What Would Legal Pot Look Like?

With Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger open to debate on the merits of legalizing the cultivation, sale and use of marijuana, it's no longer just about overturning prohibition but imagining what more liberal pot laws might look like.

To tax or not to tax? What age limits to impose? Who would be allowed to grow or sell the plant? And under what conditions?

"I like the coffee-shop model. I think it goes well together, like a restaurant that serves alcohol that goes well with a meal," Oaksterdam University president Richard Lee told the San Francisco Chronicle.

Of course, those coffee shops might have to apply for licenses, like restaurants do in order to serve alcohol.

And municipalities could set their own restrictions, choosing to limit permits or impose zoning restrictions.

Needless to say, it will be a long time before you're getting your spliff and a frappucino at Starbucks.

Jackson West has to admit that Amsterdam was pretty damn bland for a place presumably ravaged by the wide and legal availability of the herb.