California Might Legalize Marijuana

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Take all these into consideration in the fight for Marijuana Reform..
Alcohol can be bought legally in any quantity once you're 21 and you can kill yourself with relatively low amounts.
Marijuana can be possessed in amounts as low as .01 gram with legal repercussions when you would have to smoke your body weight to feel the effects of overdose.
Marijuana, gram per gram, (supposedly) causes 2x the amount of cancer as cigarette tobacco. Yet you need not smoke an entire pack's worth of cigarettes for much more satisfaction and less addiction. Which in requiring a lower amount of indulgence for satisfaction causes less cancer.
Alcohol and cigarette tobacco are two of the top cancer causing substances in the world and cause more deaths than firearms.
Organizations such as JEL obtain major funding from Anheuser-Busch.. this is a conflict of interest.
MARIJUANA IS THE GATEWAY DRUG. Not because of it's addictive nature, but because it is illegal. Once a law abiding citizen experiments with Marijuana, they have broken the law, and thus passed through the gateway into experimenting with drugs that are against the law. Upon feeling the high of marijuana use, it is natural to question the illegality of other drugs that are much more harmful.
Marijuana does not belong in the same group as other drugs such as cocaine, meth, heroine, opiates, etc. because it does not cause physical dependence and does not give adverse side-effects anywhere as severe as the drugs that accompany it in illegality.
All of these are the reasons for Marijuana reform. None of these explain or represent the benefits our economy and society would benefit from decriminalization/legalization of Marijuana.. OTHERWISE LAW ABIDING CITIZENS ARE BEING IMPRISONED AND JAILED. Citizens of the United States, who have no history of felony, theft, or assault, are being incarcerated for indulgence. In the words of Abraham Lincoln...
..."Prohibition... attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes. A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principle upon which our government was founded"
Not only is the incarceration of millions causing loss of jobs, it's splitting up families, and causing resentment towards the American government by it's citizens. These key benefits don't even touch the key element of economic growth. Less people in jail = less spending on incarceration, taxed Marijuana = prosperity, Marijuana sold by legitimate business = losses in the Black Market = less gang affiliation.
Be an open minded out spoken supporter of drug reform, look into changing your party affiliations to the Libertarian Party or at least researching their platforms, and look into changing peoples' minds that are ignorant to the facts and brainwashed by propaganda and ideas that haven't been investigated for decades. Marijuana doesn't have to be the gateway drug. Marijuana is more easily enjoyed in moderation.
Fight for Freedom!

Matthew Iglehart of IA 1:28PM March 16, 2009

Do you know how much money we are spending in taxes to house people in jail for possession of marijuana. It would help in more ways than one. Plus more people would be high, which would mean less violence. (most likely) at least from personal experience. It would also generate more creative minds. The notion that marijuana is a gateway drug is completely 100% false. Its a ploy used by the government and other small groups to play the balance factor because it is illegal. What other way would they make there money, they have to be the opposite, not by choice but by human nature. More people are killed in a day by alcohol than by marijuana users since marijuana was known of. Its just unbelievable that it is illegal as I type this. Its just COMMON SENSE people. I could go on and on for hours just trying to prove my point. I just hope somebody with some authority would read this and understand the common logic of marijuana. Also on one other note, the media and the government make marijuana look like a violent drug because of all the bad drug deals; if it were legal, all that would stop. I don't know about you, but i would rather get my marijuana from the grocery store than a gun strapping drug dealer. Let just wake up and see the light! It would benefit all users and non-users, financially and socially.
Thank you,
Nelson Delp III
(Reading, PA)

Nelson Delp III of PA 1:22PM March 16, 2009

Each state has the choice between either spending $20,000 a year to lock up a marijuana user or collecting sales tax on the individual's purchase of this widely used, relatively safe product.
To tax the grow-your-own crowd, we could consider a $100 per year permit for a dozen plants.
It's time to put the criminal drug dealers out of business and let ordinary Americans grow a little marijuana in their own back yards.

Conservative 1976 of GA 1:00PM March 16, 2009

legalize it it would be the best this to happen for the economy because it would give it a major boost

ryan hanley of NY 12:16PM March 16, 2009

California needs to legalize marijuana it would make much apportunities for more study on medicinal marijuana. They would also make lots of money. LEGALIZE IT!

MR. Smith of CA 11:49AM March 16, 2009

California needs to legalize marijuana it would make much apportunities for more study on medicinal marijuana. They would also make lots of money. LEGALIZE IT!

MR. Smith of CA 11:49AM March 16, 2009

It's about time that politicians and the enforcement industry admit that the War on Drugs with regards to marijuana is over.... and marijuana won! Re-legalizing marijuana for adult use makes sense. Continuing to demonize marijuana makes no sense now that too many people now know the truth that marijuana is far more benign than either alcohol or nicotine and find that responsible use can improve the quality of their life. Today's marijuana laws reflect the hypocrisy of the past. It's about time this country moves into the light of truth about marijuana.

Charles Larsen of CA 11:45AM March 16, 2009

Informative article, now here's a note to think about:
Harry Jacob Anslinger (May 20, 1892 – November 14, 1975) let him and all the horror he caused America and the world be purged from all the history books. May he be judged according to the lies and fears he invented to infect the world and accomplish his own will. In hind sight his lies caused our nation to be split for a while. Born in the 19th century this homegrown terrorist captivated a nation with his underhanded lies, his intent was to manipulate the minds of the American public and ultimately the world. Harry does not belong in the 21st century, he really never belonged to any century. It's true our drug policies are based on Harry's own 19th century view of cannabis. His thinking was in sepia tone our world is digital, high definition, and multidimensional living color. He came from a time when horse buggy racing was the headlines we live in an age of stem cell research, nanotechnologies, international space stations, cloning, mars rover and so many new technical advances that I question politicians again, why are we still prohibiting this particular herb and listening to the nonsensical BS of Harry's 19th century propaganda? If you decide to vote young folks here's something to contemplate.
Abraham Lincon said: "Prohibition...attempts to control a mans appitite by legislation and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes. A prohibition law stikes a blow at the very principle upon which our government was founded."

Senior Citizen Jimmy of CA 11:36AM March 16, 2009

You know, most of the people in the US want marijuana legalised and taxed. Most of the states that have ballots on medical marijuana are passing all over the US, and if the people had their way, there would be a way to start marijuana and hemp businesses. It's just not the stuff with the THC that is valuable and can be used in a new business, it's also the HEMP fibres and nutritious hemp seeds that are ripe for new business ventures. If BIG PHARMA wanted it it would be legal, but they don't want it. They want to poison us with their laboratory made garbage that ends up causing more health problems down the line.
We need Gov. Paterson of NY here to get up off his arse and make it legal in NY too!

Lynn Tulumello of NY 10:45AM March 16, 2009