Legalize marijuana: “Stop being so afraid”

On Nov. 2, 2010 voters of California will decide whether or not they want to make the production, sale, and consumption of marijuana legal. Prop 19 (Regulate, Control, and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010) has been the source of much controversy recently, but it’s obvious that California needs this initiative to pass.

First and foremost, the state is in economic and financial ruin and is desperate for money. Legalizing and taxing the sale of marijuana would provide much needed funds to the state. A portion of the money collected could even go to our failing public school system.

Not only are we missing out on easy money for our state, but much of our law enforcement and local resources are being wasted on busting people for smoking weed. Based on what I have seen in my life, I’m pretty sure that people who smoke marijuana are going to do it regardless of its legality, so why waste our time punishing them? If pot smokers make the choice to smoke, they are making a conscious decision that only affects themselves; they aren’t harming anybody else.

Another major reason we need to legalize marijuana is due to the fact that dangerous drug lords and gangs have disrupted communities throughout the state and have caused heartache to millions of families. Legalization would put these drug lords out of business and effectively end the dangerous nature of the illegal marijuana trade.

The only reason marijuana has been illegal for so long is because it carries the stigma of a hard drug that is harmful to people physically, and to the community as a whole. In reality, it isn’t nearly as harmful as alcohol or cigarettes, which are both legal in all 50 states. It’s time for people to stop being so afraid and go out and make a vote on Nov. 2 to make a sensible change for the better.