WHY NOT POT

State lawmakers are considering Assemblyman Tom Ammiano's proposed
bill (AB 390) to tax and regulate marijuana just like alcohol and
tobacco. The bill could bring California out of the poor house by
earning an estimated $1 billion annually and begin the end of reefer
madness.

This bill would decriminalize the recreational use of marijuana in
our state. Users would have to be 21 years old to purchase it, just
like alcohol, and it would not change the medical marijuana
guidelines, according to Ammiano.

Considering a recent Zogby poll showed 44 percent of Americans would
support taxing and regulating marijuana, and a February CBS/New York
Times poll reported 41 percent of Americans support legalizing
marijuana, it seems that every pot-head's dream may be coming true.

So who is saying no? If it gets us out of this dreary budget crunch,
what's the big problem? Well, it could be because the idea of
suddenly allowing a previously illegal drug into society could breed
dire consequences. Perhaps it is the very fabric of a decent society
that will suffer if marijuana is allowed to run rampant in the
streets of California if it is legalized. The 1936 film "Reefer
Madness" shows what would happen in a world that condones marijuana
as crazed addicts commit a hit and run accident, manslaughter,
suicide and rape due to the mind-altering effects of THC.

Organizations like NORML, who sponsored the bill, have fought for
years to achieve the present level of tolerance for pot smokers in
America. NORML is a nonprofit, public-interest lobby group that
provides a voice for those who oppose marijuana prohibition. They
believe the recreational and medicinal use of marijuana should not be
a crime according to their Web site.

According to NORML, Californians already consume $1-2 billion worth
of medical marijuana per year, enough to generate some $100 million
in sales tax. According to a state analysis, the tax would net $1.3
billion a year if this legislation passes by "establishing a fee on
the sale of marijuana at a rate of $50 per ounce," according to
Quintin Mecke, Ammiano's press secretary.

Right now, Californians pay $170 million a year for arrests,
prosecution and imprisonment of pot offenders, according to
statistics released from NORML. With the legalization of marijuana,
that would be a thing of the past and reduce the over-crowded prison
population as well.

It's also important to take into account that already more marijuana
is grown in California than any other state according to
drugscience.org, and could be our state's biggest cash crop. So if
this major industry operating outside the law already exists, why not
legalize it, reap the benefits and rid ourselves of a growing black
market?

Of course there are the obvious effects on individual health
associated with smoking as well as the risks of addiction with which
millions of Americans already struggle. Not to mention the unknowing
effects of allowing more drugs into an unstable society already
consumed with sex and violence. The results could be disastrous.

However, legalizing marijuana is not just about giving stoners piece
of mind from the cops, and a much-needed boost to California's cash
reserves - it's about American's right to choose. With the right
education, people should be free to make decisions for themselves
instead of being dictated to about what is right and wrong.