The Pros and Cons of Legalizing Marijuana To Financially Save the Golden State.
The Newest California Legislation: AB390-Marijuana Control, Regulation and Education Act.
(source)
The Argument for Legalizing Marijuana:
Assemblyman Tom Ammiano’s landmark bill (AB 390) to tax and regulate marijuana just like alcohol and tobacco is being considered by state lawmakers.
A grainy black-and-white film fills the dark room. The audience shifts in their seats nervously as a young woman walks into her room and looks in the mirror and suddenly starts to scream! The words “Marijuana Madness” appear on the top of the screen.
The myths are starting to lift like fog dissipating in the light of day. The lies and racist reasons for making marijuana illegal are dropping out of the sky like a steady rain, forming puddles destined to dry up.
Californians, and the other states that allow medical marijuana, have received some good news. Assemblyman Tom Ammiano’s landmark bill (AB 390) to tax and regulate marijuana just like alcohol and tobacco is being considered by state lawmakers.
This is a legitimate effort to legalize marijuana. The bill would make recreational use of marijuana legal. Users would have to be 21 years old, the same as for alcohol and tobacco. It wouldn’t change the medical marijuana guidelines for those involved in that growing industry, according to Ammiano.
There’s no way to tell how many California residents smoke pot, but according to the Zogby Poll “Fifty-eight percent of respondents residing on the West Coast agree that cannabis should be taxed and legally regulated like alcohol and cigarettes.”
The failing national economy makes headlines every day across America. Wouldn’t it be nice to lead the country out of this depression with an unprecedented economic recovery in California? We could be the model and other states would follow with similar legislation.
Betty Yee, who chairs the state Board of Equalization, which collects the sales tax in California, is in favor of this landmark legislation.
Right now Californians pay $170 million a year for arrests, prosecution and imprisonment of pot offenders, according to statistics released from NORML. Poof! That would go up in smoke, and reduce the prison population as well.
Right now there’s talk among lawmakers of an early release program for as many as 58,000 prisoners in the next couple of years because of overcrowding and fiscal shortfalls. There are plenty of good reasons to support AB 390. As It Stands, it’s time to legalize marijuana and jumpstart California’s sagging economy into the 21st century.
The Argument Against Legalizing Marijuana
Courtesy San Jose Mercury News : California Cannot Afford to Legalize Marijuana.
Legalizing marijuana will not solve our budget woes, nor will it be good for public health. Introducing marijuana into the open market is very likely to do some other things, however: increase the drug’s consumption, and with it, the enormous social costs associated with marijuana-related accidents, illness and productivity loss.
The example of legal alcohol and tobacco reveal an unsettling pattern. Legal drugs are by definition easy to obtain, and commercialization glamorizes their use and furthers their social acceptance. Their price is low, and high profits make promotion worthwhile for sellers. Addiction is simply the price of doing business. Any revenue gained from taxing these drugs is quickly offset by the heavy costs associated with their increased prevalence. Because today’s high-potency marijuana is much more harmful than once thought, a spike in use from legalization would result in a financial burden California cannot afford to bear.
Assemblyman Tom Ammiano’s justification for AB 390 relies on the myth that marijuana laws are costing taxpayers millions of dollars and wrecking the lives of otherwise law-abiding citizens. But a closer examination of the facts reveals a very different reality. Although there are thousands of arrests for marijuana possession every year in our state, most of these arrests result in little or no consequences. Most of those who are charged with possession plead down from more serious charges, such as trafficking. Researchers from Rand report that many marijuana arrests result from drinking and driving violations at alcohol checkpoints. “The police also find joints, and then (the offender) is in jail for both offenses. People’s images of the casual (marijuana) user getting hauled off to jail are not true,” a Rand researcher recently commented.
Rand-sponsored research reveals that in the Netherlands, where the drug is sold openly at “coffee shops,” marijuana use among young adults increased almost 300 percent after a wave of commercialization. The country has also become a haven for producers of high-potency marijuana, and other drugs like ecstasy and methamphetamine. These unintended consequences have led many Dutch officials to advocate for rolling back the status quo.
O.K., time for your opinions. Chemically Green wants to hear from you, for or against.
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@Easy: Thanks for your comments. There is enough info on this post, in the comments section, to spike interest in anyone wanting to know about the pros and cons of cannabis.
@Kevin: Thanks again for the pro and con lists you posted in the comment section. Great work for our readers.
@Matt: Thanks for the comments. Sad but true, power and money, the elixir for government, politicians and greedy associations.
Chemically Green came across the following link on cannabis being used for medicinal purposes. For those who are interested.
http://www.weedtracker.com/forums/showthread.php/marijuana-inc-msnbc-99147.html?s=276d901446a9e4d27c428ad84f99ff18&t=99147
Referring to the site that lists pros and cons, I have to say that the wording is misleading in a lot of areas. In the “pro” column, item #1 “The drug generally isn’t more harmful than alcohol or tobacco if used in moderation.” seems to infer that MJ is approximately as dangerous as alcohol or tobacco. However there have been more documented deaths from drinking too much water, and there are no documented instances of death from smoking pot.
http://www.erowid.org is generally a good source of relatively balanced information on many psychoactive substances, with references. I’d recommend visiting the site. The object is to provide factual information for harm reduction.
Regarding item #2 in the cons column. Interestingly enough, at least one study of stoned drivers, found they drove better while stoned. That’s not saying that they would be able to handle emergency situations if they arose, but being aware that they were high caused them to drive slower and more carefully.
Item #3 morality. I’m not sure why that would be considered a valid reason, in general, except for people that think it’s immoral for personal reasons. Killing, stealing, actions that negatively affect others, yes. I don’t understand how smoking pot could be considered immoral.
Item #4. Apparently some people don’t understand how easy it is to buy pot. Legalization isn’t going to make it any easier for kids to buy.
Item #5. “Because of drug-related arrests, people who have committed or are likely to commit more serious crimes can be taken off the streets.”, is pretty bogus IMO. The legal system isn’t supposed to incarcerate you for something you might do, or might have done.
All in all, it’s hard to come up w/ a list of “cons” that has some real, observable reality.
This page on Erowid is a good place to start. http://www.erowid.org/plants/cannabis/cannabis_myth.shtml
Citations are included, so you can check for yourself.
Cities in Massachusetts cracking down on marijuana with new strict laws.
Read it here: http://tinyurl.com/db63xl
@Hank: Thanks for your comments. Very useful information and the discussions just get better and better.
Its all about the money, but alcohol, water and cigarettes get a pass from the feds, but its o.k. for drunk drivers to run over kill and maim our loved ones.
I’m not sure if legalization and taxation will bring as much income as some people think. I read that a $50-$98 per ounce tax is being proposed.
If you Google “marijuana growing forums”, you’ll get almost 2 million hits. Obviously, there aren’t 2 million forums, but there are quite a few.
It takes about 960 hours to grow MJ indoors. A 250 watt lamp will grow about 4 ounces every 3 months. That’s 240 kilowatt hours. At 10 cents/kilowatt hours, that’s $24 for 4 ounces plus a $20 bulb, plus $10 for plant food. About $13.50 per ounce. People will grow their own..Just as they’re doing now.
I don’t think there’s going to be as much money made from taxation as some people think. However, that shouldn’t have much bearing on whether MJ is legalized or not.
productivity loss indeed! I work with an 80% smoker friendly crew that will regularly put out 18 hour and longer days full of physical labor and mental tasks, interacting with visiting crews, also approximately 80% smoker friendly, and walking or riding bicycles home at the end of the day, high the entire time. the problems come when booze or coke get involved.
In the immortal words of Peter Tosh, Lawyers, Doctors, Policemen, Singers, and Players of Instrument too. All walks of life, all levels of ambition. Functioning potheads. You’re surrounded by them. Get over it.
WHITE HOUSE GETS IT WRONG!!
On Thursday, the White House said “NO” to legalizing marijuana. The top question that was emailed in before Obama’s news conference held on Thursday was was the White House going to legalize marijuana?
How many billions of dollars is being spent for the so called “War on Drugs”? Billions and billions with no real results.
Legalize cannabis and charge taxes and how many billions of dollars will be collected by the government?
But, one major problem, with the hard drugs coming in from Mexico. How do you take care of this mess? America has a gigantic appetite that needs to be fed on these drugs and legalizing marijuana does not address this issue.
Marijuana is not the main problem, but America has a gigantic addiction problem to the hard stuff.
@Hank: Thanks for your comments.
@syncko: Thanks for your comments.
Hey man, I don’t smoke anything period. I don’t have an issue with people who smoke cannabis. I don’t have anything to get over in regards to this post.
However, the cannabis issue on legalizing this product will continue to be debated.
See Chemically Green comment today on White House says no to legalizing the weed. Again, thanks for your comments.
Starting to get further off topic, but I think that all drug problems should be viewed as medical issues, not criminal. Lifting prohibition should remove the profit motive, and reduce if not eliminate the violence that’s a result of trafficking.
Court mandated addiction treatment usually doesn’t work well. However, I think if the threat of incarceration is removed, there would be more people that would voluntarily seek treatment.
@Hank: Thanks for the comment. You got it right. However, don’t think ideas about what might work will end up being the answer. Enough federal elected officials that have a positive position on legalizing weed will help make a change in this Stupid policy.
As I have said in the past, it o.k. to kill people and families via drunk drivers, but heaven forbid if someone got a hang nail smoking pot. Three years in the slammer if caught. Drunk drivers get released and get another chance to kill someone else.
President Obama has joked about his own marijuana use, but since his inauguration, federal police have raided five marijuana dispensaries in states where state law allows for these operations. The White House did say, last week, that this practice would be halted.
But to drive a stake in the heart of the debate to leagalize marijuana, President (in name only) Obama said he will not legalize marijuana.
Think about this, boot leg liquor is still around in parts of the country but it does not benefit the cops, lawyers, jails, wardens and judges like marijuana does. Lock em up to keep the cash flow flowing.
http://tinyurl.com/c2xl8b
The IDIOTIC WAR on drugs rolls on. The federal government will never get it right.
Frankly I don’t understand the mindset that’s driven the policy against MJ. So many of the modern studies have indicated that MJ is a miracle plant. It appears to be a potential cure for a host of ailments. I don’t understand how the DEA can continue to say there are no legitimate medical usages, especially when the U.S. government supplies MJ to some individuals for medical purposes.
I can understand Obama not being willing to address legalization at this point. What I can’t understand is the DEA preventing access to legitimate researchers. An american university recently applied for permission to grow MJ for purposes of medical research. The supreme court recommended that the DEA should allow it, but of course, the DEA ignored the recommendation. There are a wild range of ailments that appear to be controlled by cannabinoids, but we need to research it.
There was another recent bust by the DEA of a California caregiver. According to reports, there was an issue w/ non-payment of sales tax. I would have thought sales tax was a state issue. I don’t know why the DEA would have been involved in this case. I’ve been waiting to see what Holder’s and Obama’s reaction is going to be, in light of their statements regarding federal actions in medical marijuana states.
I cannot believe that people are actually considering legalizing marijuana to stimulate the economy. There was a comment about living on a college campus where “everyone does it”. No, NOT everyone does it. I am a college student as well, and I live next to the biggest potheads in California. I was always vexed about the smoke filtering in my room, its putrid and flat out it makes you lazy.
I am already petrified for the well being and morality of america as it is… I can’t imagine a whole nation full of potheads. when the cons stated that marijuana decreases productivity there was no implication that man is a machine. decreased productivity means half-ass work and laziness. I would NOT want to live in a society where increasing amounts of citizens aren’t contributing to the society to their full potential.
Obama already dismissed the idea of having marijuana legalized. This reminds me of the Catholic Church’s sale of indulgences.
sin? pay $5 and you’re sins are absolved.
Wanna smoke weed? pay for it and its ok.
i can’t undestand it.
@ Discount Sunglasses
Good for you for trying to defend the other side of the argument. Welcome to the discussion.
If you read through many of the comments on the board here you will find a lot of references and statistics. You’ll need to do the same if you want to be taken seriously. That means some type of information that backs up your claims, aside from the potheads at your college and your assumptions that they are lazy.
If you look back at alcohol prohibition, and the subsequent repeal, you will see that it was a complete failure. Not one good thing came from it. People still drank during that time. But instead of it being controlled and taxed and safe, it was black market and the money made a lot of mobsters very rich and powerful. http://www.druglibrary.org/Schaffer/LIBRARY/studies/nc/nc2a.htm.
And once alcohol was legalized there wasn’t a huge increase in alcoholism or a huge decrease in productivity. The main reason for this, is because the people who wanted to drink, were already drinking. Making it illegal did nothing to stop the consumption. However, making it legal made it easier to get, make, and tax. Plus, it created jobs.
Short and dignified: Marijuana has never affected my performance to work, accomplish tasks, or mediate through life and society. That is just a brandished excuse conceived by social “no” men that don’t care to let anyone in life, live their lives. To all that say it is harmful, unproductive, and useless; I say you don’t know what you are talking about and your opinion is one of the many that will never matter. I will live my life my way not yours.
I am not a avid user of cannabis. My boyfriend is and it sometimes angers may, though he is cutting back for me. thats what i call commitment. I never have been and don’t think i ever will be. Don’t get me wrong, it is enjoyable once in a blue moon. My point here is that, though i barely ever smoke, i would want it to be legalized to get the money out of criminals hands.
@Discount Sunglasses: Thanks for your comments. There are pros and cons for the legalizing of MJ. I have asthma and do not smoke, but there are reasons why MJ should be legalized.
Also, checked out your website and really cool with great prices. For our readers, if you want great sunglasses: http://tinyurl.com/cstxcc
I will be ordering a few pair in the near future.
@Kevin: Thanks for your comments to Discount Sunglasses. I am working on a followup detailed post about MJ that has a lot of new information about the legalization aspect.
@Hank: Thanks for your comments. I agree, the politics stink and the DEA has a strangle hold on the legal issue of using MJ. Main stream America is starting to shift towards the legalizing of MJ. I am working on a future post with update info on this issue.
@Beth: Thanks for your comments. Your comments are in agreement with a majority of the comments in this post.
@Aaron: Thank you for your comments. The issue with legalizing MJ is not going to go away. Keep getting the message out and perhaps, as main stream America, accepts this idea, we will see some positive action towards the issue.
I do not smoke, but if a person can go out and buy liquor and pay for the item, then like wise, a person should be able to purchase MJ.
How many people in the U.S. have been killed by drunk drivers? Seems unless this happens to your immediate family, no one really cares. Drunk drivers kill people. How many MJ smokers have ended up in car accidents or run into another vehicle causing death?
I agree with Mary Jane no fear = no black market(for marijuana) = less violence
Branagg Brandon: Thanks for your comment. What do you mean no black market for cannabis and less violence?
Well maybe black market was a bad example…. I mean there would be no groups dabbling in the “illegal” distribution of it. If it became legal an entirely new market would arise based on the economy, marijuana type, and cash flow, not distribution and protection which can lead to violence. Delivery companies would deliver rather than (i know it sounds stereotypical) gangs meeting head to head or people running from the police who are not protected and causing social disruption etc….
My argument is simple: Until they can justify why several drugs with life threatening side effects, or which cause eventual disease or sterility, are legal, there is no justification for prohibiting a natural resource that could revolutionize more than just social recreation-the impacts of hemp and its derivatives on the economy could be massively positive.
V: Thank you for your comments. I agree with you, but ultimately, the bottom line is money and control and this keeps marijuana from being legalized.
The new drug czar has said that illegal pot will not be tolerated by the feds.
Check out this link: http://tw8.us/sd
I am also enclosing another link for your review:
http://tw8.us/se
@David Brannon: Thanks for your comments. The only way for people to engage in the marketing of marijuana is for it to be made legal without worrying about being busted. Unfortunately, the new drug czar has said that the feds will not tolerate the selling of marijuana, even for medical purposes.
I am working on a detailed post on the merits of marijuana. Will be posted next month.
Some interesting reading for you:
http://tw8.us/se
http://tw8.us/sd
Hi,
I do have some Cons, I know MJ can… be pretty addictive mentally since I am addicted to it mentally and I know a few people that also have quite a hard time when they haven’t had their joint/bong. Second, if you’d ask me which Cab I rather take, the one with a sober driver or the one with a stoned driver, please give me the sober Cab-driver since __any__ drug will have a bad impact on concentration and reaction time.
But… when I look at friends that started drinking at the time I started blowing I’m very happy that I didn’t make their choice since they have _far_ worse problems staying sober.
Another Con… MJ (as drug) hardly has a history in western society. Although alcohol’s a hard drug it has quite a long history, at some point it was even safer to drink alcohol as water. Because of this history the use is accepted, there’s a lot more experience and… there are quite a number of social guidelines when it comes to the use of alcohol. (Which doesn’t mean that all people follow these guidelines responsibly !)
As far as I know very few people have gotten a set of correct guidelines before they started using MJ, most just start using and… have to find out themselves. Not having such a set of social guidelines is also what scares non-users a lot, according to one you’ll start killing people once you’ve used it and according to someone else it’s the most innocent substance in our solar system, so what should one believe ?
My parents for instance… told me it was pure evil while my friends and some Pro-books told me it was totally innocent. Meanwhile I’ve been using it for 30 years and I’ve come to the conclusion both were wrong.
Still, although I know it has some cons I’m convinced that it is one of the most innocent drugs available and I’m in favour for legalisation.
As long as it is less dangerous as alcohol people should have the right to legally choose the drug they want.
Once that happens we’ll slowly be able to start creating a good set of social guidelines for the use of MJ.
Best wishes,
Bart,
The Netherlands.
decriminalize pot – stopwarondrugs.org
BUT HAVE DRUG COUNSELING AND TREATMENT CENTERS SET UP AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PROGRAM. Some people go to shrinks if they have insurance, some drink beer and belch and some smoke to self-medicate.
@Carole: Thanks for your comments. Who would be responsible for paying for the costs of the Drug Counseling and Treatment Centers? Don’t you think this would have to be handled by the private sector? If pot is legal, the feds might not be interested in paying for these centers.
@Sharan: Thanks for the comments. I agree with you.
This is how i feel im a sixteen year old pot head i have smoked weed for 2 years and i have enjoyed every moment of it. Before i began smoking pot i made an average of Cs and Ds on my report card i did just enough to pass i began smoking because it was illegal and i wanted to be a “bad ass” more girls would like me because i broke the rules and smoked pot so i went through my phase where i didnt do shit in school and i pretty much went out looking to get arrested but after i actually did get arrested i realized this shit sucks so now i still smoke pot just as much and i maintain better grades because i want to go to college. And on the driving under the influence thing i just got my licence and do not hove much experience the first day i got my license i drove after smokeing two blunts and putting the roaches in a water bong and i drove home absolutely fine acctually every one that was with me most of whom werent high at the time said i drove much better high then i ever did sober. Now on the more hard drugs thought i hate every drug that is harder than pot i have tried meth and i will never do it again i have done coke and will never do it again because of the fact that one its not fun at all you get all fuckin excited and want to go do something but actually have nothing to do but stare at the god damn wall for 7 hours. And 2 it makes you look like a fuckin alien by the time your done using it. Oh and pot is a gateway drug ill tell you i started to do drugs by my choice no pure pressure i went looking for it and its only considered a gateway drug because its the drug you can find first when you do decide to do drugs if anything how about cigarettes are a gateway drug i started smoking them to look cool and before you know it i smoked pot. I see it like this the world is full of good people and bad people and thats just how it goes get over it if you disagree your a retard there are some people that go out looking for it and there are some people that dont now there are some weak minded people that get drawn in by bad people and they are just followers not leaders. Now im in tenth grade with a 2.9 gpa and ambitions to go to college to be an electrician now because i smoke pot do you think im a bad person. I dont think so but instead of me fixing the electrical problem in your house one day i might be in jail all because of a stupid law that says that weed is a drug i just read most of the comments above and didnt find one that said that weed should be illegal so maybe its time the U.S government opened thier fuckin eyes and stopped being so ignorant pot is less harmful to anyone than even drinking a red bull or monster energy drink. And hey lets see a common ground here the government thinks itll take money out of thier pocket how about make it illegal to grow more than 4 plants per household and all the people that are too lazy to do that and trust me there will be plenty sell it to them in stores and put your rediculous taxes on it i swear ill still buy it. Thats all for me i may not be as smart as all the people above me that put comments but im using what i got and thats common sense.
@Brad: Thank you for your comments. The feds want to control the pot world. Imagine how much money would be realized in savings from money being used to stop drugs and taxes from selling pot. Its big money for the feds and all the law enforcement people.
Ofcourse it can! No way it will pass though, the Federal Govt. already said they would not support something like this. Just look at the numbers we are talking about, $1.3 Billion per year!!! California politics of marijuana legalization.
@GreenChica: Thanks for your comments. Chemically Green would like to invite you to #WeedChat on Twitter. New Day, 2nd and 4th Wednesday each month, 4:20 pm., PST, 7:20 pm, EST. Link for #WeedChat: . #WeedChat Twub, http://twubs.com/weedchat
Making a difference in the quest for legalization of marijuana.
Not a single “fact” from the against position is true. I’ll leave it to other commenters to debunk these.
nice article, i just finished bookmarking it to read later. i’d love to revisit on new articles. how can i configure the RSS again? thanks!
From Mariann Lurey: Thank you for your comments.
The problem is that the unrestrained spending by the government will not go away. The new taxation of Marijuana will not rescue California from its financial woes. Actually thinking about what the responsibilities are and being a good steward of the peoples purse is the only course to solve these monetary problems.
@solartronenergy: Thanks for your comments. U are right, spending in California is pure chaos. Also, if marijuana is legalized, the price will drop like a rock. Politicians could care less about being good steward of the people’s purse. Paying almost a million dollars salary to a mayor. They really care. Money, power, greed and lobbyists drive the current economical culture and its all about getting as much as u can, little guy be damned.