The most recent attempt to loosen marijuana prohibition’s grasp on California is the Control and Tax Cannabis 2010 campaign, which landed a proposition on the November ballot after obtaining over 700,000 petition signatures in March. State Assemblyman Tom Ammiano has introduced a bill into the state legislature seeking to regulate cannabis consumption.

The Control and Tax proposition aims to regulate recreational marijuana use-like alcohol in an effort to curb black market activity and convert illegal cash flow and law enforcement expenditures into much needed capital for a state with severe debt.

The authors and supporters of the initiative to legalize marijuana also cite the failings of federal prohibition and the relative harmlessness of marijuana as impetus for the new wave of interest in cannabis policy reform.

“Too many people in federal prison are there for drug related offenses,” said Terry Ellis, chair of the department of Administration of Justice at De Anza. The Federal Bureau of Prisons estimates that about 51% of inmates are incarcerated for such offenses.

“I don’t think it makes any sense to criminalize something you can’t stop,” Ellis said.

“Marijuana… yeah it’s a drug, but it’s a medical drug. Alcohol is legal too, but it’s OK as long as you don’t abuse it,” said Fharidah Khakliki, De Anza criminal justice major.

“We know, [prohibition] creates a tremendous amount of money for criminals. That’s very costly,” said Michael Bull, director of the department of Economics at De Anza.

Despite its potential fiscal boost, marijuana is a mind-altering drug, and health and law enforcement groups are likely to lobby against the proposition in the name of public safety.

“Any drug, whether it’s alcohol or marijuana, has health risks,” said Mary Sullivan, Coordinator of De Anza’s Health Center. “My concern is, in an academic environment, in the long run it can interfere with learning.”

The proposition specifies that local governments are responsible for their own ordinances regarding marijuana regulation. This caveat could create a state shaded in grays, where some cities may have marijuana available for recreational use and other cities may still consider it a finable offense.

Come November, voters will have heard plenty about the Control and Tax proposition. Leaders of the initiative have just begun airing statewide radio ads, and opponents of the proposition will undoubtedly add their own financing and ads into the public forum.