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The Quinnipiac Chronicle

The Student News Site of Quinnipiac University

The Quinnipiac Chronicle

The Student News Site of Quinnipiac University

The Quinnipiac Chronicle

Where’s the California love?

In the wake of the San Francisco Giants’ big win, California had an amazing opportunity to accomplish two monumental tasks in merely a week’s time: win the World Series and become the first state to legalize recreational use of marijuana. Unfortunately, California really dropped the ball on this one. And this is not the first time California screwed up. After granting same-sex couples the right to marry in June 2008, voters repealed the law in November of that same year and subsequently denied gay and lesbian couples the right to marry.

While California is one of the 14 states, plus the District of Columbia, that already allow medical use of marijuana, Prop 19 would have made it legal for anyone over 21 to grow, possess and use small amounts of marijuana. But on Nov. 2, 54 percent of voters shot down this important ballot, making it that much harder for the rest of America to jump on the cannabis bandwagon.

A major part of California’s downfall in the cannabis department was the way they approached the “Yes on Prop 19” campaign. They argued that legalizing cannabis would eliminate the Mexican and South American drug cartels. The problem here is that the drug cartels are more concerned with getting cocaine across the border, not marijuana. Additionally, California is in massive amounts of debt. Prop 19 supporters claimed that taxing cannabis would create billions of dollars in revenue. Although it would create lots of revenue, it would not create enough to even put a dent in the state debt.

Californians can already obtain medicinal marijuana fairly easily, so it is understandable that many of the stoners out there would not come out to vote yes because they can not only obtain it easily, but do not have to pay a tax on it. Unfortunately, this failure to ratify Prop 19 seriously stunted the progress of legalization of cannabis for the rest of the country.

Here’s why.

Everyone knows that smoking cigarettes can and will give you cancer and that drinking large amounts of alcohol can and will impair your judgment. But what exactly are the harmful effects of marijuana? Will it cause psychosis, cancer, impairment? That’s just it; nobody knows. There is no box of weed that you can pick up at the nearest 7-Eleven with the attorney general’s statement claiming exactly why it is bad for you and what effects it can have. Doctors prescribe medical marijuana to help people, to make them feel better. So again I ask, if this drug is so detrimental to society, can someone please box it up and slap a label on it so I can understand why we all shouldn’t be lighting up a joint?

If the answer is because smoking it causes cancer, then why can’t we just make weed brownies? If the answer is because it impairs your judgment, then why can’t we use it the same way we use alcohol?

No one is saying go operate large machinery or drive a car while under the influence of Mary Jane, but I do not and will never understand the problem with sitting outside on a summer day with some good friends, eating a batch of delicious pot brownies. The worst thing that will happen is that everyone will get the munchies, laugh a little and probably sit around watching “South Park” for awhile. Sounds really dangerous to me.

So California, while you’re sitting pretty lighting up your medicinal marijuana, the rest of the country, minus those 14 states, remains backward and halted in their progress toward legalizing pot. I blame you.

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  • E

    ErnstNov 10, 2010 at 11:23 pm

    I understand how people can feel that salvation has failed to reach them.
    The Answer is not finger pointing because the Good People of California are still in Favour of legalization for all but not in favor of Prop 19 as we have seen as post election polling confirms.
    What we are no advocating is Swinging Hard left.
    Lee is a Libertarian that obviously errs on the Conservative side as we saw with the property ownership clause in Prop 19 that allows a Property owner of someone a Property owner allows to have one 5×5 Garden.
    Nothing in the 2010 prop 19 that gave the Citizen rights to cultivate hence the Conservative leaning Lee’s leadership.
    I don’t doubt that in Texas, where Lee is from this was seen as a very Left Wing commie plot ( circa Nixon 1972 ) but in California it would seem Lee didn’t pay his Dues with the rest of us growing up in California and supporting Legal; Cannabis.

    So what is the answer.. Well There is the very good action of contributing to MMP, NORML and the ACLU Monthly.
    That is the least all of us can do.
    Other possible actions include looking for news like I have to find this article.
    So Before those in other places around the USA and the World point a finger, assign blame and relieve themselves I suggest that they have a Contribution program going and of course Join me at California2012.org in developing a neutral location for a Town meeting on a State level in aim to be a valued community resource for the 2012 election cycle.

    So please see my post about this article . viewtopic.php?f=14&t=95

    Come Join me in a Love-Fest.

    A Grass Roots and Transparent site Starting up and gearing up for Nov. 2, 2012

    You will find Love there! I will make sure of it.

    Come design the next California Legalization Initiative. If a Texan can come to California and spend $1.4 Million like Mr. Lee did you can afford to stop in and read.

    With Love from California, Ernst Contact@Califronia2012

    Reply
  • E

    ErnstNov 10, 2010 at 11:16 pm

    I understand how people can feel that salvation has failed to reach them.
    The Answer is not finger pointing because the Good People of California are still in Favour of legalization for all but not in favor of Prop 19 as we have seen as post election polling confirms.
    What we are no advocating is Swinging Hard left.
    Lee is a Libertarian that obviously errs on the Conservative side as we saw with the property ownership clause in Prop 19 that allows a Property owner of someone a Property owner allows to have one 5×5 Garden.
    Nothing in the 2010 prop 19 that gave the Citizen rights to cultivate hence the Conservative leaning Lee’s leadership.
    I don’t doubt that in Texas, where Lee is from this was seen as a very Left Wing commie plot ( circa Nixon 1972 ) but in California it would seem Lee didn’t pay his Dues with the rest of us growing up in California and supporting Legal; Cannabis.

    So what is the answer.. Well There is the very good action of contributing to MMP, NORML and the ACLU Monthly.
    That is the least all of us can do.
    Other possible actions include looking for news like I have to find this article.
    So Before those in other places around the USA and the World point a finger, assign blame and relieve themselves I suggest that they have a Contribution program going and of course Join me at California2012.org in developing a neutral location for a Town meeting on a State level in aim to be a valued community resource for the 2012 election cycle.

    So please see my post about this article . http://california2012.org/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=95

    Come Join me in a Love-Fest.

    A Grass Roots and Transparent site Starting up and gearing up for Nov. 2, 2012

    You will find Love there! I will make sure of it.

    Come design the next California Legalization Initiative. If a Texan can come to California and spend $1.4 Million like Mr. Lee did you can afford to stop in and read.

    With Love from California, Ernst Contact@Califronia2012

    Reply
  • J

    johnny1Nov 10, 2010 at 10:14 pm

    wow , slow down a bit . I have never voted , im 48 live in soCA.

    I registered to vote , went to the prop site and read prop 19

    I could not vote for a bill that criminalizes more than it “legalised”

    there are several bills in the next few months ,each with a twist
    POLITICS you give something you expect

    Dont give up on the stoners here , there were millions of votes that the whole world was watching
    The amount of cannabis education in the last year is staggering
    A lot of people , especially older folks believe everything the good guv tells them, so education and discussions like prop 19 , so if Prop 19 was nothing more than a discussion , than wow , 3 million plus people are for it

    you cant ignore the numbers. that is a major voting block

    Tom Armanio has a few bills coming out of Sacramento

    I think more people will vote for a sensible cannabis law
    and Canada is no better
    medical MJ 1 day
    illegal MJ the next’
    like the wind

    Reply