Legalization Of Proposition 64

     Marijuana does have some negative effects, but compared to other drugs marijuana is harmless. Other drugs are highly addictive were marijuana is not. Alcohol is one of the most leading causes of car crashes. Marijuana is nowhere near being a leading cause of death. Other drugs can lead to cancer where marijuana is used to cure it, and other drugs can lead to deaths. Other drugs impair you vision, but marijuana does not. All the other drugs except alcohol are gateway drugs, and the only way to purchase them is by smuggling them across the border. Many advocates say “we should begin to reflect that reality in our state and federal legislation, and stop acting as if otherwise law-abiding marijuana smokers are part of the crime problem. They are not, and it is absurd to continue using law enforcement resources arresting them.” (Gary) Many advocates also say, “Far more harm is caused by marijuana prohibition than by marijuana itself.”(Gary)

Addressing the Problem Proposition 64, also known as the Adult use Marijuana Act, is a bill that was proposed to address the issue of the legalization of marijuana for recreational use in the State of California. Prior to the passing of the proposition, California had an extensive medical marijuana program. A lot of people in California would get their medical marijuana card and purchase it through that avenue. There was also the traditional way of buying cannabis through a dealer. This bill would address the cultivation and sale of cannabis, which is a schedule 1 drug according to the DEA, for adult use in California.

Marijuana in the United States has been a big issue for decades dating back to when it was first made illegal in 1937. Using scare tactics, propaganda, and false facts, the government decided to classify the plant as a schedule one drug along with substances such as ecstasy, LSD, and heroin. Marijuana has since become a more common and socially acceptable (Not by the government) drug in recent years. This past year Colorado, Washington, and Oregon had decided to vote on the issue of legalizing marijuana for recreational use. Focusing on Colorado, Amendment 64 passed on November 6th, 2012 which would legalize the possession of up to an ounce of the plant.

Marijuana was legalized in California for adults 21 and up Tuesday, November 8th, 2016. 57% of voters said “yes” on proposition 64 while 43% of voters said “no”.

On November 8th 2016, Arizonans will exercise their right to vote for or against Proposition 205, the Regulation and Taxation Act, that could legalize the recreational use of marijuana in Arizona. Currently, in Arizona, marijuana has only been legalized for medicinal purposes and participants must be registered and carry a medical marijuana identification card. Similarly to when Colorado, Washington and Oregon all proposed the same measures to legalize the recreational use of marijuana over the last four years, there is strong opposition as well as solid support of the amendment in Arizona. In spite of the rhetoric from the opposition, the passing of proposition 205 will prove to be far more beneficial than risky as it will generate revenue

Proposition 64 addressed whether recreational marijuana should be legalized on a state level in California. Although both sides made strong arguments, the pro side won the majority of the votes in class as well as my vote. The pro side utilized the argument that the state is in massive debts and taxing on marijuana would bring in a billion dollars each year to help with funding, which gave their argument fiscal support. Additionally, they stated that this money would also go towards drug research programs and other beneficial programs, giving their side a moral justification on top of fiscal backing. They also further strengthened their moral argument by giving statistics comparing the number of deaths annually related to alcohol versus marijuana.

The article I have chosen to critically analyze is mainly focused on the legalization of marijuana. I have a personal bias towards this topic since I am for the legalization and a marijuana activist. I also think the FDA should drop it from a schedule one drug which classifies it on the same level as heroin and implying there is no medical benefits when there is clear cut evidence that marijuana has medical benefits. I also hope to one day own my dispensary in Colorado which is ahead of California and has already legalized the recreational use of marijuana.

They believe Proposition 64 would end the need for a huge number of problems and deal a blow to the illegal market, which thrives on prohibition. To them, the reality is that California has already, essentially, legalized marijuana. Virtually any adult can get a medical marijuana recommendation and buy pot products legally at a dispensary. And those who can’t be bothered to fake a headache or back pain can buy it on the black market without fear of going to jail. If it is passed, adults 21 and older would be allowed to grow, buy and possess marijuana for their personal use in private homes or at businesses licensed for on-site consumption. The state would license and regulate businesses that grow, process, deliver and sell marijuana. Pot shops could not sell tobacco or alcohol. Cities would have the ability to set local regulations and even ban marijuana businesses, but they couldn’t bar adults from growing, using or transporting marijuana for personal use. Proponents believe this system to be a much stronger and better setup as it allows cities to regulate to regulate and everything is confined to your own personal

Despite my traditional liberal stance, I personally don't think that the legalization of marijuana in California would be the best idea. To be fair, I don’t think other drugs such as tobacco and alcohol should be legal either but let’s focus on the cons of legal marijuana. In the article, “Is Legalizing Marijuana a Dopey Idea?”, Ella Jameson indicates that marijuana tempers with your memory processing and emotions. This is alone a crucial detail when noting the majority of users are still adolescents in school. Secondly, Jameson mentions the changing attitudes towards people who smoke marijuana, implying that students like Jordan will find it really easy to justify how much they use, leading to mental addiction and abuse. Thirdly, the

In the last few years there have been a few propositions to legalize Cannabis here in California. In 2009 the Marijuana Control, Regulation and Education Act was introduced to California legislators. The Act was to “remove penalties under

The fact that marijuana is not legal could simply be a government thing. There was an magazine I read doing this research called ‘Hightimes’, stating that “Under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, marijuana is classified as a Schedule I drug”, which means it would have potential for high chances of abuse. Pretty much stating that the chances of people get on marijuana get hooked, become addicts and dominate their lives are very high. This unquestionably happens in some cases. This also happens in the case of alcohol, and alcohol is perfectly legal. Other sources claim that marijuana is a ‘gateway’ to other drugs, which has been known to be true. The majority of people that accept marijuana see is as a step to pretty much saying its ok. One of the famous statement abusers use are “If they say marijuana is bad and obviously it is not, then I wonder what else is not bad”. This mind set could lead you to the use of recreational drugs, such as alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine, and "abnormal" recreational drugs, such as heroin, cocaine, and meth.

At the beginning of the November, with the ending election for the next president of the United States, the California marijuana legalization initiative which is also called “California proposition 63” was approved at the the same time. Combined with the proposition 215 passed in 1996, the ballot’s consequences announced that not only the medical marijuana is legal in California, but also the recreational use of it for people over 21 years old is authorized. According to the content, Californian are free to possess up to 28.5 grams marijuana and permitted to smoke it in their private house or other business licensed places, they can even grow six marijuana plants in their own backyard as long as others won’t see it. It has been a long timely

The topic of legalizing marijuana for recreational use has long been a controversial topic. Back in 1996, California became first state to legalize medical cannabis, lighting a fuse across the nation. Fast forward to the year 2012 and thus began states legalizing marijuana for recreational purposes. Those states were Colorado and Washington. Following those states was the announcement of Alaska voting to legalizing weed for recreational us in 2014. After them came Oregon and Washington D.C. in 2015 and in 2016 were the announcements California, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada. From this data one can see each year more and more states have decided to lower their conditions and punishments on the use marijuana. Politicians have even gone to

Drugs are a major influential force in our country today. The problem has gotten so out of hand that many people are even considering legalization of one of the most used drugs, marijuana. The legalization of marijuana is a controversial issue that has been fought for and against for several decades. Marijuana is defined as a preparation made from the dried flower clusters and leaves of the cannabis plant, which is usually smoked or eaten to induce euphoria and to heal and soothe. (dictionalr.com)

"In any civilized society, it is every citizen 's responsibility to obey just laws. But at the same time, it is every citizen 's responsibility to disobey unjust laws." Martin Luther King Jr. Many people ask “why should marijuana be legalized”? when the real question that we should be asking is “why shouldn’t marijuana be legalized”?. Marijuana also known as hemp is a naturally grown plant that has been around for decades dating back to around 2697 B.C., when the Egyptians would use it to cure many common ailments, and the Chinese would use it for therapeutics. Using marijuana not only to cure common illnesses but for your pleasure as well should be up to you the free citizens of California and not to the government. The first major reason