Next month, California will be having something very new on their ballot, Proposition 19. this will legalize marijuana if passed. Since California has been rather relaxed about weed, this has a very good chance of passing. there has been a definite shift of favor for this as the article states, "Back in 1972 a proposition to legalise the drug was defeated almost two-to-one. These days, fully half of Californians tell pollsters they favour legalisation, and almost as many admit to having smoked marijuana themselves, which probably means that a big majority have actually done so. In parts of the state, enjoying an occasional doobie is nowadays considered little different from sipping a Pinot Noir." On the other side of the argument some people stand against the Proposition 19. To ease their concerns the statement includes a part that restricts the purchase of more than a ounce of marijuana, which is equal to 28 grams. Also the sales of weed would be taxed by the Californian government. The questions arise of will the benefits outweigh the costs? As well as other concerns of criminal activities.
4 comments:
I think it will be very interesting to see where these leads for the rest of the nation. If this passes how quickly will other states follow or will this go to the federal level? If this does go to the federal level will a state rights argument arise? In other articles I have read there are many arguments to support this bill in order to collect more revenue for the state of California.
Many people have also claimed that Proposition 19 could limit the violence on the boarder. Hopefully the passing of Proposition 19 would decrease the demand for drugs in the united states and make it less profitable to the traffickers. However, other figures have showed that drugs are only a portion of what the Mexican gangs are frighting to bring in to the U.S. and in this case Proposition 19 will have little effect on boarder violence.
I think the legalization of marijuana will have more positives than negatives. Taxing the substance heavily will bring the state out of debt. Also, the legalization of marijuana will bring down illegal and dangerous activities relating to the sale and distribution of marijuana. I think California passing this bill will be the first of many states following. Other states will most likely follow after they see that the revenue the states collects will bring the state(s) out of debt. Im interested to see what will happen with the proposition.
Unfortunately, the legalization of marijuana probably wouldn't have much of an effect on decreasing border violence. In August 2009, Mexico decriminalized "personal use" possession of marijuana with the aim of decreasing drug cartel-related crime. The law doesn't seem to have made much of a positive impact, but it is still too soon to effectively assess its impact. Powerful drug cartels control the transit and smuggling of marijuana into the United States. Even if the entire United States legalized marijuana, the drug cartels would still control the transit and smuggling over the border (it would probably be more profitable to smuggle than to ship legally).
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