Theory Battle

There were two main theories regarding this issue. One side is worried about what negative effects could happen if marijuana is legalized, and the other thinks it will be beneficial to our society and our economy. The first side sees marijuana as a gateway drug to other more dangerous drugs such as heroine and cocaine. They think that if put in the hands of the youth, the drug will open a door to the adolescence becoming more curious with the effects of stronger drugs. Although marijuana is not addictive, this side believes it will also result in a decrease in the productiveness of society which will hurt our economy in the long run. The other side who support legalization believe the opposite. They have calculated that this can be a major breakthrough and opportunity for our economy to boom, especially assisting California. Once they saw that it could effectively raise 1.4 billion dollars in taxes every year, they were sold. When looking at the negative effects, this side points out that cigarettes, alcohol, and tobacco are all legal, addictive, and cause many problems in society when used in the wrong way. In the wrong hands, many substances can become deadly, even our average prescribed cold medicine. Also they go to point out that there is already a substance on the market which has more negative effects than marijuana called spice or K2 which gives off a similar high but with a heftier price on one's health. Sooner or later these two sides will have to find a healthy medium. I think right now it is too hard to tell what legalizing marijuana will do because when it was legal in the past it was a whole different world. There needs to be more extensive research done on the difference between marijuana and the substance spice which IS legal. In the long run I think one side will have to settle for less than they had hoped for, but I think they will find a solution to their differences.

Links

www.change.org/ideas/view/legalize_the_medicinal_and_recreational_use_of_marijuana
This site helped me understand better the amount of money marijuana costs the US in prison fees every year.

www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/10/15/politics/main6962184.shtml
This article describes how the Feds oppose proposition 19.

greengrotech.com/service.html
This site helped me understand how much safer the dispensaries would be compared to the weed sold on the street.

medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000881
This site showed me how fast states are legalizing medical marijuana and how complete legalization could be a step in the near future.

www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana/factsmyths/
This site helped clarify some common misconceptions poeple have about marijuana.

www.marijuanaaddictiontreatment.org/statistics-facts.html
This article helped me realize the dangers of marijuana as a gateway drug.

www.steadyhealth.com/articles/Marijuana__Pros_and_cons_a67.html
This site provided me with all the statistics I needed about marijuana use.

www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-4894639-503544.html
This article presented Obama's point of view regarding legalization.

articles.latimes.com/2010/nov/03/local/la-me-pot-20101103-1
This gave me hope for the future of marijuana and the legalization battle.

www.africanaonline.com/2010/09/legalizing-pot-is-the-last-great-hope/
This was the first article I read on this issue and it has presented the most sensible argument that I've read thus far for legalization.

Other Blogs Worth Reading

http://techspeckk.blogspot.com/ --- This blog i really enjoyed reading because it hits a huge debate which I think is one of the most important if not the most important issues that we are facing today and will be facing in the future. I think that if this issue is avoided and remains as laid back as it seems to the public right now, it could be the end of us all. It's a sad fate for the most intelligent beings on this planet. I am obviously in favor of alternative energy just like the author is and maybe that's what made it so enjoyable to read. His argument regarding the bettering of the earth as a whole is undoubtedly true. The evidence is there and he brings up all the points to back it up. We need to cut back on oil consumption and the only way I see that happening is if there is an alternative source of energy that is reliable and safe for our environment. The US especially needs to find an another source of energy because our reliance on other countries is becoming out of control and in my eyes can come up and hurt us in the future.

http://mosqueman2010.blogspot.com/ --- This is another blog that really caught my eye and brought me in for an informing read. The author here informs us about the current problem regarding the building of a mosque near ground zero in manhattan. This interests me a lot because I live only about 20 minutes away in New York. It's been on the news non-stop since august and I hadn't really learned a thing about what each sides arguments yet. This blog really helped me understand what both sides were looking at. I still remain on the non building side because I feel it isn't necessary to acquire that exact location when it's causing this many problems.

http://cholywar.blogspot.com/ --- Another one of my favorite blogs is about the current holy war. I never knew much about the wars we have been intervening with in Iraq and Afghanistan, but I never had the time to look deeper into the problems which surround them. It seems that many are under informed, such as people like myself, and automatically side with Israel in this battle. Never would I have known the other side to this long history these religions have had with each other, butting heads constantly over this unresolved issue.

Implications for the Future

Looking past the fact that marijuana remains illegal in California, I still believe proposition 19 has a promising future. It's not the end of the world hippies, so don't give up hope. When you take a look at the results of the election, the majority of people who voted for legalization would be considered youths. Youths in this case are people under the age of 25. I think that in another 4-8 years or so when more people become of age to vote the outcome could be in the pot smokers favor. It could be hard though because after seeing what the 60's were like people thought there was no way this wouldn't pass. With these two generations being the majority of voters a few years from now could be a politicians worst nightmare hahaha... or we could turn out to be the most influential voters of all time.
"What'd the '60s say? Pot will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no pot." I think change is inevitable but we'll just have to wait and see about this one.

Proposition 19... the Facts

Most of our nation knows about Proposition 19, also known as the Control and Tax Cannabis Act, but what I've noticed is that people don't know the details behind what they think is just "legalizing marijuana." The regulations would include that
people the age 21 and over would be able possess one ounce of marijuana for personal consumption, smoking would have to be done in non public place such as a residence, and one would be able to grow weed in a space less than or equal to 25 square feet. Local governments would be able to authorize the resale of marijuana in amounts under 28.5 grams, regulate the places of resale, and authorize larger amounts to be grown in special circumstances. "Any person who is licensed, permitted, or authorized to sell marijuana, who knowingly sells or gives away marijuana to someone under the age of 21 results in them being banned from owning, operating, or being employed by a licensed marijuana establishment for one year." There are already laws that are written to go along with this proposition that name the consequences for selling or providing under aged persons with cannabis. Proposition 19, if passed, will take affect tomorrow November 3rd.

A Legal Substitute??

There is all this fuss about a legal substitute for marijuana. This so called "fluff" or "spice," is a smoked substance that is supposed to give off a high similar to marijuana but is legal. I really didn't know much about the substance so I went and did a bit of research. "It was invented by Christopher Burmeister and the high it causes is believed to be caused by a mixture of synthetic cannabinoid drugs" (Synthetic Marijuana, 1). The ingredients attempt to mimic THC, but does it do the job? The answer is yes, politicians believe that the people of California that don't need marijuana for its medicinal uses should be satisfied smoking this instead because it is "less dangerous" and legal. They are right, it is legal, but it is unexpectedly dangerous. Some side affects include panic attacks, hallucinations, delusions, vomiting, increased agitation, and dilated pupils. Most politicians don't even know that the high gained from high grade spice is more than the high gained from regular marijuana. So my question is, why is this legal instead of marijuana. It has negative side affects and causes the same high as marijuana, at a heftier blow to the wallet than marijuana, but it seems to me that it is just as dangerous. more information can be found here: www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/03/23/synthetic.marijuana/index.html?hpt=Sbin

Basic Reasons for Legalization

There are some dumb reasons out there for legalizing marijuana but after reading some other blogs I have found a lot of legitimate reasons.
I never thought about the problem regarding teens smoking pot as an issue for legalization. If legalized of course there will be some under aged smoking just like what happens with alcohol, but there will be less high school drug dealers because as of right now there aren't any beer dealers in high school that I know of. One third of 16-17 year old kids say that marijuana is easy to buy now, and that it is actually much harder at that age to acquire alcohol.
Another thing I wouldn't have thought of before is the fact that violent drug dealers make a lot of their money off marijuana and use it as a gateway drug. With the legalization of marijuana, people will not have to search out these violent drug dealers who can urge them to test these more dangerous and more addictive substances.
California is also in need of jobs. Following the recession, California needs this potentially 14 billion dollar cash crop to open up a huge job market which can turn the state's financial situation around. It will also help some who do smoke marijuana keep their jobs. Some great workers have been fired regardless of their excellent work due to a company's random drug screenings