News (Media Awareness Project) - US TX: Edu: OPED: Legalization of Marijuana Is a Danger to |
| Title: | US TX: Edu: OPED: Legalization of Marijuana Is a Danger to |
| Published On: | 2010-11-10 |
| Source: | TCU Daily Skiff (Texas Christian University, TX Edu) |
| Fetched On: | 2010-11-11 03:01:04 |
LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA IS A DANGER TO SOCIETY
Proposition 19 did not pass in the California elections last week. The
proposition, if passed, would have given Californians over the age of
21 the right to possess up to one ounce of marijuana and smoke it in
non-public areas as long as minors were not present. Arguments for
legalizing marijuana in California were that the drug would help
decrease the state's debt and decrease drug war violence. However,
there is no substantial evidence that supports these outrageous claims.
Not legalizing marijuana establishes a few important points. First
off, California is one of the most liberal states in the country.
Because it did not pass Prop 19, the rest of the country might not
either.
By not legalizing marijuana, society is doing its job of protecting
individuals from others that take advantage of individual freedoms. If
marijuana were legal, we would see people walking around and going to
work high on pot. Society has the responsibility of protecting
individuals from those who exceed their individual rights. The decline
of Prop 19 does exactly that.
There is a misconception that making marijuana legal will help the
state budget. This is not true at all. The main problem with the
argument is that proponents assume that by making marijuana legal,
more people will start buying the drug. This is a false assumption.
Assumptions like this are dangerous because humans tend to be
consistent. Whether or not it is legal, those who smoke pot now will
do it again later. Those who do not smoke pot will most likely never
smoke the drug even if it were made legal. Marijuana sales would
hardly impact the budget in California.
Marijuana is a drug that is harmful to the individuals that smoke it.
If people want to smoke pot in their own houses, I personally do not
have a problem with that. However, the smoke from pot does travel
through the air, and therefore it affects the lives of anyone within
smelling distance. Just because an individual wants to smoke pot does
not give that individual the right to force the smell and the smoke on
others. The good news is that Californians are smart enough to realize
that the legalization of marijuana is dangerous to society.
Proposition 19 did not pass in the California elections last week. The
proposition, if passed, would have given Californians over the age of
21 the right to possess up to one ounce of marijuana and smoke it in
non-public areas as long as minors were not present. Arguments for
legalizing marijuana in California were that the drug would help
decrease the state's debt and decrease drug war violence. However,
there is no substantial evidence that supports these outrageous claims.
Not legalizing marijuana establishes a few important points. First
off, California is one of the most liberal states in the country.
Because it did not pass Prop 19, the rest of the country might not
either.
By not legalizing marijuana, society is doing its job of protecting
individuals from others that take advantage of individual freedoms. If
marijuana were legal, we would see people walking around and going to
work high on pot. Society has the responsibility of protecting
individuals from those who exceed their individual rights. The decline
of Prop 19 does exactly that.
There is a misconception that making marijuana legal will help the
state budget. This is not true at all. The main problem with the
argument is that proponents assume that by making marijuana legal,
more people will start buying the drug. This is a false assumption.
Assumptions like this are dangerous because humans tend to be
consistent. Whether or not it is legal, those who smoke pot now will
do it again later. Those who do not smoke pot will most likely never
smoke the drug even if it were made legal. Marijuana sales would
hardly impact the budget in California.
Marijuana is a drug that is harmful to the individuals that smoke it.
If people want to smoke pot in their own houses, I personally do not
have a problem with that. However, the smoke from pot does travel
through the air, and therefore it affects the lives of anyone within
smelling distance. Just because an individual wants to smoke pot does
not give that individual the right to force the smell and the smoke on
others. The good news is that Californians are smart enough to realize
that the legalization of marijuana is dangerous to society.
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