I just moved from the state of California, and the delivery of my car was delayed for nearly two weeks because according to my moving company, “a lot of people are moving from the state.” Why would so many people be moving from the sunny, beautiful state of California – home to the hills of San Francisco and where TV and film dreams are made in Hollywood? Perhaps, California’s financial crisis has shadowed over its state. The problem and how to solve it has not only been heavily debated and reached national headlines, but it has left its politicians puzzled with the immense feat of making financial wrongs right.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, governor of the state known for its surf boards and beach mentality, is considering the option of legalizing and taxing marijuana for recreational use in California to help beat the state’s looming deficit. According to a New York Times article in May of 2009, Governor Schwarzenegger thinks “it’s time for a debate” and urged for a careful study to be conducted about the other countries that have legalized marijuana’s usage.
Perhaps, Governor Schwarzenegger wants us to consider the Netherlands, where Amsterdam as its capital is notably known for its cannabis coffee shops, as an example to follow. In the Netherlands, marijuana usage is decriminalized, and the overall approach is to prevent and rehabilitate drug users while combating the production and trafficking of drugs. Although both the possession and production of cannabis are still misdemeanors, a “non-enforcement” approach to marijuana can actually regulate when and how stringent the government can prosecute offenders. Of course, Governor Schwarzenegger would be pleased to know that the Netherlands government does tax those Amsterdam cannabis coffee shops, and its marijuana tax revenue ultimately does benefit the Dutch economy.
If we were to lean towards legalizing or even decriminalizing marijuana in the United States, what happens to the “Just Say No” and the “Above the Influence” campaigns that work(ed) so effortlessly to strike our chords of conscience? Is legalizing marijuana (particularly for financial benefit) the right or moral thing to do? On the other hand, is it the right or moral thing for the government to intercept itself in between the relationship of the dealer and the client, in an effort to provide regulations to protect marijuana users/consumers?
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