BACKERS OF POT INITIATIVE TARGET BENEFITS OF TAX REVENUE

California
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Facing an uphill battle, proponents of a ballot measure to legalize marijuana are mapping out a campaign stressing the millions of dollars in tax revenue that pot could provide.

The initiative, sponsored by Oakland marijuana magnate Richard Lee, would legitimize the sale of marijuana and allow pot shops to open their doors in cities that permit it. Local authorities could also decide how to tax and regulate marijuana sales, although it's unclear if federal officials would tolerate such a bold and unprecedented move.

Despite lawmakers' reluctance, political consultants working on the initiative claim a marijuana tax could contribute more than $1 billion toward reducing California's $20 billion budget deficit. Opponents call that a pipe dream.

Last February, US Attorney General Eric Holder said the Justice Department would no longer raid medical marijuana dispensaries that comply with state law.

However, his office has not indicated if it would tolerate marijuana for people without a medical need.

The 2010 campaign is better funded and organized than previous attempts to decriminalize marijuana. Lee, founder of an Oakland medical marijuana dispensary and Oaksterdam University, a marijuana trade school, spent $1 million to gather 680,000 signatures calling for the initiative to be placed on the November ballot.

The Secretary of State's office is now checking to see whether at least 433,971 of those signatures - the minimum required for placement - are valid.

"This is not a whim," Dan Newman, a consultant with SCN Strategies, said. "The initiative is carefully crafted, well-funded, and professionally run. There will be TV ads, mail, sky writing - whatever it takes to communicate with voters - and a very active and engaged new media component."

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