https://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_64,_Marijuana_Legalization_(2016)Prop 64 was recently passed within California, which allows adults that are twenty-one and older to use weed. Even though weed is legal, you still may not smoke weed while driving or have 28.5 grams on you. The Bureau of Medical Cannabis Regulation will manage or regulate marijuana use and enforce the law. On another note, the article stated "supporters for the prop raised 22.5 million dollars in contributions, while no on prop 64 had raised 2.1 million dollars." Additionally, a lot of tax money will be come in as a result of the legalization of marijuana. "Revenue from the taxes will be spent on drug research, treatment, and enforcement, health and safety grants addressing marijuana, youth programs, and preventing environmental damage resulting from illegal marijuana production." This displays how the tax money will be used wisely and how the benefits of legalizing marijuana are prevalent.
Questions:
1. What are the consequences of using marijuana under the age of 21 or selling it without a license?
2. How will tax revenue be used?
3. How do you obtain the right to legally sell marijuana
Tax revenues will be spent on drug research, treatment, and enforcement, health and safety grants addressing marijuana, youth programs, and preventing environmental damage resulting from illegal marijuana production. It's interesting to compare the taxes from marijuana to the taxes imposed on cigarettes. The legalization of marijuana will most likely normalize the drug and reduce the stigma that surrounds it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Madelyn and also believe that by legalizing Marijuana there will be less abusing of the drugs. I think that when something like this is illegal, it makes people want to use it more. However, I think by legalizing it, people will stop abusing and overusing the drug which is a good thing in regards to health.
DeleteAlthough California will be generating new revenue from the new tax, there are a few downfalls that accompany the legalization of marijuana. The proposition will be handing off marijuana production to large commercialized businesses and many existing small farmers will have great difficulty navigating the legal licensing for their businesses. It's important to consider the impact of corporatizing an industry that is currently controlled by non-corporate entities.
ReplyDeleteI think the marijuana market will still be pretty similar to how it is today even when marijuana is officially legalized and the other measure goes into effect in 2018.
ReplyDeleteI disagree because the legalization will raise up to 1 billion in taxes for people and will basically be setting the state up for failure. In addition many people see it as a violation of rights as the mandated inspections are seen as warrantless searches for many marijuana farmers.
DeleteI also disagree because I believe that there will be battles between the large scale pot producers and those who illegal produced marijuana before the legalization. This conflict will raise tension over the drug to a point where there might be consideration to repel the law.
DeleteI think that the marijuana law might actually better prioritize our legal system in terms of what is a "serious" crime. I've seen people who have used marijuana or other drugs get up to 20 years in prison, whereas you see cases like Brock Turner or others where much more severe, violent crimes get far less jail time. As Madelyn Obama said, the law will reduce the stigma around marijuana- hopefully this will also allow the government to readjust the scale of what deserves harsh sentences.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Alex. The legalization of marijuana will make a large positive impact in state. Because it is now legalized at a state level, the number of people arrested and tried for possession of marijuana will drop significantly. Because of the drop, the amount of funding that goes towards providing people with lawyers and jail resources will decrease significantly. And because of this decrease, tax dollars can be spent in other areas of government to improve roads/schools/parks etc. As a result, the legalization of marijuana is primarily a good thing and will help the state.
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DeleteI did not know that the tax revenue would be used for such programs as research, youth, and the environment before, so I think that the passing of prop 64 could be a good change for California. In addition, because California is so influential to other states, maybe in the next election we will be seeing more states following in legalizing marijuana. However, we as Californians will be seeing a lot of changes in how the industry will develop, so hopefully we will be able to create a system that benefits everyone in it.
ReplyDeleteI also didn't know that the tax revenue would be used for public welfare programs. It honestly doesn't really make sense why marijuana legalization isn't more universal across the country, because states such as Colorado who have legalized it have seen immense revenue raises. The marijuana industry is turning into a multi-million dollar industry -- why not tax the users and reap the benefits from it too? We're getting money, while reducing the number of people behind bars...
DeleteThe marijuana taxes will be used to cover the fees of weed businesses and the rest will be distributed in various proportions to state services like education and mental health services. You obtain the legal right to sell marajuana by getting a license for medical purposes.
ReplyDeleteAlthough marijuana has been legalized in California, licensing for recreational distribution will not start until January of 2018. The jump to full recreational marijuana legalization from medical legalization is always a significant step for a state government to take. The task is not as simple as it sounds and a vast number of rules and regulations must be set into place before the system can run properly. Our state has about one year to work out the details of our state recreational marijuana system.
ReplyDeleteWhile it would be smart to invest tax revenue from marijuana sales into research of the plant itself, the excessive amount of funds could also be used for educational purposes as well as for infrastructure like the construction that is being done on El Camino.
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