Now there are two -- two legalize and tax cannabis initiatives in Calfiornia. Two weeks ago, a group of three Bay Area lawyers filed an initiative to legalize the possession of cannabis for recreational purposes and to license and tax the production and sale of same. Today, a lawyer working with Richard Lee of Oaksterdam University in Oakland filed a second measure. This is more detailed than the alternative but the overall thrust -- creating a structure similar to the regulatory regime for alcohol -- is similar. A link to a PDF of the measure is here.

In a related piece, my column in the Daily Beast this week is about the heavy attention that marijuana taxation is likely to receive -- and how that attention could become a problem for groups seeking broader political and budget reform in California.