Reefer-tax madness

Last Updated on Tuesday, 15 September 2009 12:36 Written by admin Tuesday, 3 March 2009 08:10

For a California Assemblyman’s proposal to regulate and tax the sale of marijuana to work, the federal government would have to alter its drug laws.

February 25, 2009

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Today’s culture warriors have better things to argue about than pot-smoking hippies, yet federal marijuana laws are still stuck in the Nixon-era days when conservatives feared that reefer madness was destroying the minds of America’s youth. Amid that time warp, efforts by California and other states to nudge Washington in the direction of more sensible drug laws have largely been welcome. But whether or not you’re in the camp that thinks marijuana should be legalized, a proposal to regulate and tax its sale as a way of helping to balance California’s budget is an idea whose time has not come.
A bill from Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco — where else?) that would do precisely that was introduced Monday. It would, first, decriminalize the possession and sale of marijuana under state law, and, second, set up a system for regulating and taxing it. The sales and taxation part only happens, though, if the federal government decriminalizes marijuana too, or at least allows states to make their own decisions about the drug.

Ammiano and his supporters argue that the state is losing out on more than $1 billion a year in tax revenues because its biggest cash crop, marijuana, is illegal and therefore not taxable. Further, they argue that by passing the law, the state would send a strong message to Congress and the Obama administration about revisiting federal marijuana policies.
It is almost beyond dispute that the federal laws are unjustified by science or common sense. Under the 1970 Controlled Substances Act, cannabis is a Schedule 1 drug, meaning it has no medical use and cannot be prescribed by a physician. The many medical uses of marijuana are well documented, and it is not nearly as addictive or intoxicating as less-restricted Schedule 2 drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine. Moreover, the active ingredient in marijuana, THC, can be sold in pill form as a Schedule 3 drug. So what makes the plant so dangerous?
The problem with Ammiano’s bill, AB 390, is that it would only widen the gray area between California and federal laws on medical marijuana. Though the state’s acceptance of medicinal marijuana has brought many public benefits, it also has resulted in even more illicit cultivation in places such as Humboldt County, as well as legal and regulatory chaos. AB 390 would do nothing to increase tax revenues in the absence of federal action, and would probably only further enrich the state’s marijuana black market.

The Obama administration should reexamine the Controlled Substances Act because it’s the right thing to do, not because of an ill-considered taxation scheme from California.

- via LA Times

Don’t answer the door wearing pot

Last Updated on Thursday, 13 November 2008 09:18 Written by halejd Thursday, 13 November 2008 09:18

Redwood Times

Article Launched: 11/12/2008 07:36:40 AM PST

On Monday, Nov. 3, deputies from the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office were summoned to a residence on Fairbanks Road in Covelo to stand by while a former resident of the house retrieved personal belongings.

When they arrived, there were met by Dustin Langenderfer and Kenneth Berman. The men had marijuana particles and a strong odor of fresh marijuana on their persons. Deputies entered the residence and found the men had been manicuring marijuana and packaging it for sales.

Deputies obtained a search warrant and conducted a search of the residence. They found 30 pounds of processed marijuana, a large portion of which had been packaged for sales. The search also revealed records of sales, scales, packaging materials, several firearms, $1,600 in cash, and a concealed weapons permit in the name of George Bowen. A small hash lab was also found.

Further investigation revealed that Bowen, age 67, was the owner of the property and had hired Langenderfer and Berman to manicure and package marijuana. Bowen arrived at the residence while the deputies were serving the warrant and claimed protection under the Medical Marijuana law.

Deputies concluded that evidence at the scene was not consistent with a medical marijuana operation and Bowen was arrested for cultivation and possession for sale. He was released on a signed promise to appear in Mendocino Superior Court.

via http://www.redwoodtimes.com/local/ci_10964209

Fire reveals illegal marijuana operation

Last Updated on Thursday, 13 November 2008 09:15 Written by halejd Thursday, 13 November 2008 09:15

By Dana Yates

Police discovered an illegal marijuana growing operation in Millbrae yesterday after a fire broke out in a home at 1308 Vista Grande at approximately 11:10 a.m. Tuesday.

Millbrae Firefighters discovered pot plants throughout the home and called police.

“The cause of the fire was electrical that came from illegal wiring,” said Ron Lavezzo, Millbrae Fire Department division chief.

Lavezzo confirmed police were on scene, but declined to comment further.

Often, police are tipped off to illegal pot farms when firefighters respond to electrical fires. Growers avoid detection by stealing electricity straight from power poles and install electrical converters inside the house to help power numerous lamps, Marc Alcantara, of the San Mateo County Narcotics Task Force, told the Daily Journal in September.

The task force works year-round to stop drug trafficking in the county and usually spends the summer eradicating outdoor gardens usually hidden in the coastal ridge. However, more and more illegal growers are moving indoors — ruining rental properties, stealing electricity and producing more plants, Alcantara said.

The growers commonly rent a house with no intention of anyone living there. They convert rooms to grow marijuana, often assigning different rooms to different parts of the operation — seedlings, mature plants, drying and packaging. Someone using a false name rents the homes, mostly in north county cities like South San Francisco and Daly City.

Once inside, the criminals often ruin the home by cutting holes in the ceilings for ventilation. In one case, a four-foot vent system was cut into the ceiling and through a second floor to the roof, Alcantara said.

Dana Yates can be reached by e-mail: dana@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 106.

via http://www.smdailyjournal.com/article_preview.php?id=100934