Roger Ian
Content
1 Amanda Labrado English 100 Prof. Webb 3/17/10 Rogerian argument: Legalize Marijuana In the 1930s, Harry Anslinger was the head of the federal Bureau of Prohibition, and was - without reason - against marijuana. He wanted marijuana prohibited stating, “Marijuana is the most violence-causing drug in the history of mankind”. Around the same time, the DuPont Corporation and William Randolph Hearst also wanted marijuana banned, but for exclusively monetary purposes; mainly to prevent themselves from losing money to the versatile fiber of the cannabis variety Cannabis Sativa known as Hemp. In the 1930s, Hemp was used to make the same items that Hearst and DuPont did, i.e. canvas, rope, fuel oil, and especially paper. In the mid-1930s, the trio - Hearst, DuPont, and Anslinger - worked together to create anti-marijuana propaganda, such as “MARIJUANA MAKES FIENDS OF BOYS IN 30 DAYS”. As a result of their propaganda, Marijuana possession and use were outlawed in 1937 by the passing of the federal Marihuana Tax Act. Today, marijuana's prohibition has contributed to societal problems such as violence, issues due to youth being able to easily obtain marijuana, rehab stigma, public fear, income inequality, homelessness, injustices, and our budget deficit. But the legalization of marijuana has the power to solve those issues too. Most people postulate that if marijuana were legal, posterity may well be devastated because the youngsters of our society might be introduced to it by their friends, and then receive it through their friend’s friends. It is also possible that teens may become potheads since they will be smoking the drug while still in high school, which may ruin many youngsters’ lives forever; furthermore, the irresponsibility that comes with smoking so young might also
Labrado 2 contribute to the naïve decision – which some teens may make – to mix marijuana with alcohol. Mixing the two, especially on a night during the school year, may cause teens to have trouble getting ready for school in the morning the following day. For instance, they may be unable to walk balanced or navigate through their rooms without being tipsy; meaning that lower grades, lower attendance rates, and higher dropout rates could result. Also, more teens might become dependent on the drug, and become "amotivational" – also known as purely lazy – as a result. Some teens drive, and some people who drive may be marijuana smokers, meaning that they might drive while under the influence to get to where they need to go. This may cause more accidents, and make road travel unsafe due to their lack of concentration, motor coordination, the ability to react quickly, judge distance, and react appropriately to roadside signals (Drug-Free California, 2010). There could be an increase in crime rates too. Marijuana would be legal to buy and sell in the middle of the street, which would cause violence among gangs who wish to control the trade. In addition, the indigent would fall further into poverty trying to buy their fixes, and because marijuana is a gateway drug, there would be a rise in cocaine and heroin users and addictions. The reality that would take place if marijuana were to be legalized though, would be that the only youth who would gain access to marijuana after it is legalized would be 21 year olds, or at least in California, because the Control and Tax Cannabis Initiative would “Allow[s] adults 21 and older in California to possess up to one ounce of cannabis” (2010); therefore, teens would not be able to access the drug with as much ease as they can at present, “40 percent of teens [can] get marijuana within a day; another quarter said they could get it within an hour” (NORML, 2009). Teens would also not be able to consume marijuana with alcohol as easily since there would be an age limit. On the other hand, it is also very possible for marijuana users to abuse their privilege to smoke, just as alcohol consumers do – as aforementioned, they might drive
Labrado 3 under the influence, and cause accidents. It is also feasible that crime rates might stay stagnant, since there will be a new high demand for marijuana. It is questionable though, that there might be a rise in the number of cocaine and heroin users as a result of the legalization of marijuana; if something is legal – like cigarettes – it is usually less likely to motivate people to use a substance that is not – such as heroin. People are more likely to form new habits than use stronger drugs. Since most people enjoy smoking a cigarette when they are stressed out, or enjoy relaxing in their free time away from work or school, people who smoke marijuana will most likely take up the same habit. Marijuana smokers will do with their drug exactly as cigarette smokers do: relax by using it. They will be relaxing in their own homes, just like people who sit on the couch and watch TV while smoking a cigarette or drinking a beer. The only difference is that marijuana users may be bothered by the cops for smoking, and can be arrested for doing so. This is not fair, because marijuana is even less addictive than tobacco or alcohol. Marijuana is even less addictive than caffeine, which explains why a smaller number of people who try pot get addicted to it, unlike with caffeine (Spiritual River, 2010). The only difference between marijuana and tobacco is that marijuana slows down a person’s cognitive processes more than tobacco does. Would not it be a cruel world if people carrying alcohol – even at home – could be arrested for “possession”? That is how it is today for marijuana smokers: If you have a joint in your hand at home, and the police just happen to knock on your door, you will be arrested, even though alcohol – which you may also have – is even more addictive than marijuana. No one would want to be arrested for having a bottle of alcohol in their hand, just as marijuana smokers do not want to be arrested for having a joint in their hand. People often enjoy a conversation with friends better if they can relax, either by smoking a cigarette or by drinking a beer, or through another means. So should not Marijuana users be allowed to do the same? Should not pot smokers be allowed to be a little more giddy than usual,
Labrado 4 or see life in a different way for a couple of hours? What effect would they have on anyone but themselves? We all enjoy laughing with our friends, seeing life from a different perspective, and slowing down time under certain circumstances, so shouldn’t marijuana users be allowed to experience the same things, but at home? Marijuana is only a bad drug because it is prohibited. Marijuana is only bad, because America says it is. Marijuana is in the same position as alcohol was in the 1920s, it is a substance everyone wants, but no one is allowed to have; hence, it has been placed under the same glamorous light as alcohol had been in the 1920s: it begs onlookers to try it, and consume it. One of the main reasons so many people smoke marijuana is because it is illegal, if it were not illegal, it would not be as attractive to them, or mostly at least, to young adults. Marijuana is like the cheese in the mouse trap: it attracts tempted consumers, and then traps them – often for the rest of their life -, usually, in a horrible court system. If they are not caught, they live life smoking but scared of the police who are supposed to protect them from harm. Americans are funding the U.S.’s $2 billion DEA. Through their taxes, American’s pay for the prosecutions the DEA carries out, the agent’s salaries, and any other institutions associated with the DEA, such as jails or courts (Center for American Progress, 2010). American’s taxes are funding pot smoker’s – so to speak – overnight stays in jails. American’s taxes are funding the government’s ineffective campaigns against marijuana, such as D.A.R.E., and the National Youth Anti- Drug Media Campaign, “exposure to the campaign did not prevent initiation of marijuana use and had no effect on curtailing current users' marijuana use, despite youth recall of and favorable assessments of advertisements” (Government Accountability office, 2006). Most people are also concerned about California’s $19 billion dollar debt (Moore, 2010). Others are concerned about America’s debt crisis: Currently $12.9 trillion (Treasury Direct, 2010). So why not minimize these debts by legalizing marijuana and taxing it, whether it is done federally or statewide? We would save millions of dollars by eliminating the arrests and punishments
Labrado 5 associated with marijuana prohibition. Furthermore, any person affected by America’s or California’s budget deficits would want to fix one or the other, although legalizing and taxing marijuana may not have been their first idea, it certainly is a good one. If “weed” were taxed we could use its revenue to help education. Also, we could stop arresting and stop incarcerating innocent people. According to the California Department of Justice, we arrested about 17,126 people for marijuana related felonies in 2008. These arrests cost us about $732 each and about $9,250 per court case (CA NORML [National Organization for the reformation of Marijuana Laws]). These costs add up to a total of about $12,536,232 for arrests and $158,415,500 for court cases which means we spent about $170,951,732 on marijuana related felonies in 2008. We are wasting money spending so much on preventing victimless crimes. No one would want to be sent to prison for smoking a cigarette, but innocent people are being sent to jail almost daily for smoking and having in their possession marijuana, and they don’t deserve it – even on a second offense. These people do not harm anyone but – if at all – themselves. Streets may be safer once marijuana is legalized, because gang violence previously caused by unpaid dues to drug lords may decline due to the gangs’ loss of business; if marijuana were legalized it would be available at a café-like store, and it would be cheaper to buy there than from a gang member. By legalizing marijuana, arrests for possession would be eliminated, freeing up time for officers to pursue more dangerous offenders, such as rapists, robbers, and cheaters, who pose a greater threat to society than marijuana users. Furthermore, anyone’s child may be tempted to and may try marijuana, which may cause them to become caught in America’s flawed criminal justice system just because of the simple mistake – and caused by curiosity, temptation, or peer pressure – to smoke or try marijuana. This may ruin their lives forever, because once a person is convicted of a marijuana related crime in California, they may lose their ability to obtain financial aid to pay for an education, or they may lose their job, or
Labrado 6 their ability to gain a new one. Going to college, acquiring a job, and being able to work, all are factors that contribute to a person’s wealth and social status. Our court system helps to widen the income inequality gap by forcing those who may be poor already – as a result of the high price of marijuana – to pay prosecution fees they may be able to hardly afford. Furthermore, after a person is convicted of a marijuana misdemeanor, they may be restricted from adopting a child, receiving food stamps, or serving on a jury. A person loses and owes so much for so little a crime committed. One reason marijuana was prohibited is because it was not commonly used by wealthy white men. Marijuana was originally brought to America by Mexican and Indian foreigners. At the time, many Americans were nativists and they disapproved of newcomers because they were scared of communism and of losing their culture. To white men, foreigners were invaders; therefore, the foreign smoke of marijuana was automatically looked down upon by politicians. They figured the way the foreigners acted as a result of their marijuana usage was bad because it was scarily unfamiliar, so they outlawed it simply because it was foreign to them and they did not agree with it. If white men had originally been using the drug, then maybe they would not have outlawed it. A good example is prohibition. Before prohibition began, white men drank, and therefore, prohibition had to be repealed because millions of people drank. In short, it was a waste of money. Even the people who outlawed alcohol encouraged its production, “The California grape growers, no longer permitted to make wine, produced a grape juice product known as Vine-Glo. The Vine-Glo literature carefully instructed buyers what not to do, because, if they did those things, they would have wine in sixty days. The demand for grape juice grew dramatically. In 1919, 97,000 acres were devoted to growing grapes for "juice." By 1926, it was 681,000 acres. In 1929, the U.S. government loaned the grape growers money to expand even further” (Mcwilliams, 1996). Almost since marijuana prohibition began, a drug related culture
Labrado 7 has existed among youth in their teens and twenties. The “high culture” – as it is often called – fosters a negative relationship among marijuana smokers with the government. Opposition to the government and its proceedings is almost obligatory for smokers because what they are smoking is a schedule one drug, and to smoke such a thing, you must hold some negative feelings toward the government because they are out to get you for something you enjoy. Some smokers seem to think, “smoking this is the easiest and most likely way to get arrested and oppose the government without doing anything really bad”. If marijuana were legalized though, the high culture might stay, but the relationship it has with the government might disappear. People might turn to more potent drugs to show their opposition to their government, or they might do something else, like vandalize, which might also cost us money. But the cost will be most certainly less than marijuana prohibition is costing us now. Marijuana legalization would save many from harm or wrongdoing too. Marijuana would not be as easily available for teens to obtain as aforementioned if it were not prohibited. Also, users would not be able to get so high as to overdose, and cause themselves a scary or “bad” trip because new content facts would be published on controlledportion containers. For instance, a one ounce baggy of pot would be sold that states the potency of the type of marijuana in it. Smokers would not need to buy their “dope” from potentially dangerous sources i.e. street dealers. Violence would decline because gang members would no longer be providers – government regulated cafés would. Children would not accidentally inhale and get high from second-hand marijuana smoke that may harm their development because of their parent’s habits. Parents and other people would be educated on where to use marijuana, and new laws would be created to prevent marijuana from being smoked anywhere. In addition, people could go to rehab centers without stigma because community rehab centers would open and employers would treat employees who enter rehab, not negatively, but neutrally, as if their
Labrado 8 entry into rehab was simply for a smoking addiction. People would not have to be scared of losing opportunities, such as jobs, because of drug convictions. Innocent smokers could stop being sent to jail, and lastly, legalization would allow people to stop being paranoid about being arrested for their use or possession of marijuana. The legalization of marijuana would stop the heartache people feel when their relatives are arrested for a plant, marijuana tax could fund education and eradicate the government’s debt, the cycle of poverty created by prohibition would cease to exist because people would no longer be arrested, or be unable to pay high court fees and charges that cause them and their legacies – or children – debt and shame that is hard to eradicate. People need rehab, not confinement.
Bibliography Tax Cannabis 2010." (2010). S.K. Seymour LLC, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2010. http://www.taxcannabis.org/index.php/pages/initiative/
Labrado 9 National Organization for the Reformation of Marijuana Laws. (2009). Study Says It’s Easier For Teens To Buy Marijuana Than Beer.Retrieved May 13, 2010, from http://blog.norml.org/2009/08/28/study-says-its-easier-for-teens-to-buy-marijuana-than-beer/ Government Accountability Office. (2006). ONDCP Media Campaign: Contractor's National Evaluation Did Not Find that the Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign Was Effective in Reducing Youth Drug Use. Retrieved May 13, 2010, from http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO06-818 Center for American Progress. (2010). Where are your tax dollars going?. Retrieved May 13, 2010, from http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/04/taxday2010_interactive.html Coalition for a Drug-Free America. (2010). MARIJUANA - MAJOR CAUSE OF INJURY ACCIDENTS. Retrieved May 17, 2010, from http://drugfreecalifornia.org/PDF/trafficaccidents.pdf The Spiritual River. (2010). Is Marijuana Addictive?. Retrieved May 19, 2010, from http://www.spiritualriver.com/is-marijuana-addictive/ Moore, S. (2010, May 20). California Implodin’. The Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703691804575254551641408986.html? mod=WSJ_latestheadlines Treasury Direct. (2010). The Debt to the Penny and Who Holds It. Retrieved May 19, 2010 ,from http://www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/BPDLogin?application=np CA NORML. (2010). The Cost of Prohibition. Retrieved May 20, 2010, from http://www.canorml.org/background/CA_legalization.html CA Department of Justice. (2008). TOTAL MISDEMEANOR ARRESTS BY GENDER, OFFENSE AND ARREST RATE STATEWIDE. Retrieved May 20, 2010, from http://stats.doj.ca.gov/cjsc_stats/prof08/00/4A.htm
Labrado 10 Mcwilliams, P. (1996). Ain’t Nobody’s Business If You Do. Allen Park, Michigan: Prelude Press.
Labrado 2 contribute to the naïve decision – which some teens may make – to mix marijuana with alcohol. Mixing the two, especially on a night during the school year, may cause teens to have trouble getting ready for school in the morning the following day. For instance, they may be unable to walk balanced or navigate through their rooms without being tipsy; meaning that lower grades, lower attendance rates, and higher dropout rates could result. Also, more teens might become dependent on the drug, and become "amotivational" – also known as purely lazy – as a result. Some teens drive, and some people who drive may be marijuana smokers, meaning that they might drive while under the influence to get to where they need to go. This may cause more accidents, and make road travel unsafe due to their lack of concentration, motor coordination, the ability to react quickly, judge distance, and react appropriately to roadside signals (Drug-Free California, 2010). There could be an increase in crime rates too. Marijuana would be legal to buy and sell in the middle of the street, which would cause violence among gangs who wish to control the trade. In addition, the indigent would fall further into poverty trying to buy their fixes, and because marijuana is a gateway drug, there would be a rise in cocaine and heroin users and addictions. The reality that would take place if marijuana were to be legalized though, would be that the only youth who would gain access to marijuana after it is legalized would be 21 year olds, or at least in California, because the Control and Tax Cannabis Initiative would “Allow[s] adults 21 and older in California to possess up to one ounce of cannabis” (2010); therefore, teens would not be able to access the drug with as much ease as they can at present, “40 percent of teens [can] get marijuana within a day; another quarter said they could get it within an hour” (NORML, 2009). Teens would also not be able to consume marijuana with alcohol as easily since there would be an age limit. On the other hand, it is also very possible for marijuana users to abuse their privilege to smoke, just as alcohol consumers do – as aforementioned, they might drive
Labrado 3 under the influence, and cause accidents. It is also feasible that crime rates might stay stagnant, since there will be a new high demand for marijuana. It is questionable though, that there might be a rise in the number of cocaine and heroin users as a result of the legalization of marijuana; if something is legal – like cigarettes – it is usually less likely to motivate people to use a substance that is not – such as heroin. People are more likely to form new habits than use stronger drugs. Since most people enjoy smoking a cigarette when they are stressed out, or enjoy relaxing in their free time away from work or school, people who smoke marijuana will most likely take up the same habit. Marijuana smokers will do with their drug exactly as cigarette smokers do: relax by using it. They will be relaxing in their own homes, just like people who sit on the couch and watch TV while smoking a cigarette or drinking a beer. The only difference is that marijuana users may be bothered by the cops for smoking, and can be arrested for doing so. This is not fair, because marijuana is even less addictive than tobacco or alcohol. Marijuana is even less addictive than caffeine, which explains why a smaller number of people who try pot get addicted to it, unlike with caffeine (Spiritual River, 2010). The only difference between marijuana and tobacco is that marijuana slows down a person’s cognitive processes more than tobacco does. Would not it be a cruel world if people carrying alcohol – even at home – could be arrested for “possession”? That is how it is today for marijuana smokers: If you have a joint in your hand at home, and the police just happen to knock on your door, you will be arrested, even though alcohol – which you may also have – is even more addictive than marijuana. No one would want to be arrested for having a bottle of alcohol in their hand, just as marijuana smokers do not want to be arrested for having a joint in their hand. People often enjoy a conversation with friends better if they can relax, either by smoking a cigarette or by drinking a beer, or through another means. So should not Marijuana users be allowed to do the same? Should not pot smokers be allowed to be a little more giddy than usual,
Labrado 4 or see life in a different way for a couple of hours? What effect would they have on anyone but themselves? We all enjoy laughing with our friends, seeing life from a different perspective, and slowing down time under certain circumstances, so shouldn’t marijuana users be allowed to experience the same things, but at home? Marijuana is only a bad drug because it is prohibited. Marijuana is only bad, because America says it is. Marijuana is in the same position as alcohol was in the 1920s, it is a substance everyone wants, but no one is allowed to have; hence, it has been placed under the same glamorous light as alcohol had been in the 1920s: it begs onlookers to try it, and consume it. One of the main reasons so many people smoke marijuana is because it is illegal, if it were not illegal, it would not be as attractive to them, or mostly at least, to young adults. Marijuana is like the cheese in the mouse trap: it attracts tempted consumers, and then traps them – often for the rest of their life -, usually, in a horrible court system. If they are not caught, they live life smoking but scared of the police who are supposed to protect them from harm. Americans are funding the U.S.’s $2 billion DEA. Through their taxes, American’s pay for the prosecutions the DEA carries out, the agent’s salaries, and any other institutions associated with the DEA, such as jails or courts (Center for American Progress, 2010). American’s taxes are funding pot smoker’s – so to speak – overnight stays in jails. American’s taxes are funding the government’s ineffective campaigns against marijuana, such as D.A.R.E., and the National Youth Anti- Drug Media Campaign, “exposure to the campaign did not prevent initiation of marijuana use and had no effect on curtailing current users' marijuana use, despite youth recall of and favorable assessments of advertisements” (Government Accountability office, 2006). Most people are also concerned about California’s $19 billion dollar debt (Moore, 2010). Others are concerned about America’s debt crisis: Currently $12.9 trillion (Treasury Direct, 2010). So why not minimize these debts by legalizing marijuana and taxing it, whether it is done federally or statewide? We would save millions of dollars by eliminating the arrests and punishments
Labrado 5 associated with marijuana prohibition. Furthermore, any person affected by America’s or California’s budget deficits would want to fix one or the other, although legalizing and taxing marijuana may not have been their first idea, it certainly is a good one. If “weed” were taxed we could use its revenue to help education. Also, we could stop arresting and stop incarcerating innocent people. According to the California Department of Justice, we arrested about 17,126 people for marijuana related felonies in 2008. These arrests cost us about $732 each and about $9,250 per court case (CA NORML [National Organization for the reformation of Marijuana Laws]). These costs add up to a total of about $12,536,232 for arrests and $158,415,500 for court cases which means we spent about $170,951,732 on marijuana related felonies in 2008. We are wasting money spending so much on preventing victimless crimes. No one would want to be sent to prison for smoking a cigarette, but innocent people are being sent to jail almost daily for smoking and having in their possession marijuana, and they don’t deserve it – even on a second offense. These people do not harm anyone but – if at all – themselves. Streets may be safer once marijuana is legalized, because gang violence previously caused by unpaid dues to drug lords may decline due to the gangs’ loss of business; if marijuana were legalized it would be available at a café-like store, and it would be cheaper to buy there than from a gang member. By legalizing marijuana, arrests for possession would be eliminated, freeing up time for officers to pursue more dangerous offenders, such as rapists, robbers, and cheaters, who pose a greater threat to society than marijuana users. Furthermore, anyone’s child may be tempted to and may try marijuana, which may cause them to become caught in America’s flawed criminal justice system just because of the simple mistake – and caused by curiosity, temptation, or peer pressure – to smoke or try marijuana. This may ruin their lives forever, because once a person is convicted of a marijuana related crime in California, they may lose their ability to obtain financial aid to pay for an education, or they may lose their job, or
Labrado 6 their ability to gain a new one. Going to college, acquiring a job, and being able to work, all are factors that contribute to a person’s wealth and social status. Our court system helps to widen the income inequality gap by forcing those who may be poor already – as a result of the high price of marijuana – to pay prosecution fees they may be able to hardly afford. Furthermore, after a person is convicted of a marijuana misdemeanor, they may be restricted from adopting a child, receiving food stamps, or serving on a jury. A person loses and owes so much for so little a crime committed. One reason marijuana was prohibited is because it was not commonly used by wealthy white men. Marijuana was originally brought to America by Mexican and Indian foreigners. At the time, many Americans were nativists and they disapproved of newcomers because they were scared of communism and of losing their culture. To white men, foreigners were invaders; therefore, the foreign smoke of marijuana was automatically looked down upon by politicians. They figured the way the foreigners acted as a result of their marijuana usage was bad because it was scarily unfamiliar, so they outlawed it simply because it was foreign to them and they did not agree with it. If white men had originally been using the drug, then maybe they would not have outlawed it. A good example is prohibition. Before prohibition began, white men drank, and therefore, prohibition had to be repealed because millions of people drank. In short, it was a waste of money. Even the people who outlawed alcohol encouraged its production, “The California grape growers, no longer permitted to make wine, produced a grape juice product known as Vine-Glo. The Vine-Glo literature carefully instructed buyers what not to do, because, if they did those things, they would have wine in sixty days. The demand for grape juice grew dramatically. In 1919, 97,000 acres were devoted to growing grapes for "juice." By 1926, it was 681,000 acres. In 1929, the U.S. government loaned the grape growers money to expand even further” (Mcwilliams, 1996). Almost since marijuana prohibition began, a drug related culture
Labrado 7 has existed among youth in their teens and twenties. The “high culture” – as it is often called – fosters a negative relationship among marijuana smokers with the government. Opposition to the government and its proceedings is almost obligatory for smokers because what they are smoking is a schedule one drug, and to smoke such a thing, you must hold some negative feelings toward the government because they are out to get you for something you enjoy. Some smokers seem to think, “smoking this is the easiest and most likely way to get arrested and oppose the government without doing anything really bad”. If marijuana were legalized though, the high culture might stay, but the relationship it has with the government might disappear. People might turn to more potent drugs to show their opposition to their government, or they might do something else, like vandalize, which might also cost us money. But the cost will be most certainly less than marijuana prohibition is costing us now. Marijuana legalization would save many from harm or wrongdoing too. Marijuana would not be as easily available for teens to obtain as aforementioned if it were not prohibited. Also, users would not be able to get so high as to overdose, and cause themselves a scary or “bad” trip because new content facts would be published on controlledportion containers. For instance, a one ounce baggy of pot would be sold that states the potency of the type of marijuana in it. Smokers would not need to buy their “dope” from potentially dangerous sources i.e. street dealers. Violence would decline because gang members would no longer be providers – government regulated cafés would. Children would not accidentally inhale and get high from second-hand marijuana smoke that may harm their development because of their parent’s habits. Parents and other people would be educated on where to use marijuana, and new laws would be created to prevent marijuana from being smoked anywhere. In addition, people could go to rehab centers without stigma because community rehab centers would open and employers would treat employees who enter rehab, not negatively, but neutrally, as if their
Labrado 8 entry into rehab was simply for a smoking addiction. People would not have to be scared of losing opportunities, such as jobs, because of drug convictions. Innocent smokers could stop being sent to jail, and lastly, legalization would allow people to stop being paranoid about being arrested for their use or possession of marijuana. The legalization of marijuana would stop the heartache people feel when their relatives are arrested for a plant, marijuana tax could fund education and eradicate the government’s debt, the cycle of poverty created by prohibition would cease to exist because people would no longer be arrested, or be unable to pay high court fees and charges that cause them and their legacies – or children – debt and shame that is hard to eradicate. People need rehab, not confinement.
Bibliography Tax Cannabis 2010." (2010). S.K. Seymour LLC, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2010. http://www.taxcannabis.org/index.php/pages/initiative/
Labrado 9 National Organization for the Reformation of Marijuana Laws. (2009). Study Says It’s Easier For Teens To Buy Marijuana Than Beer.Retrieved May 13, 2010, from http://blog.norml.org/2009/08/28/study-says-its-easier-for-teens-to-buy-marijuana-than-beer/ Government Accountability Office. (2006). ONDCP Media Campaign: Contractor's National Evaluation Did Not Find that the Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign Was Effective in Reducing Youth Drug Use. Retrieved May 13, 2010, from http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO06-818 Center for American Progress. (2010). Where are your tax dollars going?. Retrieved May 13, 2010, from http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/04/taxday2010_interactive.html Coalition for a Drug-Free America. (2010). MARIJUANA - MAJOR CAUSE OF INJURY ACCIDENTS. Retrieved May 17, 2010, from http://drugfreecalifornia.org/PDF/trafficaccidents.pdf The Spiritual River. (2010). Is Marijuana Addictive?. Retrieved May 19, 2010, from http://www.spiritualriver.com/is-marijuana-addictive/ Moore, S. (2010, May 20). California Implodin’. The Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703691804575254551641408986.html? mod=WSJ_latestheadlines Treasury Direct. (2010). The Debt to the Penny and Who Holds It. Retrieved May 19, 2010 ,from http://www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/BPDLogin?application=np CA NORML. (2010). The Cost of Prohibition. Retrieved May 20, 2010, from http://www.canorml.org/background/CA_legalization.html CA Department of Justice. (2008). TOTAL MISDEMEANOR ARRESTS BY GENDER, OFFENSE AND ARREST RATE STATEWIDE. Retrieved May 20, 2010, from http://stats.doj.ca.gov/cjsc_stats/prof08/00/4A.htm
Labrado 10 Mcwilliams, P. (1996). Ain’t Nobody’s Business If You Do. Allen Park, Michigan: Prelude Press.
