With the vote on Proposition 19 in California getting closer and closer, voter support is scarily continuing to getting higher and higher. The proposition, if passed, will legalize various marijuana-related activities, allow local governments to regulate these activities, permit local governments to impose and collect marijuana-related fees and taxes, and authorize various criminal and civil penalties. The effect will not only have a huge impact on the state of California, but more importantly the nation as a whole. To think that after all the crackdowns we've had, and now we're moving to making marijuana a "recreational" drug, doesn't make any sense at all.
You don't have to go far in California to find proponents of this measure, who point to the massive state budget deficit California is facing, saying that passing the proposition will bring in "billions of dollars" in new state tax revenue. Despite the idea that legalizing pot will be the solution to all problems, in a report by the State Board of Equalization it was determined that revenue generated would be roughly $1.4 billion annually, which is far less than what people are expecting. To go along with this report, President Obama has stated “I don't think that is a good strategy to grow our economy," encouraging looking elsewhere for economic stability. If we legalize marijuana then we are not only going against our president, but also putting a blind bet that pot will become a saving grace in our economy.
Many proponents also cite that legalization would bring down law enforcement expenses, in other words also save the big bucks. One thing that these proponents fail to take into account though, is how they will enforce situations at schools, public use, smoking while minors are present or providing it to people under 21, which is what the measure calls for. Given all these factors, it seems to me like law enforcement is going to have a pretty tough time regulating something like marijuana on such a large scale.
Those in California need to realize that the whole country will be affected by this, not only them, and if passed would put a huge burden on government regulation. The uprising created would be huge, and spring massive controversy over whether the federal government should step in or not. In a recent Fox News report, retired English teacher Shirley Williams comments, "I think it would be chaos if it was legalized," a fear which much of the country might soon see.
According to my fellow colleague Lorenzo Salazar, Salazar discusses in his blog "Legalizing Pot, Really?", about how the state of California wishes to legalize marijuana use. Along side with his blog comes the article "AP-CNBC Poll: Most in US against legalizing pot", in which he had based his article on. Salazar discusses in his blog on how Proposition 19 still continues to receive more votes for legalizing marijuana in the state of California. Not only that, but by legalizing marijuana use in California would also lead to many other states desiring to do the same. While many may disagree with legalizing marijuana, their are still many people who wish to legalize it. People who wish for marijuana to be legalized tend to be younger than the age of thirty, which would mean that they are either college students or high school students. The people in which tend to vote against marijuana use are older than thirty and have some form of degree. So it is pretty obvious to conclude that people of a more mature age can understand by legalizing marijuana would be foolish.
ReplyDeleteAlthough, It has been proven that in 1996 that the usage of marijuana is beneficial for medical needs, people tend to think that marijuana should be legalized for everyone. The idea of legalizing marijuana makes no sense what so ever. If it is for medical use, it is fine because it is for a medical need, not simply for pleasure. If marijuana was passed to be legal, then what sense would it make to tell kids in school to stay away from drugs? Or in that matter, listen to what any of their authorities has to say? By legalizing marijuana Salazar states that it would be utter chaos for both political and local authorities. Law enforcement would become very difficult to manage because of marijuana usage among teens. Many Adults who are passed the age of thirty do not care to take drugs to solve their. But teens who are "experimenting" with life would not care if a drug could kill them, because they are simply doing it for fun.
Overall, I would have to agree with Salazar' s statement that legalizing marijuana would lead to utter chaos and destruction to the country. In no way would legalizing marijuana would help the economy, instead it would destroy it from possible theft. When a person is not in their right state of mind, they tend to think anything belongs to them. Even if they were to be arrested, they would simply go to court and say that they were high, so they should be set free. So the people in California not only need to think about themselves, but also how this would affect the country as a whole. Not simply for pleasure, but for the destruction it would bring.
Last week, one of my colleagues, Lorenzo Salazar, posted a rather scathing review of Proposition 19 in California. This Proposition would legalize “various marijuana-related activities, allow local governments to regulate these activities, permit local governments to impose and collect marijuana-related fees and taxes, and authorize various criminal and civil penalties”. Lorenzo stated in his blog that legalizing marijuana would lead to widespread chaos across the country, and may even lead to the federal government having to step in. This is a good point; confusion would set in at the fact that California had this drug legalized, while everywhere else it was illegal. There would be widespread chaos, and the national government would most likely have to decide to take a stand on this issue: either to step in to overrule this Proposition, or legalize the drug itself. However, while I do agree with Lorenzo’s conclusion, I am rather hesitant to accept his ideas on the legalization of the drug itself.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I must point out that the legalization of marijuana would generate some tax revenue. Perhaps it may not generate as much as one might hope, but it would generate more than it is now. In 2001, 55.6% of Americans ages 18-25 reported that they had used some form of illicit drug during their lifetime. More than half of Americans that age have used drugs such as marijuana. That is, they have used it illegally and without a tax on it that would generate revenue. If marijuana were legalized, the government would be able to generate revenue on it. Now, I am not saying it would be any form of “saving grace” on our economy, but it would be more than what we are generating now: zero.
Further on in his blog, Mr. Salazar asked how it would be enforced, especially on a large scale. I believe that the answer to this question is all around us. The government regulates the sale and use of cigarettes and alcohol to all adults over a certain age; they could regulate one more drug. In fact, they might be able to discourage it to an even greater extent by creating a large tax on it, such as the one on cigarettes, in order to discourage buying.
Now, while I do no believe that California should be the one to start this controversial topic, I do believe it needs to be started. I will not argue that marijuana is a good thing; I believe it is morally reprehensible. However I also believe that if it is going to be used there might as well be some form of benefit to the country. Why waste a perfectly good form of income?
Benjamin Seroussi