Lail Stockfish
The time has come to release this country, this state, and every day citizens from the burden that was created when Marijuana became illegal.
Passing proposition 19 on November 2 is the best thing for everyone.
Since the Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970, marijuana (cannabis) became largely recognized as a harmful drug. Classified as a Schedule I drug, it was put in the same category as Heroine and MDMA.
According to the Controlled Substances Act, a schedule I drug is defined as a drug or other substance that has a high potential for abuse, has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and has a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision.
Clearly, this is no longer true.
If reason alone cannot deduct that this once legal and still most commonly used drug doesn’t belong in this classification, then the study’s that have been unable to find any long term harmful effects of cannabis but many positive short term uses, should do the job. As there are many states in the US that have legalized the use of medical marijuana, more people will have the chance to buy marijuana online which will hopefully help with ailments like arthritis that people suffer from.
The use of Marijuana stems back for centuries, in fact in 1619 the first marijuana law was enacted in America requires that all farmers grow this Indian hempseed because it was such a useful crop.
A lot has changed since then, and billions of dollars have been wasted on the misguided attempt to control the consumption and availability of Marijuana in the United States where roughly 100 million people (roughly one-third of the population) admit to having used cannabis and 15 million of them did so in the past month according to the 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
The most common rebuttal to the legalization of marijuana is the safety of the nations youth even though the illegalization has not succeeded in decreasing the use of cannibus in the United states.
According to the Monitoring the Future Surveyan annual survey of attitudes and drug use among the Nation’s middle and high school students 32.8 percent of 12th graders had used marijuana. This means, up until now, that 32% of high school teens have come in contact with drug dealers and people classified as criminals.
If marijuana was legalized, things like master yoda strain would be just as difficult for minors to buy as alcohol and cigarettes. Neither of those substances, which are arguably worse than marijuana, are currently being sold on a black market or by drug dealers. Instead, they are being sold out in convenience stores and the likes where it is cheaper and easier for government to regulate.
While denying our government potential billions in tax revenues, drug cartels have gained heavily from the sale of this most commonly used drug. It is reported that over 60% of their revenue is generated from the sale of Marijuana in the U.S. Market, revenue that could instead be generated by legitimate businesses making use of seed to sale software to track the flow of the drug and ensure that a cleaner source is available to those who are of a proposed legal age to partake in the drug.
By criminalizing Marijuana, a market for criminals has been created.
Proposition 19 will make it legal in the state of California, for anyone over the age of 21 to posses, transport, and share no more than an ounce for individual consumption.
- Allow for the cultivation of marijuana on private property for the personal consumption of adults.
- It will prohibit smoking in public, while driving, or in the presence of minors.
- Only those with licenses will be allowed to sell marijuana, and marijuana products, just like how people can buy cbd oil canada easily in that country.
- And it reserves the right for business owners to allow or ban employee use of Marijuana during work hours.
This means, law enforcement will have more resources and time to focus on solving violent crimes, instead of imprisoning, targeting, trying and convicting non-violent Citizens.
According to The Board of Equalization, says proposition 19 would yield and extra $1.9 billion in tax revenue, money that can be used by the debt ridden state to fund education, transportation, public safety and more.
Over the past 7 years the state debt has nearly tripled. State Treasurer Bill Lockyer reported that the state now has $77.8 billion in outstanding general obligation bonds, and an additional $42.8 in authorized but unissued bonds.
To compensate, budget cuts have been flying left and right making painful swooshing noises as they pass by, and taxes seem to be increasing on a regular basis.
On top of that, more than 400 California small businesses (medical marijuana dispensaries) have forced to shut down just in this past year.
All this during arguably the deepest recession to ever hit the nation, and a rising state unemployment rate, currently at %12.8.
Studies show that public opinion on Marijuana has been shifting, leaning towards legalization for over a decade, and as a leader of the progressive states it’s time for California to accept the future, set an example, and help itself.
It’s time to open the door and make room for the real issues, with the current burdens this state and it’s citizens face, these there’s no place for petty laws and restrictions that create burdens on everyone.
Vote yes on prop 19 along with the United States Surgeon General, Los Angeles Police Department, and the District Attorney, ( just to name a few supporters), and let this be a thing of the past.
http://www.justice.gov/dea/pubs/abuse/1-csa.htm
http://www.drugabuse.gov/ResearchReports/marijuana/marijuana2.html
http://www.voterguide.sos.ca.gov/pdf/english/19-arg-rebuttals.pdf
http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ballot-measures/qualified-ballot-measures.htm