Bills would end federal marijuana ban, levy taxes

By Josh Richman
Tuesday, February 5th, 2013 at 2:48 pm in marijuana, U.S. House.

Even as states keep chipping away at marijuana prohibition, some House members keep trying to change the federal law.

 A bill being introduced by Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., would end federal marijuana prohibition, letting states decide their own policies; it also would set up a regulatory process like the one for alcohol for states that choose to legalize the drug. Commercial marijuana producers would have to buy a permit, as commercial alcohol producers now do, to offset the costs of oversight by the newly renamed Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Marijuana and Firearms.

And a bill by Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., would establish a 50 percent federal excise tax on the first sale of marijuana, from the producer to the next stage of production, usually the processor. It also would impose an occupational tax on those operating in marijuana, with producers, importers and manufacturers facing an occupation tax of $1,000 per year and any other person engaged in the business facing an annual tax of $500 per year.

“Absolutely, there’s an opportunity for us to make at minimum a $100 billion difference over the next 10 years,” Blumenauer said on a conference call with reporters this afternoon, as the nation moves away from high law enforcement and prison costs and marijuana starts generating public revenue.

Polis said November’s successful legalization ballot measures in his state and Washington mark “an enormous evolution of American opinion on the issue.”

Most Americans now believe the war on drugs has failed and “enough is enough, let’s try a new way,” he said. “It’s an idea that’s time has come.”

Jesselyn McCurdy, senior counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union’s Washington legislative office, said the war on drugs has had disproportionate impact on communities of color. Students for Sensible Drug Policy executive director Aaron Houston said young people are disproportionately impacted as well.

“It’s clear that we’ve reached the tipping point,” said Bill Piper, national affairs director for the Drug Policy Alliance. “The American people are demanding reform, and members of Congress are starting to give it to them.”

Kevin Krick for Bay Area Regional Vice Chair

 As the organizational convention for the California Republican Party approaches, Marin’s Kevin Krick is running to be the new Bay Area Regional Vice Chair for the CRP.

The opening arises because incumbent Morgan Kelley has reached her term limit after serving for four years.  The Regional Vice Chair represents six Bay Area counties (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara) on the CRP Board of Directors.

Kevin Krick is the Chairman of the Marin Republican Party, as well as First Vice President for the Republican County Chairmen’s Association.

He says that, “the CRP needs a plan to increase Republican registration and as you’re well aware, that need is very apparent in our area.”

Krick works for APL (formerly American President Lines), one of the world’s largest container shipping companies.

He serves as Senior Director – Security/Environment, managing a staff that deals with all security and environmental issues for a logistics company that operates 150 containerships and 7 container terminals located throughout the Pacific.

Previously, he served as the Assistant Director, Security and Accident Prevention for the Pacific Maritime Association in San Francisco.  He was part of the waterfront employers’ 2008 negotiation team that successfully delivered a contract with the longshore union.

Before that, President George W. Bush appointed Kevin Krick as the Special Assistant to the Administrator for the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) in the Department of Transportation. He was promoted to Senior Advisor for Maritime Policy, where he provided both policy guidance and leadership to MARAD.

Kevin graduated from the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York and subsequently earned an M.S. degree from the College of Marine Studies at the University of Delaware.

He received a commission in the United States Navy and currently holds the rank of Captain (select) in the Strategic Sealift Reserve Group.  He drills out of the Naval Operations Support Center in Alameda.

Kevin is very active with the local Boy Scouts of America, assisting in a leadership role alongside his wife in Pack 7 and concurrently serving as Scoutmaster for Troop 15.  He and his wife Natasha live in Fairfax with their two sons.

He believes that “we can begin a Republican resurgence in the Golden State.”  You can learn more about Kevin here.  You can contact Kevin’s campaign at KrickforCRPbayareavc@gmail.com.

Calif. Law Would Force Gun Owners to Buy Insurance

By DON THOMPSON |  Tuesday, Feb 5, 2013

Democratic lawmakers proposed legislation Tuesday that would require California gun owners to buy liability insurance to cover damages or injuries caused by their weapons.

Similar bills have been introduced in other states after the Newtown, Conn., school massacre. They include Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and New York.

  “I was moved, like many others, being the father of two young children, by the Sandy Hook incident and looking for constructive ways to manage gun violence here in California as well as the rest of the country,” said Assemblyman Philip Ting of San Francisco, who introduced AB231 along with Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez of Los Angeles. “There’s basically a cost that is born by the taxpayers when accidents occur. … I don’t think that taxpayers should be footing those bills.”

Ting equated the idea to requiring vehicle owners to buy auto insurance. Gomez said it would encourage gun owners to take firearms safety classes and keep their guns locked up to get lower insurance rates.

No state has enacted the requirement despite repeated previous attempts, said Jon Griffin, a policy analyst with the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Bills have been offered unsuccessfully in Massachusetts and New York since at least 2003, when the conference began keeping track, he said. Similar bills were proposed in Illinois in 2009 and in Pennsylvania last year. Lawmakers are introducing the bills this year in even more states after the recent shootings.

Some proposals would require buyers to show proof of insurance before they could purchase a weapon. The proposal in California would apply to anyone owning a weapon, Ting said, though the bill’s details are still being worked out.

Sam Paredes, executive director of Gun Owners of California, said most gun owners already act responsibly and can be sued for damages if they don’t.

He said the proposal is part of an ongoing attempt to “price gun owners out of existence,” particularly the law-abiding poor who live in crime-ridden areas and need protection the most. Criminals would ignore the law, he said.

Moreover, he questioned whether it is constitutional to require someone to buy insurance to exercise a constitutional right.

“If they don’t address it in committee, I’ll guarantee they’ll have to address it in court,” Paredes said.

Ting said he and Gomez plan to work with gun owners and opponents to craft a constitutional bill. It will not require insurance companies to offer gun insurance, but will encourage them to enter the market.

He noted that the National Rifle Association itself already offers its members the chance to buy liability insurance, despite its opposition to requiring gun owners to buy such policies.

Ting also introduced AB232, which would give a state income-tax credit of up to $1,000 to anyone who turns in a firearm to a local gun buyback program. The amount of the credit would be determined based on the value of the weapon.

Copyright Associated Press