Prop 19 - Legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana in california

Wow, no thread on this yet?

I'm kind of new to this whole great debate stuff as I tend to avoid it for the most part..

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Proposition 19, also known as the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010, is a California ballot proposition which will be on the November 2, 2010 California statewide ballot. It legalizes various marijuana-related activities, allows local governments to regulate these activities, permits local governments to impose and collect marijuana-related fees and taxes, and authorizes various criminal and civil penalties.[1] In March 2010, it qualified to be on the November statewide ballot.[2] It requires a simple majority in order to pass, and would take effect the day after the election.[3] Yes on 19 is the official advocacy group for the initiative, and No On Proposition 19 is the official opposition group.[4]
Proponents of Proposition 19 argue that it would help with California's budget shortfall, cut off funding to violent drug cartels, and redirect law enforcement resources to more dangerous crime,[5] while opponents claim that its gaps and flaws will have serious unintended consequences on public safety, workplaces, and federal funding.[6] As of October 2010, even if the proposition is passed, the sale of marijuana will remain illegal under federal law via the Controlled Substances Act.[7][8][9]

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Califor...ition_19_(2010)

Discuss.


I think this would be great. I'm not a pot head in the slightest, only tried the shit once. The stuff is so much less dangerous than most legal substances out there today (Alchohol, tobacco, etc), and the crop itself is very useful and has tons of benefits. I'd imagine his passing would lead to things like hemp products being used, such as hemp paper and hemp rope, which as far as I know are much better for the environment.

We had an initiative in Wa state, but the petition didn't get enough signatures to go on the ballot. Personally, I think pot should be treaded the same way as alcohol.

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Originally Posted by t3h m00kz

...the crop itself is very useful and has tons of benefits. I'd imagine his passing would lead to things like hemp products being used, such as hemp paper and hemp rope, which as far as I know are much better for the environment.

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There are already plenty of hemp products available in America, it's just against the law to produce them locally.

Reading through the Wikipedia article, though, I can't see anything about legalizing hemp production. As far as I'm aware, you can't make a lot of, if any, hemp material out of the strains used for producing marihuana, just as you can't produce marihuana from an industrial hemp plant.

Are you sure it regulates the growing of industrial hemp?

Furthermore, similar actions, though to a lesser severity, have been enacted in other states, lessening their cannabis penalties, correct? It was my understanding that they're still liable to federal penalties if the DEA or similar organization catches them. Would that not apply in this circumstance as well?

All in all, though, this is definitely a step in the right direction. Props to Prop 9.

I do think its a great idea, like you guys said, its less damaging than say alcohol. Plus they government would make a bomb due to all the tax they receive.

The only issue I see, is that pot can lead some users into harder drugs, such as cocaine and heroin which are

The problem is, people are allowed to grow there own marijuana which is out sight of being taxed.

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Originally Posted by Limited

The only issue I see, is that pot can lead some users into harder drugs, such as cocaine and heroin which are

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A common misconception, and one that needs to be addressed. The illegality of cannabis creates a black-market system wherein dealers will carry a multitude of substances, to cater to their clients demands.

Because the availability of cannabis is tied in with that of harder drugs, dealers will become pushers, encouraging their clients to "try something stronger" or "go for a bigger high". Hard drugs are more expensive, and as such it is in the best interest of the dealer to sell them.

There is little scientific evidence supporting that people who use cannabis are more likely to use harder drugs than anyone else.

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Originally Posted by thehoodedsmack

There is little scientific evidence supporting that people who use cannabis are more likely to use harder drugs than anyone else.

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Scientific evidence? No there isnt...Is there hundreds of case studies? Yes. Are their conferences happening every year that talk about smoking and hard drug use and how to reduce the harm they cause? Yes.

I agree with your statement that dealers would try to sell harder drugs. That still remains the 'black market' though, its pretty hard to prevent. If the government can help prevent that from occurring, then they should try to.

The other problem is legalizing it, affectively says to the public, its okay to do it. Which, like alot of other substances can bring alot of health problems.

The American government is completely anal about drugs, they don't give two shits for people who have drug problems. The amount of red tape involved in the area of harm reduction is outstanding. They affectively give up hope on the drug addicts, either making them come completely clean, or leave them to rot. Now clearly that isnt the fault of the American public, no one is suggesting it is. However I can see from the governments point of view, they don't want to lead down that road....And I'm referencing hard drugs, I view pot as being relatively harmless.

Less than 1% of people who use cannabis use heroin or cocaine. All I'm saying is that contrary to what you stated, cannabis is not a "gateway drug". The factors in its sale, and the tendencies of the individual are the only ones that influence whether a person will migrate to a harder drug. Cannabis on its own will not make a person seek out a harder drug.

Guys, what makes Cannabis a "gateway drug", is the person who uses it. If one enjoys the feeling of cannabis, but wants more, they may be very likely to move to a harder drug. Is this the fault of the cannabis? No. It is the fault of the person; the fact of the matter is that if cannabis acts as a "gateway drug" for you, you were probably going to get into hard drugs regardless of whether or not you ever did cannabis. Its a psychological fact that some people are thrill seekers. Some get their thrills with drugs, some get them with incredibly unsafe activity (rock climbing, sky diving, etc). Using the "cannabis is a gateway drug" argument is a ridiculous logical fallacy, because the gateway is not in the drug, it is in the mind of the user.

I say we legalize it. I may or may not have done it quite a few times, and I may or may not know that it isn't nearly as bad for you as drinking. It'd help the economy, not just by profiting from the cannabis, but from also all of the stoners that need to eat because they have the hardcore munchies.