'Tax Cannabis 2010' claims enough signatures to reach CA ballot in 2010

[Lunar]

I assume most would still buy their cannabis from street dealers.

It would depend on its pricing and its availability.  If cornerstores and supermarkets could sell it, most of the illegal market would try up quickly. 

[Lunar]

It'd make it easier for people underage to get pot too. It's not like there's much difficulty in people under 21 getting alcohol.

Actually I think it's often the inverse.  Alcohol is harder for many 15-20 year olds to get, partially because there are not ubiquitous alcohol "dealers" who make a profit.  A highschooler wishing to get alcohol may have to get his friend's older brother to get some, and if the older brother is not going to the store anyway it's much more of an unwieldy request.

[Lunar]

I know someone who is involved in this campaign.  We have to wait and see who's going to line up against the proposition.  Obviously arch conservatives will (like they did Prop 420 for medical marijuana), but will Big Pharm and the Energy Industry?

[Lunar]

I have real concerns about what the federal government might do if California legalizes marijuana (and I do think there is a good chance but not by 61% as the OP dreams about). I think Obama could use us to have his "sistah souljah" moment. Bastard.

I thought about the same issue of what the feds would do if California formally as opposed to de facto legalized pot, as is the case now. My surmise is that if state legal authorities don't enforce federal law regarding pot in California, I don't think it is practicable for federal authorities to do it on their own, which leaves cutting off federal funds to California to bring it into line, and I just don't see that happening. So as a practical matter it appears to me that California would hold the trump cards under this scenario.

Also the feds threatening to cut CA off from federal funding won't matter if the proposition passes.

[Lunar]

Um, if the feds announce tomorrow that they'll cut of CA's funding unless we legalize gay marriage it wouldn't matter either.  Propositions become law.  The feds could try and threaten the voters before the election but that's about it.

[Lunar]

    Full legalization for everyone would be preferable, but honestly this would be an important step forward for drug legalization nevertheless.

If the prop passed it'd be one of the most epic watersheds of social policy change in the last three decades.

I'd like a double scoop ice cream cone too but I'll take the watershed.

[Lunar]

It would still be epic, even if the feds managed to find a hybrid compromise.  Remember it's Holder in the White House, not Ashcroft, and the White House MAY have something else on its plate than fighting the losing end of a Nixonite culture war to force California further into debt.

Propositions become law.  If the DEA flipped a nutcracker, they could run ads against the proposition and threaten all kinds of funding cuts should the proposition pass, but after is passes there is only a limited number of options for the feds.  To me, and I'm the opposite of a lawyer mind you, it seems the feds would be best off with their threats before the vote, and if they were serious, they could probably bluster and scare most of the suburban moderates to their way of thinking.  I'm not sure if the legalization&tax folks would have a chance if the full arm of the federal government struck down in the election, because I think a large part of their current campaign depends on not having a unified opposition.