This is an e-mail that was sent to me last night by Americans for Safe Access – San Francisco. I thought it was interesting and figured I would post it on TWB:

So how much pot do Californians smoke? According to a recent state Board of Equalization report prepared for the Legislature, its 16 million ounces a year. That’s a little less than one-half an ounce for each resident in California, in case you’re counting every man, woman and child.

The analysis was prepared for legislation by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco that seeks to legalize, tax and regulate marijuana for use by California adults 21 and over.

Some other findings:

* California is America’s top pot producing state, with an annual yield

of 8.6 million pounds of weed valued at $13.8 billion. That’s more than

one-third of the cultivation across the U.S.

* Legalization of marijuana in California would cause the street price

of pot to drop by 50 percent, but prompt 40 percent more Californians to

turn to marijuana use. At least, that is, until a state tax kicks in.

* Once Ammiano’s plan to impose a $50 per ounce tax is in effect, it

would reduce consumption by 11 percent.

http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/weed-wars/2010/03/californias-annua\

l-weed-toke-estimated-at-16-millions-ounces.html