[420 Girl]

California appears to be strongly courting the notion of legal marijuana. Advocates say it is about time, and that list includes State Assemblyman Tom Ammiano.

He introduced a bill in February 2009, the "Marijuana Control, Regulation, and Education Act" to the California legislature. If passed, California Assembly Bill 390 would legalize cannabis in the state.

There is no doubt that it would mean billions in tax revenue, but there are obvious complications in creating a law that would legalize something people in other states have and probably still are, serving life sentences in prison over.

This proposal would regulate marijuana like alcohol. People who are over 21 years old would be allowed to grow, buy, sell and possess cannabis. It seems like fairly straightforward legislation. It would seriously open the gates to this underground industry that lives partly above ground these days, particularly in California, under stated medical marijuana laws.

Ammiano says amid the state's severe budget shortfalls, the bill has been discussed in light of the revenue generated, talk has also centered around the savings from decriminalising and prosecuting marijuana-focused possession crimes.

He also talks about the death squads in Mexico that are today's reality there. He believes that legalizing marijuana will take the power away from the cartels in Mexico, a country that recently decriminalized small amounts of drugs.

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