Well…no, probably not. But I think marijuana could go pretty far in saving North America. And one out of seven continents is a good start. But let’s start with California.
I’m not a pot smoker, so please don’t think this is just the rantings of another pot head. Whatever my mental defects may be, they don’t come from excess of any intoxicants. That being said, in California we have a proposition on the ballot to legalize the usage and distribution of marijuana under certain restrictions (Proposition 19). I hope this passes for a number of reasons.
1. If marijuana were legalized, it could spark an entirely new industry. Millions of new jobs would be created in the farming, cultivating and processing of pot. New jobs equals more income tax for California and the Federal Government.
2. People who smoke pot are going to buy pot anyway. Why not regulate the sale so that we can make sure people are getting safe plants and collect a sales tax on it. Again, more money for California.
3. As the supply of legal marijuana comes readily through California agriculture, less money is funneled to the Mexican drug cartels giving them less power. And do you think that the drug cartels could compete will Walmart if they were selling to the American people? Less drugs coming across our borders would mean less violence in the Mexican border towns.
4. Legal marijuana would be safer marijuana. When buying something covertly in a downtown alley, you don’t really know what you’re getting. With government oversight and competition from other manufacturers, a huge variety of safer pot products would develop. Different strengths, different sizes, different scents, and likely filtered products.
5. Marijuana was initially made illegal in the United States mainly due to pressure from the agricultural community. Not from tobacco farmers, but from cotton farmers. It was really the many uses of hemp that put fear into their wallets, not the intoxicating power of the flower. Again, new businesses could form based on hemp products.
Personally I don’t feel that marijuana is any more dangerous to people than alcohol or cigarettes, and according to some research, is less addictive. And I’m not naive enough to think that all the marijuana sold at the dispensaries is for medicinal purposes, but I do believe that marijuana has medicinal value. This is especially true for people with terminal illnesses. If smoking a joint will help ease their nausea or give them a little bit of an appetite, have a little compassion and let them spark one up.
I’m not a journalist, so I’m sure this seems like I’m rambling at this point, but I do believe that legalizing marijuana could provide a big boost to our economy and help to make our borders safer.
Brian said,
October 22, 2010 at 6:49 pm
So in Colorado where pot has been legalized you have an abundance of “Medical Mary Jane” shops that populated Boulder and Fort Collins in greater numbers and speed then Starbucks (another legal substance). So, the cities have put a moratorium on expansion until better understanding of how the side effects of legalization will play out. Yes, the pot shops generate a large revenue and pay taxes so a government will welcome the income.
I disagree that the legalization would be in the best interest of the public in terms of health. C’mon, ingesting smoke into the lungs has never been good for the alveoli (the place where oxygen from the air is absorbed into the blood) and thus more second hand smoke for the non smoking population. So, how is this a health benefit???
The public has even more fallout from this. First, you get more pot smoke in public and an increase in bad late night driving. Not to mention, the pot shops out here get robbed a lot. Additionally, the Federal Government still says it is illegal and continue to make busts until the Federal Law changes leaving a lot of “law abiding” pot growers confused while holding permits & licences in one hand and hand cuffs on the other. Oh ya…and you get more hippies (I thought that word had passed away) wearing bad used clothes and spinning in public.
I like the overall aspects of legalization but CA needs to learn through others before throwing money at the learning curve of pot legalization at this time. And yes, they already spent too much money on court costs and due process just to get it on the ballot. ARE WE (California) NOT STUPID ON SPENDING…..or what! At least wait until the Federal Law changes to avoid conflict.
Mine is just another opinion of the many.
rgraeningblog said,
October 22, 2010 at 8:40 pm
So, they’re still doing the “Rocky Mountain High” thing? I didn’t know that.
I didn’t think about the added bonus of getting more hippies. Bring back the VW microbus.
I didn’t say that smoking was healthy, but I think legally manufactured pot cigarettes would be a safer alternative to whatever you found in that ziplock bag and wrapped in a Post-it note. (I don’t know if people do that, but that would be a great way to get rolling paper. Time to call the patent office.)
Yes, California spends too much money, but that has more to do with pension payouts than anything related to this.
Leonard said,
October 22, 2010 at 7:45 pm
(Before I start….did you change the website colors to green for the occassion?)
I know you’re not a pot smoker, but riddle me this – how are you going to feel when one of your sons comes home one day high on ‘legal’ pot? You going to be ok with that?
You might change your tune when one day, God forbid, one of your family members is killed by someone driving a car high on ‘legal’ pot.
OR, you lose your job because someone on your team, high on “legal” pot, screwed up something on a project for which you were responsible.
And let us not forget….it’s still a federal crime.
rgraeningblog said,
October 22, 2010 at 8:33 pm
No, the blog has been green for a long time.
If your response said “alcohol” instead of “legal pot”, it would be more likely to occur. Alcohol is more addictive and has a quicker effect than pot.
We already talk to our kids about alcohol and drugs, so hopefully they wont’ fall into that trap. But if they do end up smoking pot, I’d rather it come from a reliable source than Bob’s friends sisters degenerate boyfriend.
I’m not advocating that everyone start lighting up, in fact some of that revenue would undoubtedly go to PSAs educating people about the health consequences of smoking. But there clearly are plenty of people using the substance, so why not make it cleaner and taxable?
Greg said,
October 22, 2010 at 7:59 pm
Hi Ron,
I echo everything you just said and I have been saying it for years, even though it’s been well over a decade since I’ve had a puff. The only thing I can offer is that I read a strong editorial on our side just recently co-written by the Former Chief of Police of Sacramento and a Former Division Chief of the LAPD. Even law enforcement sees it as the multi faceted issue that it is.