Exactly one week from today is election day. But it is also the incredibly historic day when the State of California will vote to determine if marijuana should be made legal.
Celebrities including singer Melissa Etheridge and actor Danny Glover, have joined the former LAPD deputy chief and even Gov. Arnold Schwarzeneggar in backing Proposition 19, which would make marijuana legal in the State of California. The ballot measure would allow adults 21 and over to grow and possess marijuana, while authorizing cities and counties to approve the cultivation, sale and taxation of pot.
Proponents of the bill say legalizing marijuana would end the unnecessary stigma the drug brings, calling it less harmful than alcohol or tobacco. They also believe it would instantly eliminate the need for powerful drug cartels from Mexico and other international locations currently supplying Americans herbal habit. Supporters also point out that the legal sale of marijuana within the state would provide an immediate and very needed financial boost to California during these desperate times.
But opponents believe legalizing marijuana is immoral and an overreaction to the state’s financial woes. They also say it would send the wrong message to kids, who have been conditioned over the years with the national message of “Just Say No To Drugs.”
Who’s right?
