i can relate to the spirit of the topic, bu am a bit confused on the named parties?
i believe Subcool had a pro Prop 19 stance on these forums
there were many Prop 19 haters on RIU, and i don't want to re-fight the old battle, but it was an attempt at change
i guess seed companies like Attitude do benefit from the status quo, but don't recall Attitude making any statements on the matter
but Gypsy Nirvana of Seed Boutique did come out in favor of Prop 19, and stated it publicly on his site
Just because an act or a bill is labeled the "Regulate, Control & Tax Cannabis Act" and unofficially referred to as the "Legalize Marijuana" law - it simply doesn't make it a wholesome and desirable piece of legislation.
Many fail to realize that there are often huge discrepancies between the generally perceived
facade of a piece of legislation and how the
actual text of a law will ultimately be interpreted.
Aside from allowing cities and towns unlimited potential taxation (even for growing your own), it also would have allowed the state to "
prohibit and punish through civil fines or other remedies the possession, sale, possession for sale, cultivation, processing, or transportation of cannabis that was not obtained lawfully from a person pursuant to this section (11300) (a person who is licensed or permitted to [sell marijuana] under the terms of an ordinance adopted pursuant to section 11300)". Therefore, it would have specifically made black-market cannabis illegal and allow for the punishment of people who obtain cannabis from the black market, which is not the case currently.
I know, nobody cared about that whole 'tax' issue; the part about marijuana being 'regulated and controlled'- i.e. 'legal' overshadows that completely and you just wouldn't pay the tax right? But, guess what? Then you would be breaking another law: tax evasion!
Obtaining a license for commercial cultivation would have been ridiculously expensive, and few would actually be permitted to set up. We would have a new multi-billion dollar industry that only existing billionaires could participate in.
There were other issues with Prop 19. A ban on public smoking and smoking "anywhere minors are present" and even adults sharing joints in public could result in arrest, imprisonment or fines. And because Prop 19 is itself an initiative it probably would have been interpreted as superseding Prop 215, opening the door for local government to control medical marijuana (which they cannot do currently thanks to the Compassionate Use Act).
All of this is outlined in the recent issue of Skunk Magazine, along with the opinion of Ed Rosenthal in favor of it.
