Legalize Marijuana and our problems will go away
Californians are likely to vote on whether to legalize marijuana at some point later this year. It is reported that this may generate $1.4 billion dollars in additional state revenue and help close the budget shortfall. This sounds like a great idea, right? Let’s take a look at some reasons why this would be a good idea and why it may not solve the budget problems faced in California or other states.
Reasons Legalization May be Good
Before you jump to a quick negative conclusion, keep an open mind. Consider that legalization of Marijuana could be good for a number of reasons as follows:
- Each sale could be taxed, generating additional tax revenue for struggling states such as California.
- Prisoners incarcerated for marijuana possession could be released, saving additional money used to run the prison system.
- There would be less officers required in order to police the sale and distribution of this substance, again saving tax dollars.
- Violent crime related to marijuana would be reduced as the price would be driven down as supply increases.
There are valid arguments as to why this would be a good measure to adopt. With an open mind, take a look at the consequences of legalization.
Reasons Legalization May Cause Additional Problems
Before you cast your vote in favor, consider what life would be like if enough yes votes were passed. The following adverse consequences may arise:
- Your neighbors may act irrationally when under the influence of marijuana, similar to being drunk from alcohol.
- There may be more individuals behind the wheel of a car who are under the influence.
- Your children or family may start using the substance where they once may have opted not to.
- Will crime actually increase as a result, creating additional expense for law enforcement?
Your Turn
It is your turn to cast your opinion on the subject. Do you think this is the right path to go down? Are their moral issues to using this substance that you are concerned with? Please leave a comment below as we would love to discuss this subject with you.
This is all about money…right and wrong are irrelevant. I realize that this will be a vote of the people, but the California legislators had to put it on the ballot and it’s not like they had a sudden realization that marijuana is harmless relaxation; it is just that when governments (or individuals) get squeezed enough financially, they can rationalize anything. So what is next? Cocaine? Prostitution? These would both qualify for all of the above rationale in the post for legalizing marijuana. And who knows? They might be approved by the electorate.
Comment by Joe Plemon — April 7, 2010 @ 6:14 pm
This is a no brainer to solve California’s budget deficit! I actually have a post on this subject in the archives i wrote 120 days ago and never published lol.
Legalize the weed to save our economy!
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Comment by Financial Samurai — April 8, 2010 @ 9:11 am
I go back and forth on this subject. I am for legalization because in reality I don’t think it is that big of a deal, but the problem I do have is how they can enforce driving while under the influence. Drinking and driving is a simple blood test, but marijuana stays in your system for 30 days, so you can’t just test for it that way.
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Comment by Evan — April 8, 2010 @ 7:47 pm
Great topic–I’m glad I stopped by.
I’m originally from CA and am still a CA ‘resident’ with voting rights etc. Here in France, there was recently a TV show about the potential legalization of Marijuana in CA–it’s always funny to see how people in other countries view your native culture.
The biggest reasons I’m for legalization are: 1) I’m hoping it would lead to less violence between people selling the stuff if it were legal. 2) We’re paying a high cost to keep people in jail. When the state is turning people loose from prison because they can’t afford to keep them in . . .well, incarcerating people involved in selling pot seems like a low priority to me. 3.) we need the money! 4.) People who smoke pot don’t scare me-certainly not more than people who drink too much!
To me, pot is about as unhealthy as alcohol and cigarettes combined–both of which are legal. And it may be less addictive. I’m not a fan, but if others want to smoke a joint to pay off our deficit, I say, let ‘em smoke.
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Comment by Simple in France — April 9, 2010 @ 12:59 am
I think it should be legalized (but the reason I thought so 35 years ago was not because of the tax revenue!).
I personally don’t see the difference between legalizing marijuana and alcohol. Marijuana is legal in California for medical reasons (and just about anything is a “legit” reason) so let’s just expand it and make some money.
Comment by Bucksome Boomer — April 9, 2010 @ 10:04 pm
Legalization may be the best way to curb its use. It will get taxed to death like cigarettes. Soon we may have mothers against pot head drivers.
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Comment by Daddy Paul — April 12, 2010 @ 5:55 pm
First, there are two side to the coin; one if the medicinal use and the other is simply recreational use. If there is a therpeutic benefit, then I am for it for those who it would help. Sure, there is the opportunity to abuse it, but that goes with anything.
I was actually for legalizing recreational marijuana for the reaons you give above, until it was pointed out to me that it normally leads to other more harsh drugs such as meth and heroin because people soon find that they want a “better high.” This is certainly a problem. The answer here is to fix the “broken” sould who feel the need to get high because they don’t have inner peace.
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Comment by Anthony — April 13, 2010 @ 10:59 am
@Joe – Good points. Sometimes democracy can take a turn for the worse.
@Financial Samurai – Looking forward to reading your article.
@Evan – That was my concern as well. The safety aspect is the most practical issue.
@Simple in France – Thanks for visiting. Hope to see more of you.
@Bucksome – It would be interesting to see if the use would die off if it was legalized.
@Anthony – Good point about abuse happing with anything. Thanks for stopping by.
Comment by Brian — April 13, 2010 @ 7:48 pm
There are so many people already smoking that I’m not so sure making it legal would really change demand. If I wanted to go find some it would take me about 5 minutes and a few phone calls and I don’t smoke whatsoever! The benefits of legalizing it seem to tip the scales in favor more so than the current status. More than anything I think it would decrease violence related to drug trafficking since it would be a legalized industry.
.-= Ryan @ Planting Dollars´s last blog ..Three of the Best Blog Posts You’ll Ever Read =-.
Comment by Ryan @ Planting Dollars — April 15, 2010 @ 2:14 am
@Planting Dollars – Very good points. It will be interesting to see how it plays out. I think ultimately, it will become legal in this country. If not now, a few years down the road.
Comment by Brian — April 16, 2010 @ 4:27 pm
Great article! As a native Californian now living in Texas, it’s intriguing to see what the ‘motherland’ is doing to deal with their massive budget shortfall. The biggest issue honestly will probably be how the Mexican drug cartels respond to legalization. If all the weed is required to be home-grown, they may choose to react violently in protest.
Now whether the CA legislature would actually use the revenue from weed-tax to pay down their shortfall is another story. 40 years of tax & spend policies says they won’t. I hope I’m wrong.
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