Pubdate: Wed, 6 Oct 2010 Source: Daily Orange, The (NY Edu) Copyright: 2010 The Daily Orange Corporation Contact: http://www.dailyorange.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1287 Author: Benjamin Klein Note: Benjamin Klein is a junior political science and magazine journalism major. His column appears every Wednesday. Cited: Proposition 19 http://yeson19.com/ Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?115 (Cannabis - California) Bookmark: http://mapinc.org/find?272 (Proposition 19) PROPOSITION 19 NEXT LOGICAL STEP FOR CALIFORNIA Rhetoric Meets Reality In November, California residents will have the opportunity to vote on Proposition 19, the legalization of recreational marijuana use. It's surprising that such an initiative is on the ballot and even more surprising that it has a legitimate chance of passing. In 14 states across the country, medical marijuana has already been legalized, and Proposition 19 seems to be the next logical step in the complete decriminalization of marijuana. With the opportunity to raise hundreds of millions in additional tax revenue and clean out America's overloaded jail system, the legalization of marijuana is logical, both financially and socially. California is burdened with debt, and the taxation on marijuana, if the proposition passes, will give the state an opportunity to raise an estimated $1.4 billion a year in additional revenue. The decision to legalize simply makes sense. The new law will allow California residents over 21 to purchase and possess up to an ounce of marijuana, use the marijuana in private residences or licensed public establishments, and grow marijuana for personal use in an area up to 25 square feet. Legally, marijuana will be treated much like alcohol is now. In a blog posted on the latimes.com, Stephen Downing, a retired Los Angeles Police Department deputy chief of police and a proponent of Proposition 19 said, "By keeping marijuana illegal, we aren't preventing anyone from using it. The only results are billions of tax-free dollars being funneled into the pockets of bloodthirsty drug cartels and gangs who control the illegal market." Ironically enough, the legalization of marijuana has the possibility of actually reducing the amount of people who use drugs in America. According to a CBS news report, America leads the world in marijuana use. In America, just over 40 percent of people have used marijuana, but in the Netherlands, a country with much more liberal drug policies, only 19.8 percent of people have used it. Opponents of Proposition 19 maintain that marijuana is a mind-altering drug that impairs the development of the brain and can lead to more dangerous drug use. They also say legalization will only lead to increased marijuana use among minors. In an article for the calforniachronicle.com, Former Sutter County Deputy Sheriff Nate Bradley countered this argument and said dealers "don't check IDs, they don't care if they're selling to a 12-year-old or if they're selling to a 30-year-old." But if marijuana trade is controlled by the state, it will be much easier for law enforcement to monitor the sales of marijuana and to make sure all transactions go to people over the legal age. Regardless of what happens in November, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has already signed a controversial piece of legislation that reduces a marijuana possession arrest of up to an ounce from a misdemeanor to an infraction. Residents arrested will now be punished with nothing more than a $100 fine for possessing marijuana. Schwarzenegger said, "In this time of drastic budget cuts, prosecutors, defense attorneys, law enforcement and the courts cannot afford to expend limited resources prosecuting a crime that carries the same punishment as a traffic ticket." The legalization of medical marijuana in states across the country and the possibility of complete decriminalization in California have distanced marijuana from other more deadly narcotics. With increasing toleration for a drug many people feel is less harmful than alcohol, more liberal marijuana policies seem inevitable. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake