How will legalizing marijuana help calfornia? Will the passage of Proposition 19 cost more money than its going to collect? What do you think are the effects of marijuana of people over 18 and under 14 years old?
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Its sole purpose is to bring out the youth vote in this mid-term election. Dopers generally vote for Democrats.
if it’s harmless give it to pregnant women and children.
All existing dealers are tax evaders and criminals. Expecting them to suddenly become law abiding and tax paying is a freaking joke.
I admit to being perplexed why anyone would others to be stoned some, most or all of the time.
it will increase the states income. As for unforeseen consequences, I have no doubt there will be some. I work in construction and the question of drug testing after legalization has come up more than once. Also there is the question of will this cause more people to to start smoking. All I can say to that is I don’t smoke and it becoming legal will not change that. I really can’t see pot cause anymore problems than alcohol in fact I believe there will be less.
It will definitely help. It will take the money out of the drug cartels and put it in the hands of hard working citizens. (Al Kapone lost all his money when alcohol was relegalized) It will make it harder for kids to get their hands on weed. (Surveys have shown that it is easier for kids to get weed than it is for them to get alcohol or cigarettes, why? because weed is unregulated) The use of cocaine will go down at least 50% and the use of heroin will go down at least 60%. (In the Netherlands, when weed was legalized Cocaine use went down 80% and Heroin use went down 90%) The cops will be able to focus more attention on more pressing problems. Minorities will stop being unfairly prosecuted for crimes. Since the money that drug dealers rake in will be transfered to citizens this income will now become taxable, whereas before this income evaded corporate taxation and personal income taxation.
Maybe we should legalize marijuana as a medical treatment. Then if the doctors fails to clearly identify the prescribed potency (THC level) for the disease or condition of which medical marijuana was prescribed, the doctor can then be arrested for malpractice due to not knowledge and understanding the cure for the verious conditions..
Then since marijuana possession has been an infraction for the possession of less than an OZ and it is now a controlled substance the user can be arrested for the possession of a controlled substance which would now be a felony.
In actuality the states cannot override a federal law. Thus the possession of marijuana is illegal based on federal law.
I really doubt that 19 will pass.
This sounds like an essay prompt, so I’ll just write some outline topics related to your question.
While there is no question it will bring young voters out of the wood works, I doubt that is the sole reason for proposing this legislation. (not to discount its power in this regard – surveys continually show this is #1 issue for young voters)
Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on enforcing marijuana laws and incarcerating offenders – passing prop 19 will eliminate these costs.
Of course, the tax benefits are very enticing to a severely hard-pressed state economy – side note: estimates of revenue on taxed marijuana do not consider the expected 80% reduction in prices of marijuana post prop-19.
Some would argue that legalization of pot would make it harder for younger people to get, because it would require ID to pick up; though it is unlikely that illicit trade would go away.
The following anti-prop 19 arguments are based on the assumption that marijuana use will increase based on its legality. This is arguable- many studies show that most non-drug users will continue to not use drugs whether it is legal/condoned by government or not.
Accidents will increase, causing lawsuits and other costs (emergency/medical…etc)
There are no laws to regulate the operation of motor vehicles under the influence of marijuana (or at least detect it)…etc.
Slippery-slope argument: how can we just stop at marijuana? Isn’t cocaine and heroin next?
Effects of marijuana: http://alcoholism.about.com/od/pot/a/effects.-Lya.htm
The physiological effects will not differ with age, but the effects on development are unknown. There are relatively few studies of the effects of marijuana on adolescents as these would not be ethical; except retrospective studies (studying how users of marijuana during teens are different than their present adult cohorts) – which tend to have biased results.
My opinion: Not sure why anyone would argue that prop 19 will cost more than it will collect…even if no money was collected and there were no tax, the reduction in incarceration and enforcement would save billions.
First of all, the Prop. 19 requires only 1 oz. be sold and to someone over 21, just like alcohol.
People smoking MJ is healthier than either cigarettes or alcohol
Marijuana smoking has never caused fatal car crashes as drunk driving does
California needs revenue. Marijuana is the state’s biggest cash crop that is untaxed. So it will make a difference in the millions.
Police and law enforcement can stop harassing people for possession and sale of marijuana and work on getting real criminals. We are losing police because of lack of money to hire them, so our resources are limited for police.
You wont be able to buy marijuana unless you are 21.
If you decriminalize sale and use of marijuana you eliminate crime associated with the illegality of the marijuana business
Respecting the rights of individuals helps…it’s not about helping the “State”, it’s about restricting the State to being no more than a protector of individual rights rather than a violator of individual rights. What is saved in dollars includes fewer prison cells, fewer prisons, fewer inmates, fewer judges, fewer prosecutors and fewer nosy, violent, and Prohibition-corrupted cops.
It’s never wrong to respect individual liberty. It’s always wrong to endorse State actions which do otherwise. The War on Drugs is racist and murderous. How many more innocents must be shot down by cops who raid the “wrong house” or by “dealers” killing over turf?. Prohibition corrupts our law enforcement.
The only kind of person who can support the War on Drugs either is someone who profits from it (like corrupt law enforcement), a racist, an idiot or someone who is all three.
Support individual liberty. Just say NOW!