Legalize It

It seems California will have a vote on legalizing marijuana.

Advocates of legalizing marijuana say they've collected more than enough signatures to have California voters decide next year whether to tax and regulate the drug.

The signatures in support of the Tax and Regulate Initiative, which would give local governments the authority to tax and regulate the sale of marijuana, will be submitted to state election officials early next year for verification.

Delaying the submission of signatures ensures the measure would be on the November 2010 ballot, said Richard Lee, the measure's chief supporter.

The petition drive collected more than 680,000 signatures in just two months, less than half the time allowed for such a drive, said Lee, who owns Oaksterdam University and Coffeeshop Blue Sky, two Oakland-based marijuana businesses.