In Weed They Trust
The Legalization of Recreational Marijuana in California As the sun began to rise, on the morning of November 9, 2016, most Californians, awoke with a new profound sense of freedom to get high. For the simple reason that, the day before, most citizens throughout California voted yes on Proposition 64, which legalized recreational marijuana for adults over 21 years of age. However, I voted no to legalize recreational marijuana, this was due to my values and faith, but most importantly, for the simple reason that, it will negatively impact law enforcement agencies, as well as, communities. Secondly, studies have indicated that using marijuana on a regular basis can affect a person both mentally and physically. Nevertheless,
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Per the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, since the legalization of marijuana, in 2014 a published report revealed that there has been increase in poison center calls, emergency room visits and the hospitalization of patients, in addition, the rates of ER visits have increased among children due to the exposer and accessibility of marijuana. Furthermore, Colorado hospitals have reported an increase in babies born with THC in their system. By the same token, research over the years has proven that marijuana use affects a person’s cognitive function, and memory, as well as, producing mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression and psychotic symptoms. With regards to this, the website for the National Institute on Drug Abuse states that “a person who carries a specific variant of the AKT1 gene, which codes for an enzyme that affects dopamine signaling in the striatum, are at an increased risk of developing psychosis (schizophrenia)”. As a matter of fact, I’m sad to say, that my best friend of forty years, began using marijuana at the age of 13, along with the combination of harder illicit drugs, and by the time she was thirty, she was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Moreover, marijuana has increased respiratory complications among its users, due to the same cacogenics found in tobacco. With all this in mind, the health care …show more content…
64. They believe that legalizing marijuana will monetary help California and enhance regulations throughout the state. Be that as it may, the state has delegated the Bureau of Marijuana Control to regulate and issue licenses to businesses; more importantly, counties and municipalities will have the power to limit the number of businesses and enforce strict guidelines as to the location in which they can sell recreational marijuana. For Example, a business shall not be within 600 feet, of a school, youth recreation center, including parks and little league baseball fields or near any type of daycare facility. Then again, local government ultimately has the control, to prohibit any businesses from selling marijuana in any part of their jurisdiction. Nevertheless, businesses allowed to capitalize on the sale of marijuana, will gravely be taxed. Per Ballotpedia’s website, there will be two different categories of taxes that will take effect. The first is the cultivation tax of $9.25 per ounce for flowers and $2.75 per ounce or leaves. The second is a 15 % tax on all retail sales. The combination of the two tax revenues will go directly to the California Marijuana Tax Fund, which in turn, will cover costs for enforcing Prop 64 and allocated, to drug research and treatment programs, as well as, to the Department of the California Highway Patrol,
Proposition 64 permitted adults 21 years or older to have and utilize cannabis for recreational purposes. The measure made two new assessments, one required on the development and the other on retail cost. Income from the taxes will be spent on medication research, treatment, and requirement, wellbeing and security stipends tending to cannabis, youth programs, and keeping natural harm coming about because of unlawful cannabis creation.
Right after the U.S. Department of Justice announced in March 2009 that it would no longer prosecute marijuana patients and providers whose actions are consistent with state medical marijuana laws (Meyer & Glover, 2009, para. 1), political windows suddenly opened for California marijuana reform advocates to push for legalizing the recreational use of marijuana. As a result, California Proposition 19, the Regulate, Control & Tax Cannabis Act, became a ballot initiative on November 2, 2010 statewide ballot. Supporters argued that legalizing creational use of marijuana would help California to regulate the use and sale of marijuana, reduce correctional costs, redirect its court and law enforcement resources to other more serious crimes, and collect additional exercise taxes and sales taxes that would help with California’s budget shortfall. In spite of being a
Since 1996, the state of California, and by default, the city of Desert Hot Springs, have allowed the use of medical marijuana. Under proposition 215, any individual with a prescription could legally possess and use cannabis. And this was the case until recently, when a chain of events led to the legalization of consumption for non-medical reasons in California. Proposition 64 legalizes the private use of marijuana as of January 1st, 2018. However, this decision appears to have been made prematurely as the effects of such an abrupt decision are beginning to manifest themselves. Aside from the palpable consequences of marijuana consumption, including sluggishness and impaired judgement, there are far more serious unintended consequences impacting
In the end of 2016, 56% of Californians voted to approve Proposition 64, which legalizes the recreational use of marijuana in the state (The Times Editorial Board, 2017). The new Proposition passed with 56% of the popular vote. The Control, Regulate and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana, Proposition 64’s full name, gives permission to those over 21 to acquire marijuana for personal use and cultivate up to six plants in private residences (Fuller, 2016). Following the steps of states such as Colorado and the District of Columbia, California’s new measure would regulate and tax marijuana in all levels: cultivation, use, distribution, and sale. Also, according to the Act’s own wording, by regulating and licensing the weed industry, one would prevent
· Medical Marijuana Law: Passed under the Compassionate Use act of 1996, Proposition 215 ensured that individuals in California could use marijuana for medical uses as approved by a physician. It also led to the rise of dispensaries, where the drug could be provided and monitored safely, as well as allowed home growing of marijuana under certain restrictions for individuals using it medically. It also allowed the patient’s, “primary caregiver” to obtain the marijuana for the individual. This caregiver has to provide “…for housing, health or safety” of the patient (Proposition 215).
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
The City of Sterling is the largest city in the Northeastern Colorado region. Downtown Sterling was listed on the National Register in 2013 with 47 sites, which contribute to historical significance. The city population was 18,211 at the 2010 census. Sterling’s commercial offerings are expanding with newly opened retail stores, and new hotels and restaurants planned. It is a small city for Colorado, although it is the county seat for Logan County.
On November 9, 2016 proposition 64 known as marijuana, was legalized with a rate of around "56% to 44%" (Steinmetz) of votes. In the Times newspaper opinionated article, “What to Know About Marijuana Legalization in California,” by Katy Steinmetz she explained complicated details of the legalization. She clarified the importance of “where can marijuana be consumed,” “growing pot plants inside your house,” and “what happens if I smoke or ingest marijuana and drive” (Steinmetz). Katy Steinmetz publicly advises her readers, so that individuals could be well informed about the drug. However, marijuana can become a bad habit, it is unsafe, and an excuse to later on using other dangerous drug as well. Consuming or smoking
These types of drugs are classified to have a high potential for abuse, no recent acceptable medical use in treatment, and a low acceptable safety for use. The FDA has studies the drug for decades and keeps confirming that there are no medical benefits given by smoking marijuana, and actually can cause harm by using it (Drug Enforcement Administration, 2006). Citizens against Legalizing Marijuana (CALM) are opposed to any State law that tries to destroy the Federal Controlled Substances Act. Their place is that California Proposition 215 was misrepresented under the misguided claim that ingesting marijuana gives effective medical value, and that there are unimportant, harm and negative effects from the use of it. However, SB 420 failed to attempt to verify some qualities of Prop 215 (Drug Enforcement Administration, 2006). The SB 420 settles agreements with patients’ advocates and law enforcement, which involve controversial new state guidelines concerning how much marijuana patients can grow and own without being exposed to arrest (California,
The growing use, availability, and legalization of marijuana increases the concerns of health issues associated with its use. Marijuana can induce psychosis and this creates great concern for those who are susceptible in developing psychotic disorders like schizophrenia.
For a while now I have wanted to go to college and get a degree in botany. I gained this interest by exploring the varieties of plant life and falling in love with what they have to offer people. Specifically the cannabis plant, commonly known as marijuana, this plant has many benefits that have already been discovered. The medical aspects of marijuana have shown to treat many disorders and health issues including cancer.
In the article, Ware et al. (2010), analyzed if smoking cannabis would reduce chronic neuropathic pain. The standard treatments of neuropathic pain are anticonvulsants, antidepressants, opioids and local anesthetics, but there are varied responses and intense side effects that make compliance limited (Ware et al. 2010). The participants of this study were both men and women over the age of 18, who for at least three months had chronic neuropathic pain that was caused by a traumatic injury or surgery. These participants had to have a weekly pain intensity score that was greater than four on a 10-cm analogue scale. There was a specific set of criteria for inclusion in the study, which followed as the participants could not smoke cannabis the year before the study, they had to have a healthy liver function, normal rental function and women had to have a negative result on a β human chorionic gonadotropin pregnancy test (Ware et al. 2010).
"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
America's attitude towards marijuana has changed dramatically. The plant that used to be considered dangerous by most has now been decriminalized and smoked almost everywhere. Although the federal government prohibits marijuana, four states have already legalized it for recreational use. California should take this opportunity to legalize marijuana for its economic benefits and also because of the evidence on the states that have already legalized the plant, it is not as harmful to society as perceived.
Scientific reports show that habitual marijuana use has a negative effect on the human body. “The active ingredient in marijuana has been linked to memory problems, impaired thinking and weakened immune systems, not to mention it acts as a gateway to more dangerous drugs,” a Washington Post editorial argued in September 2014 (1). Legalizing marijuana will provide a semblance of acceptance that will encourage more children and teenagers to try it. “Dangers are more pronounced for young people,” the Post asserted (2). Legalizing marijuana has already showed negative consequences on public health and public safety in states like Colorado and Washington. Kevin Sabet told the New York Times in May 2014.