California, California, California... you're flat broke, in a complete mess and represent a shining example of where the rest of the country will end up if we don't radically change our way of doing business anytime soon- but this year you have a rare and wonderful chance to make yourselves politically relevant again as well as providing yourselves a potential way out of the mess you know find yourselves in.
So, I'm begging you California. Please, please, please! Vote YES on Proposition 19 and Legalize IT already!
Will it be a cure all? No, but there are some real benefits to actually breaking down prohibition. First, you can tax the shit out of it. States, cities, counties, the Feds- everyone can have a tax bonanza on this thing and if you're feeling queasy about it, well then take some of that revenue and put back into fighting drugs or crime or something. Taxation equals money and if pot becomes legal in the Golden State, a lot of people will happily pay to smoke weed and the result could be revenue.
Secondly, will it lead to massive amounts of pot smoking and is it a gateway drug for the kids? Kids, I don't believe in this gateway drug crap. At least not for the large majority of people- I think if you have a history of addiction in your family or an especially addictive personality, then maybe. But ultimately, it's about a choice. Thousands of people drink beer every weekend all across America- some of them drink a LOT of beer all across America, but this doesn't turn them into raging alcoholics. The logic seems faulty to me- but maybe that's just me. After all, I'm not an expert on addiction by any stretch of the imagination. But one thing I am convinced about is that if pot were legal, it'd be easier to keep out of the hands of kids.
I worked security at a high school for nearly two years and became convinced that pot was easier to get that booze for most kids. Booze is behind a counter and takes a modicum of creativity. Pot, you just had to know the right people- and any kid who really wanted to get baked could walk into school on a Monday and probably have the deed accomplished by Friday. Putting pot in a carton behind a counter would make it harder for kids to get.
There are national security implications to consider as well. Mexican cartels are what they are right now- and are ripping apart most of Northern Mexico right now because we smoke so much pot. Make it legal and it cuts into their bottom line in a major way and has the real potential to be a stabilizing force in that country. Again, will it or won't it? I don't know- but here's another thought: 2012 is two years away. Pass Proposition 19 and see how legalization goes. If it makes bank for California and doesn't turn the place into a narco-trafficante paradise, then why not spread it around the country? Personally, with the soil quality dear old Iowa has, well then think about the quality of pot we could grow.
But the biggest reason of all: $40,867,677,426 is the amount of money we've spent on the War on Drugs as of like ten seconds ago. And we still have a drug problem. Doing what we've been doing for four decades now obviously isn't working. It's past time, way, way past time we tried something else.
So California, I'm asking: vote for Proposition 19. Let's change this debate once and for all...
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