grounds. I'm a Republican and I am for the legalization and normalization of marijuana. I smoked it in Amsterdam and I believe in moderation it is a good thing. - Noah David Simon

Julian, legalizing pot would not get rid of street violence in Oakland. But it would take a major income source from their economy. Even though it is a low level drug, it is one of the most heavily purchased and consumed. The impact on the drug economy would be substantial. They, of course, would do everything that they could to replace the income, but it would pull substantial dollars out of their pockets for sure. - Thomas Hawk

@Thomas Hawk - That's a pretty good point. He is the only Presidential candidate that could even think about it, but I see where he's coming from. We may stand behind this, but what are our numbers? While I don't partake in smoking marijuana, I used to and I do believe it's less dangerous than tobacco and alcohol. Wouldn't it kill his Presidential run? - Damien Franco

Noah, it does need to happen on the Federal level as well, but legalization by the state of California is one step closer to normalizing the acceptance of the drug and makes legalization easier nationally. At present I don't that there is the political support for national legalization, but California could start by getting the ball rolling from a PR perspective. - Thomas Hawk

It still smells like shit, though. - William Beem

I believe that marijuana legalization will only happen through conservative channels. most Republicans I know have smoked it. It isn't like gay relationships... the average American believes it should be normalized... they are just afraid to speak out. If put to a vote... I think it would pass. I still think you should be sobered to the idea of the violence society will experience from legalization... but that will go away shortly and in the long run will stop violence. Like Iraq, it is a sacrifice. - Noah David Simon

@Richard: You can't very well get high from Gold, now can you? Unless you're Scrooge McDuck, anyway. - Eric P

Noah: We already have violence and crime as a direct result of the black market drug economy. A horrific one at that! I don't see how legalizing can create more violence? - Eddie Codel

@Noah - Eddie Codel is right. Legalizing marijuana and regulating it could potentially reduce crime by taking away the business model for drug dealers. Or maybe they just start pushing harder drugs even harder... - Damien Franco

This is a good step, although that just means that the state will not arrest or prosecute and the feds can still come in and do their busts. Which will be good for the common user but growers and dealers will still be targeted the same way. It should be legal with all the different uses such as 1 acre of pot can make more paper than 10 acres of trees and it grows annually! - Zach Chisholm

If I understand it correctly, the dutch have a weird situation where selling is legal with a license but growing is not, so the producers have to go through all sorts of weirdness and things stay somewhat shady. If California legalizes without federal legalization, I'm guessing things will turn out to be similarly weird. - Jason Wehmhoener

I do feel that we'd be better served by the legal system if the emphasis was on harm reduction and not imprisonment. Send addicts to rehab, not jail, and leave people who aren't addicts alone. - Jason Wehmhoener

Someone wake me up when they legalize GHB. - Akiva Moskovitz

It is great to get the word out on this potential ballot initiative but somebody has got to find the proponent of the issue and have him better circulate the petition (I'm talking 'bout you, Christopher Springer) -- without 600k sigs or so, this will not go on the ballot. Jack Herer already failed to get the necessary signatures on a similar initiative which expired in early June. - Andy Sternberg

http://simpl.es/TYLA13 WAIT ... WHAT? Smoking ban hits Amsterdam's marijuana coffee shops - ''a_a@FF''

Anyone know how to get a hold of Christopher Springer, the guy sponsoring this initiative? I can't figure out how to track him down through Google. - Thomas Hawk