Weedpipe
Active Member
California is on the verge of legalizing marijuana for general use - within certain age limits, of course. Debate on the subject is now raging, but the measure will be on the November ballot in the Golden State. Fourteen states, including California, already permit the use of cannabis for medical purposes, mainly pain control.
The arguments for the general use of pot are simple: It would make the state money, and it would save the state money. Legalizing marijuana, supporters claim, would fatten the state's coffers by applying a sales tax on the product when it is sold.
The more the drug is used legally, the argument goes, the more money for the state, whereas illegal use makes the state not a penny. The theory also says that the state would save money on law enforcement costs. To enforce the law against illegal marijuana use now costs the state millions of dollars annually. These savings would be passed on to the state treasury. According to supporters, it all makes perfect sense.
To many in California - a state drowning in debt, unable to pay employees, without means for maintaining its vast infrastructure and facing a ruinous reduction in its bond ratings - the money from marijuana taxes looks promising.
Many supporters also believe that by legalizing the drug, the state would undercut the Mexican drug cartels that supply a lot of the state's illicit marijuana. By cutting off the big drug dealers, supporters maintain, violence on both sides of the border with Mexico would subside and California's law enforcement costs would be reduced.
And by legalizing the use of cannabis, a whole new industry would be created for individuals and companies eager to enter the marketplace. Thousands of new jobs would be available in the production, marketing and distribution of legally packaged marijuana. But, voters are assured, the smoking of pot would be limited to a strictly "in home" practice. There would be no marijuana "open park" such as in some European cities.
The case against legalizing marijuana is based upon medical, moral, legal and economic objections. And opponents point to potential unforeseen, or unintended, consequences to be faced in the future, such as medical costs associated with caring for burned-out addicts. As can be expected, emotions run high on both sides of the issue. But all of us in states near California should be aware of what is happening in our nation's most populous state because in the future we might have to deal with some of the negative aspects of their experiment.
Economic arguments against legal marijuana follow this line: No one knows for sure what the costs of enforcing the new law will be. Opponents fear the state would be substituting the present costs of fighting illegal use by creating another expensive bureaucracy to control the legal use.
Moral arguments against legalizing pot are many and diverse, but they all come down to the argument that a stoned society is not a stable society. And because the country is fighting a battle against the increasing use - and abuse - of "legal" addictive substances such as prescription drugs, alcohol and myriad other products, why add cannabis to that list?
Recent reports from states where pot is grown legally would indicate they are having problems. An Associated Press story recently reported that "Patients, growers and clinics are increasingly falling victim to robberies, home invasions, shootings and even murders at the hands of pot thieves. Critics say the heists and holdups prove that marijuana and crime are inseparable."
Anyone who has fought addiction, or watched friends or family members struggle with addiction, should be cautious about supporting a law legalizing an addictive, destructive substance such as marijuana, which when smoked, studies show, is 50 to 70 percent more carcinogenic (cancer causing) than cigarettes.
Will the residents of California vote "no" to legal pot, or will their motto be, "Raise the taxes!" We shall see.
News Forum: rollitup.org
Source: SOUTHERN UTAH VOICES
Author: DAVID R. GREEN SR
Contact: http://www.thespectrum.com/
Copyright: 2010 thespectrum.com
Website: http://www.thespectrum.com/article/20100614/OPINION/6140303/Utahns+should+watch+California+marijuana+vote+carefully
The arguments for the general use of pot are simple: It would make the state money, and it would save the state money. Legalizing marijuana, supporters claim, would fatten the state's coffers by applying a sales tax on the product when it is sold.
The more the drug is used legally, the argument goes, the more money for the state, whereas illegal use makes the state not a penny. The theory also says that the state would save money on law enforcement costs. To enforce the law against illegal marijuana use now costs the state millions of dollars annually. These savings would be passed on to the state treasury. According to supporters, it all makes perfect sense.
To many in California - a state drowning in debt, unable to pay employees, without means for maintaining its vast infrastructure and facing a ruinous reduction in its bond ratings - the money from marijuana taxes looks promising.
Many supporters also believe that by legalizing the drug, the state would undercut the Mexican drug cartels that supply a lot of the state's illicit marijuana. By cutting off the big drug dealers, supporters maintain, violence on both sides of the border with Mexico would subside and California's law enforcement costs would be reduced.
And by legalizing the use of cannabis, a whole new industry would be created for individuals and companies eager to enter the marketplace. Thousands of new jobs would be available in the production, marketing and distribution of legally packaged marijuana. But, voters are assured, the smoking of pot would be limited to a strictly "in home" practice. There would be no marijuana "open park" such as in some European cities.
The case against legalizing marijuana is based upon medical, moral, legal and economic objections. And opponents point to potential unforeseen, or unintended, consequences to be faced in the future, such as medical costs associated with caring for burned-out addicts. As can be expected, emotions run high on both sides of the issue. But all of us in states near California should be aware of what is happening in our nation's most populous state because in the future we might have to deal with some of the negative aspects of their experiment.
Economic arguments against legal marijuana follow this line: No one knows for sure what the costs of enforcing the new law will be. Opponents fear the state would be substituting the present costs of fighting illegal use by creating another expensive bureaucracy to control the legal use.
Moral arguments against legalizing pot are many and diverse, but they all come down to the argument that a stoned society is not a stable society. And because the country is fighting a battle against the increasing use - and abuse - of "legal" addictive substances such as prescription drugs, alcohol and myriad other products, why add cannabis to that list?
Recent reports from states where pot is grown legally would indicate they are having problems. An Associated Press story recently reported that "Patients, growers and clinics are increasingly falling victim to robberies, home invasions, shootings and even murders at the hands of pot thieves. Critics say the heists and holdups prove that marijuana and crime are inseparable."
Anyone who has fought addiction, or watched friends or family members struggle with addiction, should be cautious about supporting a law legalizing an addictive, destructive substance such as marijuana, which when smoked, studies show, is 50 to 70 percent more carcinogenic (cancer causing) than cigarettes.
Will the residents of California vote "no" to legal pot, or will their motto be, "Raise the taxes!" We shall see.
News Forum: rollitup.org
Source: SOUTHERN UTAH VOICES
Author: DAVID R. GREEN SR
Contact: http://www.thespectrum.com/
Copyright: 2010 thespectrum.com
Website: http://www.thespectrum.com/article/20100614/OPINION/6140303/Utahns+should+watch+California+marijuana+vote+carefully