How Could Legalizing Marijuana Be Bad?

On November 2nd California voters will decide whether it should be legal to possess and cultivate less than an ounce of marijuana. How could that possibly be a bad thing? Possessing or cultivating less than an ounce of marijuana has carried a $100 maxiumum penalty for years. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger recently signed a law making it an infraction. In most cases involving less than an ounce of marijuana a person could attend an eight hour class at a local community college and have the charge dismissed. The Orange County District Attorney's office recently launched a "spit and acquit" program where a person charged with possession of less than an ounce of marijuna gives a DNA sample and the charge is dismissed right then and there.

Medical Marijuana is prescribed readily in California. Many seriously ill individuals benefit greatly from using medical marijuana. It gives great relief to cancer patients and many others who suffer from debilitating illnesses when other drugs simply don't work. Many of these people can't afford the costs of buying their prescriptions at the marijuana collectives though. Some have difficulty getting there. If they were allowed to grow their own marijuana plant it would allow them to grow their own medicine.

An additional benefit to the legalization of less than an ounce of marijuana is that it would remove the element of danger for those who still purchase marijuana "on the street". Drug dealers would be out of the picture.

Many chemicals, pesitcides and other substances may be used on marijuana that is purchased. By growing your own, you can avoid those risks.

We would also save taxpayer money in processing marijuana citations which generally don't bring in revenue in the first place.

Marijuana is less addictive and less harmful than alcohol and cigarettes and they are legal.

Although marijuana is not legal yet in California, it might as well be. It just makes sense.