Number of U.S. states that saw tax revenue decline in first quarter 2009: 47 (Source: Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute).
Number of U.S. cities that tax medical-cannabis sales: 1 (Oakland).
Projected annual tax revenue (in dollars) from Oakland’s medical-cannabis tax: 300,000 (Source: City of Oakland).
Percentage of Oakland voters who approved law taxing medical-cannabis sales: 80.
2009 budget shortfall for the city of Fresno (in dollars): 26.8 million (Source: Fresno Mayor’s Office).
2009 budget shortfall for Fresno State University (in dollars): 44.6 million (Source: California State University Board of Trustees).
Value of cannabis plants (in dollars) eradicated last month in Fresno County by local, state and federal authorities: 1 billion.
Annual business-tax dollars currently generated by California cannabis clubs: 18 million (Source: California State Board of Equalization).
Potential annual revenue (in dollars) from taxing medical-cannabis sales in California: 1.4 billion (Source: California State Board of Equalization).
Current California budget shortfall (in dollars): 26.3 billion.
Percentage of Californians surveyed in 2009 who favor legalizing and taxing cannabis: 56 (Source: Field Poll).
Dollars allocated by the federal government since 2008 to bail out Wall Street: 700 billion.
Dollars allocated by the federal government since 2008 to bail out the auto industry: 50 billion.
Dollars allocated by the federal government since 2008 to bail out the medical-cannabis industry: 0.
*Estimated number of people worldwide who say they used cannabis at least once in 2007: 190 million.
*Estimated number of people worldwide who say they use cannabis daily: 22.5 million.
Estimated number of people who viewed Sports Illustrated’s 2009 Swimsuit video: 22.5 million.
*Average annual amount of cannabis used by admitted cannabis users worldwide: 60 to 200 grams.
Average number of distinct chemicals found in cannabis: 483. (Source: Science Magazine)
Average number in coffee: 800 (Source: Yale University)
Average number in cigarette tobacco: 4,000 (Source: Yale University).
Number of times a cigarette smoker is more likely to use “hard” drugs than a nonsmoker: 30 (Source: Indiana University, Bloomington).
Number of times a cannabis user is more likely to use “hard” drugs than a non-cannabis user: 0 (Source: The RAND Drug Policy Research Center).
Number of raw potatoes an adult of average body weight has to consume at once for a toxic reaction: 10 (Source: U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency).
Number of pounds of raw cannabis an adult of average body weight has to consume at once for a toxic reaction: 46 (Source: National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse)
*Source: U.N. 2009 World Drug Report.
