cannabisnews.com: Legalization Advocates Hope To Tax Marijuana 





Legalization Advocates Hope To Tax Marijuana 
Posted by CN Staff on October 10, 2004 at 08:37:49 PT
By Timothy Inklebarger, The Juneau Empire 
Source: Juneau Empire 
Pro-marijuana advocates are united in their effort to pass an initiative to legalize the drug, but there is uncertainty on how to regulate it if the initiative succeeds."There's a large spectrum of opinion on that," said Mariann Wizard, a legalization advocate from Texas who traveled to Alaska for the campaign. "We really don't have as clear a blueprint as I wish we had."
Howard Scaman of Juneau, a former substance abuse counselor who supports the initiative, said he hopes to persuade the Legislature to establish a system to issue personal use permits similar to a hunting or fishing license.The permit would not allow growers to sell the drug, Scaman said.Despite federal laws prohibiting marijuana possession, Scaman said the Legislature can pass a law creating a system that could generate new revenue for the state.It might be a tough sell, though, he said."This is a pretty smart Legislature," he said. "They can figure out how to protect Alaskans' rights over federal law. We disagree with the feds on a whole lot of things."If the Legislature fails to establish a regulatory structure for the substance, legalization advocates could petition the courts to do it, according to Ken Jacobus, a former lawyer for the Republican Party of Alaska who is working as legal counsel for the legalization group Yes on 2. Jacobus, however, acknowledged that there is no solid plan for regulation.Al Anders, an organizer for the legalization effort, questioned whether marijuana users would sign up for a permit to grow the substance they are already growing illegally."You may not even sell any in Alaska because a person who is growing marijuana legally ... is not going to go out and buy one of these certificates," he said. "Nonetheless, it's a way the state could do it."Source: Juneau Empire (AK)Author: Timothy Inklebarger, The Juneau Empire Published: October 10, 2004 Copyright: 2004 Southeastern Newspaper Corp.Website: http://www.juneauempire.com/Contact: letterstotheeditor juneauempire.comRelated Articles & Web Site:Yes on 2 Alaskahttp://www.yeson2alaska.com/Alaskans To Decide on Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19622.shtmlProp 2 Would Help Fight Alaska's Costly Warhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19620.shtmlCourt Chooses Privacy Over Pothttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19488.shtmlAlaskans to Vote on Pot Legalization in '04 http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18067.shtml 
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Comment #1 posted by Universer on October 11, 2004 at 11:18:36 PT
I hope this doesn't turn out to be a red herring.
Obviously, I hope the decriminalization initiative passes, and I wouldn't be surprised if it does so with some comfort, but the implementation of the initiative will be key.To wit, if marijuana is able to be grown legally, yet not sold, does that mean that each user is responsible for producing their own marijuana? That doesn't seem very likely to me. And if there is to be some method -- stores analogous to ABC stores, for example -- by which one can legally obtain marijuana for personal use, then those in charge need to make sure they don't overcharge for the pot. For example, a user who is accustomed to paying (illegally) about $250 for an ounce is not going to go into a store and spend $350 for the same ounce. I can envisage a scenario in which the price is "regulated" to something absurdly expensive, so the black market unfortunately remains an option.Let's remember, friends, that the idea of decriminalization/legalization (and, yes, I know that those are two separate terms) is to remove the need for entering the black market to obtain one's cannabis. If that is not the attained goal, decriminalization will look bad, and other states won't do it.
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