Mark Anthony Howard | Opinions Editor

• Pros

Should marijuana be legalized in here in California?

My answer is yes. I consider the use of the drug to be a personal decision and not a moral dilemma.

I do, however, consider the issue to be both a financial and socially progressive opportunity.

The passing of the Marijuana Control, Legalization and Revenue Act of 2014 could be a positive for California.

Financially the legalization will only generate more tax revenue for the state.

The supplemental revenue created by taxation and licensing of clinical facilities can be used to supplement scholastic budgets in California.

The legalization will not permit under aged teens to smoke weed, so it will have no compromising effect on teenage behavior, or their exposure to drugs.

Socially the legalization will cut out the street market and reduce crime by cutting out trivial marijuana based crime offenses.
(Which is 65 percent higher in the male community than in female, and 50 percent higher in the Black community than in white)

But these same reasons may be the State’s motivation to keep it illegal in the first place.

Luis Solis | Staff Writer

• Cons

Should marijuana be legalized here in California? My answer is no.

I consider the use of the drug morally wrong, and many religions and workplaces prohibit the use of cannabis.

Marijuana is the g-ateway drug that leads many people to use harder drugs such as heroin, cocaine and LSD.

Most drug users start off with this “harmless drug” and they don’t consider the harm it causes.

Marijuana is not a “harmless drug,” not only does the drug cause health issues, it can be addictive just like alcohol.

The drug is so addictive people would do anything just to get their next high.

The drug itself has been linked to violence, suicide and other crimes.

A person taking the drug cannot make rational decisions because they cannot make sense of their surroundings.

Many users tend to hallucinate, causing harm to themselves and other people.

The legalization of marijuana is not going to cut down on crime because as we see with the use of alcohol it still causes family disputes, rape and murder.

The use of marijuana can be dangerous to the smoker and can even bring harm to the people around the smoker through second hand smoke.

The immediate effects of marijuana are restlessness, hallucinations, paranoia, psychotic episodes and impaired coordination.

These are just a few examples of short term, but there is more drastic effect that affects your health.

The long-term effects of smoking marijuana are the loss of your brain cells, lung cancer, chronic bronchitis and blood vessel blockage.

A person that smokes marijuana can also experience the same respiratory problems that many tobacco smokers have.

Carrying on the use of marijuana can lead to having abnormal breathing due to marijuana smoke and lung tissue damage.

Legalizing the drug will boost the chances of children getting the drug in the hands because that’s all we need more teenagers high and causing more trouble.

Legalizing cannabis will send a message to people that drug use is acceptable.