Most of us have heard about the controversy about Proposition 19 which intends to legalize marijuana. When my mom told me about this proposition a few days ago, I developed a lot of negativity towards this proposal. Some argue that marijuana is not as bad as many other drugs and its legalization will help with the current economic situation as it will be taxed. If the drug were to be legalized I do not think that it would contribute much to tax; people who have been already breaking the law will not suddenly adhere to it now, especially when it is taxed. Besides the ever-so-flawed "helping the economy theory" I fail to see why this proposition is even being debated in the first place. If pot was to be legalized, it will become the "soma" of our society and in turn, make our world much like that of Brave New World, leading us to our downfall. Just think about it. Soma was used in a Brave New World as a hallucinogenic drug and as an excuse to escape from the realities of life, much like marijuana. If we legalized the drug, then we will be one step closer to the dreadful society of Brave New World, where people try to neglect their problems through drugs, sometimes to the point where they overdose.
Perhaps I am being too critical or conservative, but I would like to hear your opinions about this. Will it have ANY positive effects on society or will it be our soma?
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I'm going to play devils advocate here and say that I seem to recall that another reason they considered legalizing the drug was because of how little room we, as Californians, have in our prisons now. The politicians figure that if we don't put away every person the authorities find doing marijuana there will be a lot more room for people that prove more dangerous to society. It would also free up time wasted in court or with police arresting people using marijuana. Instead of focusing on marijuana users they could focus on other cases, like arsonists or gangs. People also believe that part of the reason that makes weed so valuable is the fact that it is illegal, and that by legalizing it the desire to try it would go down. (http://www.alternet.org/drugs/60959/?page=1) The flow of money into illegal drug gangs would slow if it was made legal. It isn't just California however, in Seattle, the estimated amount of money availiable if it was taxed is estimated to be in the millions. (http://www.seattlepi.com/opinion/134881_marijuana14.html)
ReplyDeleteThen again, a pot-smoking teenager started a 40 acre wildfire this past weekend. Perhaps the politicians should reconsider. (http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-santa-clarita-homes-threatened,0,31536.story)
I know this may seem far fetched, and I'm doubting my own idea, but let us compare ourselves to another country. Russia, I believe, allows "minors" to consume alcohol. Many here in the US would think that this would be insanity, but in reality, alcohol is actually UNABUSED by minors BECAUSE of the fact that it is legal to consume it underage. There would be overuse of marijuana either way, as there are always people who aren't that safe when it comes to their bodies. However, there could be a slim chance that we would end up like Russia and alcohol. The novelty of the drug would wear off and people wouldn't abuse it. After all, alcohol would be like soma also, no? I don't see many things about Russia's utopian, "soma" controlled society. That's only a theory of course, we are Americans after all.
ReplyDeleteIt may make millions for the economy to tax legal marijuana, but you also have to consider that maybe it won't do so well for our economy in other ways. Think about it, if everyone walks around high all the time, no work will be done, nothing will be solved. I imagine a rather disgusting, dirty society if marijuana is legalized and no one cares enough to do anything at all to fix it.
ReplyDeleteThank you all for input!
ReplyDeleteMelissa- I never thought about the use of it as a pardon of criminals. But this seems to hurt society more than it helps because it just releases millions of drug dealers and criminals onto the streets. And also, wouldn't the profit made by the gangs from selling marijuana remain relatively the same because people who have been buying the drug when it was legal would not suddenly start buying it legally and pay the tax? I really think politicians should reconsider.
Andrew- I understand your point of view, but alcohol is not as addictive as marijuana and only stays in your system for about a night. Where as marijuana can stay in your system for an ENTIRE MONTH because it can seep it's way into fat tissues, making it easy to become addictive if one keeps using it. No matter what people who abuse substances will always abuse substances, unless of course, they have some sort of epiphany. But how often does that happen?
Alex- That is another excellent argument against the proposition. Quite frankly, I think that the legalization of this drug will demean our society and cause us to lose our morals.
In my opinion, I believe Andrew Loyola makes a great point. Just like he stated; in Russia teenagers are allowed to drink alcohol, but they do not abuse it to the point where they are drunk. Although, I am positively sure at least one person does the opposite. As soon as I read his comment, it reminded me of something I learned in French class with Mr. Figueroa. It was interesting for me to know it is normal in France for teachers and students to go out and drink a couple of shots of alcohol. In our society, this act would be looked down on and viewed as crazy and immoral. Also, a lot of individuals think it is healthy to take a moderate amount of wine before a meal. This to them is just considered normal and not irregular or uncommon.
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question, I do not think it would lead us to our downfall, like you said. But then again, will it not be legalized for medical purposes? If it is, I feel people will continue to abuse it for reasons other than those.
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ReplyDeleteWell again, alcohol is not addictive, well not as much as marijuana is. I think that the reason why alcohol abuse is not predominant in countries that have no age limit for it is because it is part of their culture and because there is no appeal. However, as this is the case with alcohol, it cannot be the case with pot because pot is very addictive. Once someone is addicted to it, they lose all self-control.
ReplyDeleteHere under-aged drinking is only frowned upon because when teens drink, they tend to get too giddy-happy with alcohol to the point where lives are either at risk or taken. Another reason why only people at the age of 21 and older can drink is because at the age of 21, your brain stops developing. As we grow, our brain grows with us, but unlike the rest of the body, which reaches full maturity at the age of sixteen or eighteen, the brain reaches maturity at 21. Drinking alcohol at any age younger than 21 can inflict long lasting damage to your brain.
I'm not sure if it is being legalized for medical reasons because people who really do need medical marijuana can do so with the consent of their doctor.