article thumbnail Meow Meow Mephedrone Epidemic Directly Attributable to Cannabis Law Change
Wednesday, 17 March 2010

When incoming Prime Minister Gordon Brown took over from Tony Blair, one of the first subjects he said he wished to tackle, was the declassification of cannabis, which happened in 2004. And from this...

UK - Europe

article thumbnail Woman played music to help cannabis grow
Tuesday, 24 November 2009

A New Plymouth woman who played classical music to her cannabis plants to encourage them to grow was yesterday sentenced to community work.Solo mother-of-three Zarah Murphy cultivated 20 cannabis...

Aus - NZ

article thumbnail Synthetic marijuana is banned in Kansas
Thursday, 11 March 2010

Kansas is now the first state in the nation to ban the sale and possession of synthetic marijuana substances marketed under the names 'Spice', Mojo and K2, amongst a great many others.Gov....

US - Canada

article thumbnail US Navy seizes 4 tons of hashish in Gulf of Aden
Saturday, 31 October 2009

A U.S. warship has seized about four tons of hashish being transported aboard a boat off the Horn of Africa.The Navy's Fifth Fleet in Bahrain said on Tuesday that guided missile cruiser USS Anzio...

Rest of the World

 

CannaZine RSS Feed

Subscribe to the latest CannaZine RSS newsfeeds , for free content on your website or blog, updated by us, cuz we're nice like that.. :-)

twitter @cannazine

 
Schwarzenegger welcomes debate over legalizing pot
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said on Tuesday he welcomes a public debate on proposals to legalize and tax marijuana, which some suggest could provide a lucrative new revenue source for the cash-strapped state.
Image

The Republican governor, whose term in office expires at the end of next year, was asked about the idea of treating pot like alcohol at an appearance in northern California to promote wildfire preparedness.

"No, I don't think it's time for that", he said.

"But I think it's time for a debate," he continued. "And I think we ought to study very carefully what other countries are doing that have legalized marijuana and other drugs, what affect it had on those countries, and are they happy with that decision."

The former Hollywood actor, who has admitted smoking marijuana in the past, cited his native Austria as a country where "they want to roll back some of the decisions that were made in European countries."
He said a decision to legalize marijuana, which has been outlawed in the United States since 1937, should not be made on the basis of raising revenues alone.

Schwarzenegger's comments come days after a statewide Field Poll found that 56 percent of California voters support the idea of legalizing cannabis for recreational use and taxing its proceeds.

A bill introduced in the state Legislature by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, a Democrat from San Francisco, would do just that -- permitting taxed sales of marijuana to adults while barring sales to or possession by anyone under age 21. A similar regulatory structure already exists for alcoholic beverages.

Ammiano said his proposal would generate up to $1.3 billion in revenue for the state, which faces another multibillion-dollar budget shortfall just weeks after a landmark deal closing a $42 billion deficit.

He and others who support legalizing pot say such a move also would improve public safety by redirecting law enforcement efforts to more serious crimes and would end environmental damage to public lands used for illicit cannabis cultivation.

But in 2004, Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill that would have eased rules on how much medical marijuana patients can possess in California.

Voters in California, the nation's most populous state, became the first to approve the use of marijuana for medical purposes in 1996, putting the state at odds with federal law.

Under the Bush administration federal agents stepped up raids against medical marijuana dispensaries in California and other states that have passed similar laws.

But U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said in March that the Justice Department under President Barack Obama has no plans to prosecute such dispensaries in those states in the future. However, Obama, who also has acknowledged smoking pot in his younger days, recently dismissed the idea of legalizing marijuana on a national level.

http://uk.reuters.com
Trackback(0)
Comments (0)Add Comment

Write comment
quote
bold
italicize
underline
strike
url
image
quote
quote
Smiley
Smiley
Smiley
Smiley
Smiley
Smiley
Smiley
Smiley
Smiley
Smiley
Smiley
Smiley

security code
Write the displayed characters


busy
 
< Prev   Next >
[ Back ]

Herbal Incense

Our Sponsors

advertisment

 
Provigil
 

Prescription Drugs

Prescription Drug Affiliates Are Cashing In. Stake YOUR Claim
19 November 2009 20:27
article thumbnailAccording to a major retail chain in the US, the market for prescription drug sales is showing a steady but noticeable incline, as the aging babyboomers pay big to keep the ache's and pains of...

Login Form






Lost Password?
No account yet? Register

Search

Custom Search