Marijuana is a drug made from the cannabis plant. Under new legislation in the state of California, marijuana businesses will be allowed to sell the drug for profit, and the farmers will be able to grow an unlimited amount of plants. This legislation is expected to take effect in 2018 if it is passed by voters this coming November.There would be a "state excise tax on retail sales of marijuana equal to 15% of sales price, and state cultivation taxes on marijuana of $9.25 per ounce of flowers and $2.75 per ounce of leaves." However, medical marijuana would be excluded from some taxes. Only adults would be allowed to use marijuana recreationally.
The new industry of marijuana will be very large scale with massive amounts of farming.
Marijuana is considered part of the hippie culture of California, but small businesses may be pushed out by larger corporations. The annual tax revenue from marijuana is predicted to be millions, and the profits for companies in California are predicted to be much larger than those of the states already allow recreational use, Colorado and Washington. "Medical marijuana sales in California hit $2.7 billion last year, accounting for nearly half of all legal marijuana sales in the country."
The Southern California desert's property value has tripled as people rush to purchase land where marijuana growth is permitted. However, banks are forbidden from doing business with marijuana companies.
Based on what I have read so far, I think that the passing of this new legislation to legalize the recreational use of marijuana for adults will be beneficial for our economy. It will create a new industry and a new source of revenue for the government. Adults are expected to be responsible for themselves, so they should be able to decide if they want to use marijuana recreationally. I think it is similar to the situation with tobacco. Only adults can purchase it and there will be higher taxes on it. I do not think that it will endanger society if it the legislation was to be passed because people can already get it on the black market. Also, its legalization may lead to less usage of marijuana, for non medical purposes, as the lack of the illegal factor takes away some thrill. Moreover, the legalization may decreased the number or people arrested for possession of it, thus decreasing the overcrowded prison problem.
Questions:
Do you believe that the new legislation legalizing recreational marijuana is a good thing?
Are California's efforts to end the black market for marijuana valid or do you believe that the new legislation with make the drug more destructive to the general public?
With the predicted widespread use of marijuana come true and persist for decades to come or is it simply a fad that will evaporate?
Will you vote yes to allow recreational use of marijuana?
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/12/us/in-california-marijuana-is-smelling-more-like-big-business.html?ref=todayspaper
https://ballotpedia.org/California_Control,_Regulate_and_Tax_Adult_Use_of_Marijuana_Initiative_%282016%29
8 comments:
I vote yes, but only to reduce the rise of prison populations. But my biggest concern is that children will have much easier access to the drug as adults will be so easily able to buy marijuana. The recreational marijuana industry could be related to post-prohibition alcohol in which a previously illicit product is now taxable. I highly doubt marijuana will become a sensation. At best it will be a fad, just like how e-cigarettes or whatever they are called are really only things that hipsters suck on to gain attention (I respect all people equally highly, regardless of what they do or do not inhale).
The zeitgeist is changing. The majority now accepts marijuana legalization. But this does not mean the entire population of California will become pot-smoking zombies.
Legalizing marijuana is kind of a tricky thing because if we're going to legalize the drug we're almost saying that it's okay to smoke pot, but if we don't legalize it then people will continue to purchase it off the black market (without paying any form of tax on it). In the end, I really think there's pros and cons to each side. Legalizing marijuana can definitely have some beneficial aspects since it can be used in the medical field. However, nowadays it's not that difficult for somebody to go to the doctor and fake some sort of pain to get a medicinal marijuana card. Thus, many people in the US can and will get medicinal marijuana just for the sake of "getting high".
In the end, I don't think there's a black and white for legalizing marijuana. All aspects should be considered and taken into consideration.
I believe the legalization of marijuana is a great thing. The war on drugs must end, and I will most definitely vote yes. Aside from the fact that many studies have shown that marijuana is less harmful than tobacco and alcohol, legalizing marijuana will also stimulate the economy. Whether marijuana is legal or not, people who want it are still going to get their hands on it anyways, so it won't be destructive to the general public as lots of people possess marijuana whether it's legal or not.
I think legalizing marijuana will benefit California more than it will hurt it. For one, there is the beneficial effect it will have on the economy. With the high tax, revenues will bring in a lot more money. But in addition to taxing, there will be less money going towards arresting and imprisoning people for drug usage. Both of these things will be helpful for the Californian economy.
However, there are always dangers. One such possibility is that usage will not decline, but rather increase. I think that it is definitely plausible that some people will not smoke marijuana if it loses its illegal status. On the other hand, more people will be tempted to try it since it is no longer against the law. For many, that may be the only barrier preventing them from smoking marijuana, so legalization could potentially open the door to many more users.
Taking this risk into account, I think that legalization must come alongside a strong set of regulation. Like alcohol, marijuana impairs peoples' judgement, which poses a threat to those around users, especially when it comes to driving or operating some kind of machinery. There need to be some rules in place to ensure people do not negatively affect others while under the influence of the drug. If there is enough control over marijuana usage so that the public is still safe, then marijuana should be legalized.
I think legalizing marijuana will benefit California more than it will hurt it. For one, there is the beneficial effect it will have on the economy. With the high tax, revenues will bring in a lot more money. But in addition to taxing, there will be less money going towards arresting and imprisoning people for drug usage. Both of these things will be helpful for the Californian economy.
However, there are always dangers. One such possibility is that usage will not decline, but rather increase. I think that it is definitely plausible that some people will not smoke marijuana if it loses its illegal status. On the other hand, more people will be tempted to try it since it is no longer against the law. For many, that may be the only barrier preventing them from smoking marijuana, so legalization could potentially open the door to many more users.
Taking this risk into account, I think that legalization must come alongside a strong set of regulation. Like alcohol, marijuana impairs peoples' judgement, which poses a threat to those around users, especially when it comes to driving or operating some kind of machinery. There need to be some rules in place to ensure people do not negatively affect others while under the influence of the drug. If there is enough control over marijuana usage so that the public is still safe, then marijuana should be legalized.
I believe that this may not be the best idea. Legalizing marijuana will definitely reduce costs from imprisoning so many for such a simple act, but we risk having not only a population of stoners, but also all the progress made to get rid of substance abuse. As a society, we banned narcotics so long ago, and were beginning to make moves against tobacco. Now, the case against tobacco will be even weaker, and that's something we can't afford with the new rise in these "e-cigarettes". Now, of course we don't want to turn ourselves into a nanny-state, but legalizing narcotics, even if it's just marijuana, will make the kids think it's okay to use and perfectly safe (after all, why else would it be legal?). The purpose behind anti-narcotics still holds true, that there are people incapable of making good decisions and endanger the public.
I think marijuana should be legalized. It's use and sale is already so prevalent that decriminalization will not yield any significant usage decreases as opposed to legalization. Furthermore, with legalization the government is not only able to make tax revenue, but is also able to regulate the industry and set health and safety standards for manufacturers.
Government regulation also means that there will be more information available for the public, which will make use safer and get rid of the negative stigma associated with drugs. This stigma is part of the reason that marijuana is seen as a gateway drug, since the stigma causes users to not interact with legal authorities and generally pushes people away from the law. Legalization means the government will be able to get information to consumers and educate them about the potential dangers of drug use and the support services available for substance abuse.
I believe the recreational use of marijuana should be legalized. Like you said in this article, our economy could benefit from this legislation. Furthermore if this means less money flowing through the black market that means more money flowing through our economy instead. If I had to guess, I don't believe engaging in marijuana related activities is some kind of fad that will die off within a few years. Mostly because I see its use is similar to drinking alcohol. People have been drinking alcohol for hundreds of years and there seems to be no sign of that ending. So I do not see any reason for consuming marijuana to die off. Overall I would vote yes for this legislation since the pros outweigh the cons indefinitely.
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