Legalizing Marijuana in California

For the last 50 years or more the rest of America has followed several years behind California. Sometimes decades. The Californians have been the leaders in many fields.

It now is more than possible that legalization of recreational use of marijuana may take place in California late this fall. This would certainly have a major impact on the rest of America, and also on Mexico. The Mexican gangs and crime syndicates have already begun diversifying into other illegal activities like extortion and kidnapping.

I have mixed feelings about this. If marijuana is legalized, cocaine, ecstasy, crystal meth, heroin, and the other opiates may well follow. I hate to just write off all these drug addicts who are going to ruin their bodies and their lives.

I have seen the terrible things which come from being an alcoholic. I am not one, but I sure have known more of them than I would have liked. We have to be realistic and realize that all we can hope to do is regulate marijuana and tax it. We proved during prohibition that making possession or consumption of alcoholic beverages illegal was wildly unsuccessful. After many billions of dollars and thousands of deaths one would think that we would be smart enough to figure the same thing out about these other intoxicants.

It probably is about time to try something radically different. What we have been doing since Richard Nixon was President sure hasn't worked.

NOTE: I haven't used marijuana in many years, nor have I consumed any alcoholic beverages. But it seems like I still have alcoholics and addicted recreational and prescription drug users around me practically everywhere I look. It is sad, but the war-on-drugs approach sure hasn't proven to be the solution to the problem.

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