Thursday, November 4, 2010

Prop 19 Defeated! Thank you, California!

Californians voted 53.9%-47.1% this past tuesday to defeat Proposition 19 which would have legalized marijuana, and created massive regulatory issues for the state. Now, I understand that along with defeating prop. 19, they also elected Jerry Brown, again. Jerry Brown is a tax and spend politician just trying to get back into the tax and spend political scene that is the Californian government. Personally, I hate marijuana legalization, I just hate the idea of that horrible substance, which ruins countless lives, becoming legal. I don't just base my opinions solely upon my own feelings towards this particular proposition, I have a little common sense to go with it. First of all, the proposition failed miserably to adress the issue of being "under the influence" of the currently illegal substance. It also neglected to mention anything about smoking before driving, or operating machinery. So anyone could smoke an ounce before getting behind the wheel, and heading to the grocery store cause they now have a case of the munchies! Even people whose job it is to drive a large vehicle (Bus, garbage truck, delivery trucks etc.) would have been in their legal right to smoke before work, or when their on their break. Breaking off with the agreements in the Federal Drug Free Workplace Act of 1988 would have costed the state of California countless millions if not billions of dollars in federal funding, and grants. Secondly, the proposition created a hugely inefficient network of regulatory mess. Allowing each locality in the state to set their own rules pertaining to the taxing of production, distribution, and sales of marijuana. From a state level, wich employs the California Highway Patrol, it would be immensly difficult to enforce. The proposition would have created a vacumn of cities, and counties across the state fighting for the lowest taxes to atract the new and highly profitable marijuana trade to their jurisdiction, basically resulting in an offset to the 1.4 billion dollars in new tax revenue that would have been created according to pro prop 19 supporters. Lastly, the proposition was in direct conflict with federal law, which under the Controlled Substance Act of 1970 classifies marijuana as illegal. Being in conflict with the federal law, the proposition would have been challenged and the Federal Government would have won, using the hidden treasure of Article VI, Section 1, Clause 2 of the United States Constitution, the Supremacy Clause. Proposition 19 wasn't simply about legalizing marijuana, it was about redefining what Americans think of the gateway drug. Considering the closer margin of 'no' to 'yes' votes from 1972 to 2010, pro legalization peeps may be able to pass such a law in the nearish future. Let's hope someone isn't high when they write the next one.