By Steven T. Jones
Californians may vote next year on whether to legalize marijuana. Proponents for the initiative that is primarily being bankrolled by Oaksterdam University founder Richard Lee today reportedly confirmed that they have more than enough signatures to qualify for the November 2010 ballot.
If approved by voters and not blocked by the courts or federal government, the measure would allow California cities and counties to adopt their own laws for regulating and taxing marijuana, even for purely recreational use. Polls have consistently shown that a majority of Californians support legalizing weed.
“It was so easy to get them,” Lee told the Los Angeles Times, referring to the 680,000 signatures that he says they have collected, clearing the 434,000 threshold needed to qualify. “People were so eager to sign.”
The California Secretary of State’s Office must still confirm that the campaign gathered enough valid signatures from registered voters. Meanwhile, Assembly member Tom Ammiano’s AB 390 – which would decriminalize and tax marijuana statewide – will also be considered by the Legislature next year. Its first formal hearing, before the Assembly Public Safety Committee, is set for Jan. 12.