Marijuana Legalization Could End Up On California Ballot

Proponents of an initiative that would legalize marijuana in California say they have collected enough signatures to put it onto the 2010 ballot.

A minimum 433,971 valid signatures were required to move the measure forward, and advocates say they've gathered more than 680,000, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

"It was very easy," the initiative's main proponent, Richard Lee, told the paper. "People were eager to sign. We heard they were ripping the petitions out of people's hands to do it."

The measure would make it legal for adults over 21 years old to possess up to an ounce of marijuana and to grow it in a 25-square-foot area for personal use. Counties and cities would be able to tax and regulate cannabis cultivation and sales.

Supporters say state-run studies have found that taxes on marijuana could raise as much as $1.4 billion in annual revenue.

Polls show that a majority of California voters support legalization. An April Field Poll found that 56 percent of state voters want to legalize and tax pot as a way to help solve the state's fiscal crisis.

California voters approved marijuana for medical use in 1996.