Proposition 19 is in the process of legalizing the recreational drug marijuana.

            In the past and hopefully not the future, illegalization of marijuana has put many people in jail for victimless crimes such as being in possession of the tiniest amount of marijuana. There are worse villains in the world than those that are caught with a recreational drug.

If marijuana were to be legalized, it would take away a lot of the illegal nonsense activity surrounding California. Doing this will alleviate judicial pressure, and also relieve unneeded stress on the prison system.  

            Seeing as how marijuana is a recreational drug it is really no more harmful than alcohol. Many Placer students agree with this and said:

            “I think it’s healthier depending on how it’s ingested.”

            “You can’t get addicted to it, like you can with alcohol, so I guess it’s better.”

            The illegalization of marijuana is very similar to the 1920 Prohibition which was the illegalization of alcohol. Having marijuana be an illegal substance has not controlled its use at all; in fact it may have increased its use by making it a taboo.

 It is the same situation as when parents tell their child not to go to a party and it automatically makes them want to go more than they wanted to before, just because it is against the rules. So by legalizing marijuana it could help control its use as the legalization of alcohol helped tone down its abusive use.

            Much like the Mafia Gangsters of the 1920’s, who controlled alcohol during the Prohibition, modern day gangsters have become undeservingly wealthy by controlling marijuana. If we legalize it the government could take the control out of the gangsters’ hands and put it into the hands of the tax payers.

            “If we tax it, it might help pull us out of the economical crises we are in now!” An anonymous student says with enthusiasm and heart. By putting tax on marijuana it would give our government some control over it to an extent.

            “Use it for nationwide medicinal purposes,” another student says.

            “I definitely see the positive aspects that a crop of marijuana could do for in-material goods and medicinal purposes,” explains a teacher on campus.

            Though marijuana is legal now for medicinal purposes only (in five states including California), many people don’t have serious enough medical problems to warrant a temporary prescription for marijuana. Marijuana can severely help a cancer patient get through their pain, but it could also help with chronic health issues too.

If marijuana becomes legalized it would make it a lot easier for people to be able to get a dose of it for temporary back pain or maybe sleeping problems.

Throughout history marijuana has been an abused illegal substance; I think it’s time to change the status of marijuana from illegal to legal and possibly create benefits for us all.