It's All Up To You, California

As many of you know, California will try to do something this fall that no other state has ever done-legalize Marijuana. It would allow for adults over the age of 21 to possess amounts of up to one ounce for personal use and the private cultivation of 25 square feet per household. All of this would be subject to taxation by the state government from cultivation to transportation. Read the article here.

Let me start by saying that I don't personally smoke weed and I'm certainly not going to feed my kids pot brownies and milk for dessert. I'm approaching this from a strictly critical position, not from a marijuana advocate's point of view. As I see it there are more positives to legalizing this substance than the current position of enforcing it both ineffectively and half-ass. Most western states have decriminalized this drug to a point that a $100 fine is the price you pay for "breaking the law."

My experience has been, that most police don't even take the time to write the ticket, they just dispose of the stash. Most countries, Scandinavia particularly, have lenient drug policies and have far fewer problems with drug related crime. Prohibition didn't work in the early 1900's and we are seeing a similar failure in legislation on drugs. The more stigmatized something becomes the more people will do to get it. The taboo nature of drugs make them all the more notorious. This brings me to my first point.

Large sums of money are spent each year by every state to police users of Cannabis. This money could be put towards state budget deficits or the much needed improvements in education. A size reduction of police forces and drug enforcement personnel is one of the easiest ways to loosen up budget funds. Not to mention, it would give policemen a chance to focus on legitimate crimes that are real threat to American security.

Speaking of budgets, if many states had legalized Marijuana in the wake of the economic recession they could have avoided their massive budgetary blunders. California alone, speculates that this legislation could equal a few billions of dollars per year in extra state funding. That ultimately wouldn't fix their economic woes, but it would be a move in the right direction. The politicians backing this initiative are more focused on the taxes than they are on the core facts. In my opinion, this is the same as states legalizing gay marriage. As soon as one state passes it, the rest will jump on the bandwagon. Too bad it's for the wrong reason.

A good reason would be, that it would help to curb drug violence on the border of Mexico. The government set prices would make the substance cheaper, undercutting the drug cartels dealing significant blows to their cash stream. It would be easier to procure marijuana and make it safer for users. Marijuana can, at times, be dipped in insecticide and other harmful chemicals to manipulate the smoker into believing its of high quality. The government would set standards, making it that much safer to smoke and consume. I would like more conclusive medical studies on long-term smoking of marijuana before I give it a full recommendation.

Job creations is another reason that I'm a staunch supporter of this change in policy. My sincere hope is that the government will not take over this agriculture venture and will allow for privatization and Laissez-Faire economics. It will spur jobs for both the educated and un-educated. The growth process will require significant hard labor and scientific ingenuity in the labs of biology and botany. Business sects already in place, such as marketing, sales, and production will also profit.

There are also medical reasons for passing this referendum. There are many people that suffer from chronic pain that can easily be numbed by smoking a joint. As always, my mantra is that if it doesn't negatively affect me, it doesn't bother me. You don't see belligerent behavior due to weed, you don't see domestic disputes, and you definitely don't have over-doses. These are all effects due to alcohol use, a substance so ingrained in our culture that its even part of religious ceremony. Could weed be next?

There are a plethora of reasons that this law should pass. Whether it does or not, that is a very different question. I've only listed a few of the many reasons here because I could write an entire novel on this topic. I had to post a picture of my alma mater's 420 celebration, enjoy. No Apologies, I Don't Think Before I Speak