Marijuana Legalization in California Opposition: Part 2

The Regulate, Control, and Tax Cannabis act has gotten enough voter signatures to be on California’s November ballot. To see a full rundown of the voter initiative and arguments for marijuana legalization, see The California Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act: Part 1. While polls show a 59 percent majority of California voters who have decided to support the marijuana legalization measure, there are detractors of the voter initiative that say the tax pay day is not worth the problems the act will create. Major opponents of the bill include those who believe the act will increase crime and those who believe the act will worsen the quality of marijuana available.

Medical arguments against legal marijuana

The medical functions of marijuana are hotly debated, though a lot of doctors are quoted as stating the drug does have medical uses. However, if marijuana is legalized, public health could possibly be harmed.

Marijuana is mainly ingested through smoking, and the smoking of any substance, especially long-term, can seriously damage a person’s lungs. It has also been shown that frequent heavy use of marijuana can permanently hinder short-term memory and reaction time. Medical opponents of legal recreational marijuana argue that legalization would increase use, and therefore negatively affect public health.

The crime argument against marijuana legalization

The California Peace Officers Association, among various others, has spoken out against the initiative intended to legalize marijuana. The Association lobbyist has been quoted in several news outlets as saying “We have enough problems with alcohol and abuse of pharmaceutical products. Do we really need to add yet another mind-altering substance to the array?”

Detractors also point out that, no matter what California voters pass, marijuana remains a Schedule I illegal substance, federally. The possession, sale, and distribution of marijuana remains a serious federal crime, even if enforcement against medical marijuana states has been greatly diminished. If marijuana were to be legalized in California, it could entice organized crime and drug cartels to the state.

Quality arguments against legal marijuana

While many marijuana smokers and growers usually stand at odds against those who want to keep marijuana illegal, a small coalition is emerging. Some marijuana growers are speaking out in opposition to the voter initiative, saying that legal pot could possibly be economically damaging. Economically, growers fear that legalized marijuana would significantly reduce the sales price of their cash crop. The growers say that if the price were to drop, their livelihood would be hurt and they would have to attend credit counseling. Additionally, a lot of growers are concerned that if marijuana does become legal, large corporations would move to the market. If they had to vie against agribusiness, quite a few growers fear they would be put out of business.

California’s Regulate, Control, and Tax Cannabis act has strong arguments both for and against passage. The results in California’s election could be carefully viewed, and the result on the legal marijuana movement could be profound.