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California debates legalizing pot

(UPI Photo Files)
(UPI Photo Files) | License Photo

SACRAMENTO, Oct. 28 (UPI) -- Advocates and opponents debated whether to legalize marijuana in California at a hearing Wednesday conducted by a state lawmaker who says pot should be legal.

State Rep. Tom Ammiano, the chairman of the Assembly Public Safety Committee, has introduced bills in the past to legalize pot. He said the hearing in Sacramento was meant to gather information for use in developing a bill he intends to introduce in January, the Contra Costa (Calif.) Times reported.

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Representatives of law enforcement argued legalizing marijuana would harm education, worker productivity and traffic safety, and lead to more drug-related crime. They warned of increased abuse by children and more deaths and injuries caused by people driving under the influence.

Advocates of legal pot said treating it the same as tobacco and alcohol -- which they said are more harmful than marijuana -- would end a long-running double standard.

The Legislative Analyst's Office said state and local law enforcement agencies could save "several tens of millions of dollars" annually. State tax officials have estimated California could reap $1.4 billion a year in taxes on marijuana.

Sara Simpson, acting assistant chief of the state Justice Department's Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement, noted much of the marijuana grown in California is produced by Mexican drug cartels. She said there was no reason to think the cartels would comply with state law regulating legal pot.

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Rosalie Pacula of the Drug Policy Research Center at the RAND Corp. said heavy taxation of legal pot would likely help a black market thrive.

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