Blog Review: Legalize It

This blog talks about the announcement of a new legislation that is targeted on the legalization of marijuana in California. The main points that this legislation would like to enforce are that marijuana is the states largest cash crop and yet it remains untaxed and illegal. This new legislation has an estimated increase in $1 billion dollars per year for the state. While I myself am not a major advocate either way, I do believe that if marijuana was legalized not only would it be profitable to the state, but a large portion of the crime that illegal drug trafficking brings would cease. I do believe marijuana can be a “gate-way drug”, but only because it is classified as an illegal substance along with other harder, more addictive substances such as cocaine and heroin. What this legislation seeks to accomplish is to put marijuana the same level as alcohol and tobacco products, which are considered by many to be far more deadly vices. This legislation is only the first step in a process that has been a long time coming, and with the current financial situation that our country is in, it may be the right one. The largest argument against this new legislation is that the black market has too much influence over marijuana distribution and sale. It would be too easy for private sellers to avoid being taxed and too difficult for the IRS to track every tax dodger. In order for the legalization of marijuana to succeed, there would have to be an efficient way changing the sale of product to a more tobacco-like standard.