Prop. 19 a bad law for California VCStar / 09,25,2010 Legalizing and taxing marijuana will not only fail to solve California's budget mess as its supporters would suggest, it will burden our state with additional problems, added costs and unintended consequences. There is no evidence that legalizing and taxing a dangerous drug will make our communities safer. In fact, law-enforcement professionals in California believe the opposite will occur. The legalization of marijuana will increase demand and create new users. Those not wanting to pay the taxes on the drug will grow their own or look to the black market. The violent drug cartel will have an open and legal market in California to sell their marijuana. There will be no way to determine taxed legal marijuana from cartel marijuana. Drug dealers do not pay taxes now and they will not pay taxes if marijuana is labeled legal. There is ample evidence that, like alcohol and tobacco, the social costs associated with legalizing and taxing marijuana will far outweigh the tax revenue raised. Currently, for every $1 collected in taxes on alcohol and tobacco, $9 is spent in social costs, according to a study by the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. Do we really need additional drug users and additional social problems? Marijuana is a harmful and addictive drug that has ostensibly been labeled medicine by some. Even though it requires a “legal†prescription, the abuses have been profound and it has brought violence to many neighborhoods. Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca recently stated, “The medical marijuana program that voters authorized has been hijacked by underground drug-dealing criminals who are resorting to violence to control their piece of the action.†His comments were made in the wake of a triple homicide in Los Angeles tied to the medicinal marijuana industry. We also know that the legalization of a dangerous drug will increase impaired drivers on the roadway. Proving impairment by people under the influence of marijuana is presently difficult and there is no roadside breath test which can provide presumptive proof to law enforcement. For that matter, there is no test which can be used for a heavy equipment operator, an airline pilot or a school bus driver. Do you really want marijuana legalized? It is ironic that in a state that bans trans fats, soda machines in schools and wants to ban smoking cigarettes in private residences that we would somehow have a ballot initiative to legalize a dangerous drug that has 50 percent to 70 percent more carcinogens than tobacco, harms the brains of the adolescent and chronic users, impairs the judgment of drivers and puts the public at risk. Legalizing marijuana will put a tremendous burden on law enforcement, community safety and our healthcare system. Mental health officials who understand the problems of addiction and mind- altering drugs agree that legalizing marijuana would have disastrous effects on public health. There are obvious reasons why marijuana is illegal and it should stay that way. We do not need more bad laws in California. Vote no on Proposition 19. The authors This commentary was submitted by the Ventura County Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee: - Bob Brooks, Ventura County sheriff; Chief Ken Corney, Ventura Police Department; Chief John Crombach, Oxnard Police Department; Chief Mike Lewis, Simi Valley Police Department; Chief Stephen MacKinnon, Santa Paula Police Department; and Greg Totten, Ventura County district attorney. The authors of this article are the ones that receive and distribute the ONDCP drug enforcement funding for the vigorous drug law enforcement and therefore are not trying to protect and serve as much as they are trying to protect and save their funding.
It will be harder for adolescents to get marijuana if it was legalized. Its easier to get a blunt then getting cigarettes. I am against kids smoking thats why im voting for it Vaporizer, edibles Alchohol already does this and is legal I'd say thats a result of poor infurstructure and administration rather then thee legalization. All of the marijuana involved violence that occurs is BECAUSE it is illegal, because we make it impossible for no other entrapanuers but cartel leaders and gangsters to profit from it, we hand it to the black market and are appauled when violence happens! Wrong, swab tests and pupil dialation tests
from wikipedia Saliva tests are poorly sensitive to THC and detection times can vary considerably based on the cutoffs used. In some cases drug use may only be detectable for a few hours.
I'm sick to my fucking stomach of hearing how many more carcinogens and chemicals cannabis has in it than tobacco. People always say this shit but then show no source for the information. I'm sure they don't post the study that proves this is true because such a study doesn't exist. Does anyone know where people get this ridiculous notion?
The whole "black market / cartels selling weed" thing is complete bs. They say it would come to that because people don't want to pay tax... people wouldn't give a shit about tax if it was legal because it would cost nothing to begin with, thus the tax would be irrelevant. I highly doubt cartels / the black market could produce equal quality weed at the same price as legal buds if it were legalized. They'd still have to smuggle it / create illegal grows, thus their prices would be increased over legal entities. In other words their weed would be MORE expensive and of a LESSER quality.. their argument makes no sense.
I sick of hearing people who are against prop 19 not making an actual case except using known anti-marijuana propaganda. Well, there have been a few decent arguments, but not enough to change y mind on the subject.
lol im in tears laughing right now, this guy must get his information from that dog on the anti-marijuana comercials. Seriously though maybe you should look for sources of information that are not bias towards the subject. Personally i believe that the legalization would be benificial economicaly and also to the police force. Do you know how many people are arrested due to possession of marijuana? Its not pretty. We need space in jails for true criminals, rapists, serial killers, ect.
Yea this article is an absolute joke as already stated. The only thing that may negatively happen is the fact that there will be way less people going to jail if this law is passed. The prison system is a business in itself. The prisons give out a lot of jobs so I would imagine the prison system would decline? Please correct me if I'm wrong but it could be true. Anyways, vote yes for prop 19. It can start the movement for legal weed across the country. The main problem with the vote possibly not passing is how uninformed our country is. People still believe marijuana is as bad as cocaine and other drugs. Seriously, go around asking older people how bad they think marijuana is and so many of them are terribly misinformed. It is ridiculous how misinformed people are about cannabis.
Really......really... it scares me these are the people that are supposed to protect us and this is the best they can do. There is no evidence that legalizing and taxing a dangerous drug will make our communities safer. Did we already forget prohibition? In the 20s and 30s alcohol was illegal and organized crime profited by it, including the drug cartels in Mexico, not to mention corrupt law enforcement officials. When it was legalized the money dried up to these organizations and put gangsters like Al Capone behind bars. The tax revenue generated from the legalization of Alcohol helped to move the U.S. out of a little thing called the Great Depreciation. Is any of this sounding familiar to anyone? The legalization of marijuana will increase demand and create new users. Again, have we forgot prohibition where the amount of users decreased after legalization? Or look at Amsterdam that has less marijuana users per capita then the US. Those not wanting to pay the taxes on the drug will grow their own or look to the black market. Even with the $50 / ounce tax, Phillip Morris and Big Agricultural Companies will team up to keep prices down to $30-40 an ounce, with a shelf price of under $100 an ounce, the black market will not be able to compete. When is the last time you bought a pack of smokes from the guy on the street corner because they were cheaper? Currently, for every $1 collected in taxes on alcohol and tobacco, $9 is spent in social costs, according to a study by the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. Couldn't agree more... wtf does this have to do with marijuana? Marijuana is a harmful and addictive drug that has ostensibly been labeled medicine by some. Even though it requires a “legal†prescription, the abuses have been profound and it has brought violence to many neighborhoods. Addictive, compared to alternatives? I don't think so. Violence? In the form of dispensary robberies? They are still outnumbered by bank and liquor store robberies. Thieves go where the money is, and when they see this attitude from local law enforcement, they know the best targets. For that matter, there is no test which can be used for a heavy equipment operator, an airline pilot or a school bus driver. They have only been using these in the US for about 10 years, I can see why California would have no idea they exist. (If I was a school bus driver I might have to smoke everyday - this is not going to help my argument) U.S. Plans Breathalyzer-Like Drug Test for Drivers has 50 percent to 70 percent more carcinogens than tobacco These have only been proven as carcinogens when extracted and concentrated and injected into lab rats. Marijuana has not been linked to any cases of cancer, even when smoked. Legalizing marijuana will put a tremendous burden on law enforcement, community safety and our healthcare system. Mental health officials who understand the problems of addiction and mind- altering drugs agree that legalizing marijuana would have disastrous effects on public health. Does this one even deserve a response? Why does it not surprise me to see the officers that receive funding from drug enforcement to be opposed to Prop 19? I wonder if they would still be opposed if they were told that they are going to receive the same amount of funding, but it was to now be reallocated to actual dangerous drugs, if they would change their stance, or are the drug cartels and professional growers that good of lobbyist to keep them on their side.
"50 percent to 70 percent more carcinogens than tobacco" Really though the stupidity and ignorance here over such a beneficial and harmless plant just gives me a headache. Why can't these do good warriors go campaign against a drug that really is bad, like heroin or crack? Or maybe turn there attention to the real killers; pharmaceuticals, alcohol, and tobacco. All of the legal stuff Oh yeah I know why, the drug warriors would lose money if prohibition is repealed. Their jobs depend on people suffering from the drug war.
Even if its nowhere perfect bill, it is a major step for a state to do this, and more will do also if they get the bill ! No reason besides the criminals making way too much money and govt to say no to this bill. I do not live in cali but the medical scene is just a money maker for everyone. i think it's wrong to have to pay the Government to get your medicine permission but also have to buy same price as street. We need this bill to pass so we don't go a step back for full legalization! PROP 19 - YES!
God Damnit, I don;t understand why people can't just give it a chance?? We test it with one state, if shit hits the fan like these fucks say, then repeal it and thats that. If nothing happens (most likely outcome) than nothing bad happens AT ALL! Ughh...
It's true there is more carcinogens and tar and such. But it's very misleading, a cigarette smoker smokes almost a pack a day so that's lets say 20 cigarettes a day compared to how many joints? 3-4? On a good day 3-4.