January 29, 2010 10:27 AM

Pot Measure One Step Closer to California Ballot

By
Stephanie Condon
Topics
Domestic Issues
(CBS/AP)
An initiative to make marijuana legal, and open to local taxation and regulation, is one step closer to getting on the California ballot this November.

Backers of the initiative on Thursday turned in nearly 700,000 signatures to state officials to place the measure on the state ballot, according to reports -- far more than the 433,971 valid signatures required. California Secretary of State Debra Bowen has until June 24 to certify the initiative, the Sacramento Bee reports.

The measure, if approved by voters, would allow anyone over 21 years old to possess up to an ounce of marijuana or grow plants within a limited space for personal use. It would also allow local jurisdictions to tax and regulate it. Currently, the use of marijuana for medical purposes is legal in California, but the drug is still prohibited under federal laws.

An April Field Poll found that 56 percent of California voters supported legalizing marijuana, and Mark DiCamillo, the poll's director, said the initiative had a 50 percent chance of passing, the Los Angeles Times reports.

He said the state's current fiscal crisis could be a factor. "The voters are going to be looking for any way to minimize the pain with budget cuts," he told the L.A. Times.

Backers of the initiative are running a serious campaign. Richard Lee, owner of Oaksterdam University in Oakland, spent about $1 million to gather signatures for the measure, the San Francisco Chronicle reports, and said proponents plan to raise another $10 million to campaign for its passage. Lee is also using technology from Blue State Digital, the Web firm Barack Obama's presidential campaign used for its online operations, according to the L.A. Times.

CBSNews.com Special Report: Marijuana Nation

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