IMC Hawks Blog

Prop 19 Pot or Not?

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Tuesday was a very important day as American citizens visited their local poles to cast their votes. For Californians, today was especially monumental. Proposition 19, aka The Regulate, Control, and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010, proposed that a law be passed allowing adults in California age 21 or older to possess up to an ounce of marijuana. The law would also allow for adults to smoke the drug in non-public places, and to grow the drug in small private plots. The proposition was created as a way to generate sales revenue as well as reduce the crime related to marijuana. Millions of dollars are spent incarcerating, defending, and supervising marijuana defenders. The law would eliminate this, and allow funds to be used in other areas. The taxation of marijuana would also provide money for the struggling economy. Obama’s administration announced that they were opposed to prop 19 because marijuana usage leads to many other serious drug addictions. So what was this outcome of this HIGHly controversial issue?

56.1% of California voters voted no to proposition 19. Many supporters of prop 19 are not disappointed. This was the first time in history that marijuana was brought up for legalization and many feel that win or lose, the issue was brought to many American’s attention and will continue to be discussed in years to come.

-Gracie Anderson

Comments

4 responses to “Prop 19 Pot or Not?”

  1. Dorothy Conley Avatar
    Dorothy Conley

    I am very grateful that the law did not pass. It reminds me of what I have been learning in my IMC class, we create the reality we want to live in by the choices we make. When growing up my mother would ask if I wanted Wine, champagne, and other alcoholic drinks. She did this so that she could teach me how to drink responsibly before I got older and made mistakes, luckily for my mom I never wanted to drink. Think about if other parents got this idea too but instead of alcohol it was marijuana, they could be hooking their kids on a substance at an early age and then make a whole new crime problem. So with this idea even being thought I am glad that the law did not pass, hopefully it will not passed ever. Great piece Gracie

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  2. Ashley DiPaolo Avatar
    Ashley DiPaolo

    I won’t comment on whether or not this law should have been passed, but what is important to remember is that in tying this to my IMC class, we have the power to send any kind of message off anything that is good or bad. Yes the use of marijuana could lead to more serious dangerous drug use, but at the same time passing a law like this could direct positive and safe ways of usage. I think about all the alcohol commericals that come on tv, “drink responsibily” is usually at the end, couldn’t you do the same for marijuana? Companies create these ads to lure customers in, or build brand loyalty and 9 times out of 10, its for things that we honestly could do without. Things that could make life more fun, a perfect example of alcohol commericals. Lots of things could lead to bad situations, so the bottom line is that we as individuals have the power to create whatever kind of reality we want.

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  3. Micaela Fouhy Avatar
    Micaela Fouhy

    I am from Massachusetts and in 2008 we had “Question 2” approved and provided MA with a new law for marijuana. If you were caught with a little amount, over an ounce, it would be a civil fine of only 100$, obviously having more marijuana on you the offense goes up.
    I am not going to state if I disagree or agree with Prop 19 but, it is interesting to see the point of views. To many people marijuana is portrayed as a potential gateway drug and to others it is something equal to drinking alcohol. I think it is going to be a debate that goes on forever, there is definitely enough evidence for both sides of the debate to fight equally.
    In my intro to IMC class (stated in the above comments) we all create our own realities because of the choices we make. We can choose to agree with Prop 19 and have marijuana pass and either pay for the consequence of usage going up or we can not pass it and live life the way we do now. It is all about choices.

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  4. Tim Condie Avatar
    Tim Condie

    I am glad to see this law didn’t pass. I think if it did it would actually hurt the economy. Think of all the money being made by lawyers, judges, rehabilitation councilors, municipalities and law enforcement agents that are involved in upholding the law against marijuana. They would lose a good amount of their clientele. Not only that but I seriously doubt that legalizing pot would promote productivity. By legalizing weed we would put many hard working law abiding citizens out of job or at least slow their work.

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