Bid to legalize marijuana in California takes key step
Nice hat.
Proponents of an initiative to make California the first state to legalize marijuana have collected about 693,800 signatures, virtually guaranteeing that the measure will appear on a crowded November ballot.
"This is a historic first step toward ending cannabis prohibition," said Richard Lee, the measure's main backer.
Advocates, trailed by television cameras and photographers, dropped off petitions with elections officials in the state's largest counties, including Los Angeles, where organizers said 143,105 voters signed.
The initiative would make it legal for anyone 21 and older to possess an ounce of marijuana and grow plants in an area no larger than 25 square feet for personal use. It would also allow cities and counties to permit marijuana to be grown and sold, and to impose taxes on it.
I have no idea how they're getting around the federal commerce laws with this - maybe that's just interstate?
I'm just posting this (rather short) essay because I'm up late to the point of being up early and found this article and this photo. I LOVE this photo. All those tidy boxes of petitions, and this guy with the hat, and that other guy in the suit.
It's also my payback for not jumping on the "Osama Bin Laden Is An Ecoterrorist!" story. This one is really much more interesting. I'm glad I waited.