Tomorrow is election day for us in the Los Angeles area. And there is a measure on the ballot to de-criminalize the use of Marijuana. And yes, I’m voting for it.
Not because I use MJ. I don’t use any drug other than alcohol and even that I use only occasionally. And it’s not due to the fact I knew and know people who sometimes use something extra to enhance their evening. It’s because I don’t think Marijuana is as dangerous as the prudes have been touting it. And I certainly don’t think its dangerous enough that you should go to jail just for possessing it.
ONE.. every individual is susceptible in their own way to any and all recreational drugs. It depends on the individual and their choices. Is the MJ lover going to rob, steal or murder to get his fix? Probably no more than the alcoholic will. But I’m sure there are cases where they might. But the AVERAGE pothead just doesn’t get off his ass enough to go wild!
I tried cocaine in the 80’s when it was popular. And I loved it. But it was expensive and it made me want to share all I had with everyone.. soooo not economically sound! I realized it could/would become a problem and weakness for me that I couldn’t afford. I CHOSE to stay away. I know not everyone can or will do that, and perhaps that is their lesson to learn.
TWO… the war on drugs isn’t very old. It’s only been going on for about 1 generation and it hasn’t really reduced the drug use much. It HAS filled our jails. It HAS created an amazing criminal element spanning countries worldwide. It HAS gone from a choice to a moral wrong.
Did we learn NOTHING from prohibition? Making alcohol illegal didn’t stop people from drinking. It created the mob.. it killed people because sometimes what was served as alcohol wasn’t regulated and was borderline poison! It made people have to hide their pleasures from the public as if who they were was wrong, developing an entire culture trained to be sneaky.
THREE… Aren’t we the country of the free? Don’t we have inalienable rights bestowed on us by our creator? We scream when you terminate us without reasonable cause then toss you in jail for using a substance someone else decided you couldn’t use in your own home. Republicans whine and cry when they get their business’s (i.e. their money) regulated for fair practices then turn around and tell you (regulating you) that your lifestyle clashes with their version of “family values”
FOUR… Follow the Money. The war on drugs is big business for the government & companies. Plus, the gangs don’t want you to cut into their business. The drug cartels sure as hell don’t want you to! So are they really saying no because of “moral” reasons or because they don’t want THEIR pocketbook amount to change.
AND LASTLY… How will passing this measure benefit us? TAXES, people, taxes! Regulate the shit that’s grown and tax it like any business. Make every seller put sales tax on it AND tax the income they earn. The consequences for driving or showing up on the job high shouldn’t be any worse than being drunk when you do those same things. Free up space in the jails for serious criminals, let our cops bust someone with a gun not a joint.
Sadly.. the measure may not pass. Why? Because everybody got high in celebration and no one got off their couch to pay for ads to push for it!