California

Decriminalizing Marijuana

Mckenzee McCammack

Proposition 19 is one the more controversial initiatives on the ballot for this November. Many Californians have been fighting to legalize marijuana and this ballot measure would be the first step in that becoming a reality. The consumption and sale of marijuana was actually legal until 1937 in most states. It was when the government began to implement a tax stamp on the possession and transfer of cannabis that there was a movement to ban it altogether. The ultimate decision by the U.S. Congress to outlaw cannabis began with a newspaper article by William Randolph Hearst who had intentions of increasing the post-war textile sales of a business called Dupont Inc. By heavily taxing hemp and cannabis products, this business’s products would become more affordable to consumers. Another argument is that Dupont Inc. began to develop modern plastic, which created too much competition with the natural cellulose content of hemp. To compound the problems with cannabis, Henry Anslinger instilled fear into America’s government and citizens with statements such as "Marijuana is the most violent drug in the history of mankind." This type of negative rhetoric continued during the Reagan era, when both Reagan and his Drug Czar linked marijuana use to homosexuality, AIDS, and brain damage. However, Californians are taking back their cannabis with Prop 19, which in addition to legalizing the substance would also allow cannabis to be properly monitored and taxed in a similar way to alcohol.

Properties of Prop 19:

• Adults 21 years and older can possess up to one ounce of cannabis with consumption at home or in a licensed establishment.
• Gives the state ability to tax the sale of cannabis for consumption.
• Increases the penalty to the sale of cannabis to minors, banning its consumption in public, around schools and in the presence of minors and maintaining strict penalties for driving under the influence.
• Cuts off funding for violent drug cartels who generate 60% of their revenue from the criminalization of marijuana.

Additional Reading

http://college.holycross.edu/coca/jadisant/jadisant/history.html

http://www.legalize.org/history-of-cannabis-prohibition/

http://yeson19.com/about