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Supporters of a bill to regulate marijuana for recreational use are saying the bill would help close the gap on California's continual budget deficit. The Marijuana Control, Regulation, and Education Act, introduced by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, last month, is meant to regulate marijuana like alcohol and tobacco by permitting taxed sales to those 21 and older. Ammiano's spokesman Quintin Mecke said the bill is the first of its kind, but the concept behind it is not a new one, especially with the gaining momentum of states legalizing medical marijuana. The attitude in general across the country and many states has shifted in regards to medical marijuana,” Mecke said. California, and it is time to focus on keeping the industry under control and making it safe. Gallegos said the bill would have a huge impact for the county in terms of crimes associated with the black market sales of marijuana. It would probably reduce the value of marijuana pretty significantly, so we'd probably see a reduction if not a complete end to the ancillary crime associated with marijuana,” he said.

In the 2007-2008 fiscal year, the Humboldt County Drug Task Force referred a total of 394 cases to the District Attorney's Office, Gallegos said. Out of those, 356 were filed and 28 were rejected. The year's case load left 108 defendants convicted so far, but not all the cases have been resolved yet, he said. Gallegos said each case takes half an hour just to review, so the numbers illustrate how much time and resources his officer spends on marijuana-related cases. He said he hopes the bill will get rid of the ambiguity of Proposition 215 laws and redirect funds towards more regulation. Mecke said the bill won't abolish Proposition 215 altogether, but would instead allow medical marijuana to be exempt from the tax system in order to protect patient access. Former Assemblywoman Patty Berg of Eureka had talked about introducing a similar bill while in office, but said she couldn't take on another issue. When reached at her home in Eureka, Berg applauded Ammiano's efforts. I think the time has come. I did in fact want to carry that bill. I've supported medical marijuana since it's been law and I just think what Tom (Ammiano) is doing is the right thing,” she said.

According to the testimony of Robert J. Meyer of the Department of Health and Human Services having access to a drug or medical treatment, without knowing how to use it or even if it is effective, does not benefit anyone. Simply having access, without having safety, efficacy, and adequate use information does not help patients. Unknown chemical components. Medical marijuana can only be easily accessible and affordable in herbal form. Like other herbs, marijuana falls under the category of botanical products. Unpurified botanical products, however, face many problems including lot-to-lot consistency, dosage determination, potency, shelf-life, and toxicity. According to the IOM report if there is any future of marijuana as a medicine, it lies in its isolated components, the cannabinoids and their synthetic derivatives. To fully characterize the different components of marijuana would cost so much time and money that the costs of the medications that will come out of it would be too high. Currently, no pharmaceutical company seems interested in investing money to isolate more therapeutic components from marijuana beyond what is already available in the market. Potential for abuse. Marijuana or cannabis is addictive.

It may not be as addictive as hard drugs such as cocaine; nevertheless it cannot be denied that there is a potential for substance abuse associated with marijuana. This has been demonstrated by a few studies as summarized in the IOM report. Lack of a safe delivery system. The most common form of delivery of marijuana is through smoking. Considering the current trends in anti-smoking legislations, this form of delivery will never be approved by health authorities. Reliable and safe delivery systems in the form of vaporizers, nebulizers, or inhalers are still at the testing stage. Symptom alleviation, not cure. Even if marijuana has therapeutic effects, it is only addressing the symptoms of certain diseases. It does not treat or cure these illnesses. Given that it is effective against these symptoms, there are already medications available which work just as well or even better, without the side effects and risk of abuse associated with marijuana. The 1999 IOM report could not settle the debate about medical marijuana with scientific evidence available at that time. The report definitely discouraged the use of smoked marijuana but gave a nod towards marijuana use through a medical inhaler or vaporizer.