Is California Going To Pot?
By Bradley Blakeman
NewsMax.xom
California voters are going to the ballot
box on Nov. 2 to decide whether to legalize
marijuana.
The initiative, known as Proposition 19,
seeks to make the sale and use of marijuana
legal in the state of California for all
adults over the age of 21. If passed, there
would be no criminality for adults
possessing less than one ounce of pot.
Proponents of Prop 19 are making an economic
argument in advancing their initiative.
Supporters claim that a privatized
commercial marijuana industry could bring in
as much as $1.4 billion dollars to taxes to
a state treasury in desperate need of cash.
Unions claim that marijuana farms would be a
huge shot in the arm to California¹s
agricultural market.
It is no surprise that the ultra-left
Service Employee International Union (SEIU);
California's most powerful labor union,
supports Prop 19 as does the second biggest
union in California — the United Food and
Commercial Workers Union.
This is what SEIU President Bill A. Lloyd
said in support of Prop 19, "These new
revenues will help the state and local
governments protect and invest in families."
It is outrageous as a matter of economic
policy to legalize a controlled substance as
a tool to increase government revenues at a
time when a state is facing deep budget
deficits.
California's potheads could win the battle
but lose the war. Proponents could see their
dreams go up in smoke, because, even if
California's Prop 19 passes, California law
will be pre-empted from taking affect
because federal law trumps state law.
Under federal law, marijuana is deemed to be
a controlled substance.
If Prop 19 passes, pressure will be great
for the federal government to step up and
challenge California law in federal court.
This battle could make it all the way to the
Supreme Court on the issue of the Supremacy
Clause of Article VI of the U.S.
Constitution to wit:
"This Constitution, and the Laws of the
United States which shall be made in
Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or
which shall be made, under the Authority of
the United States, shall be the supreme Law
of the Land; and the Judges in every State
shall be bound thereby."
In short, all citizens are obligated to
follow federal law in the face of
conflicting state law.
It should be noted that all nine former
administrators of the Drug Enforcement
Agency, both candidates for governor, and
every active police chief in California do
not support Prop 19.
At a time when Americans are concerned for
their health and the high costs of
healthcare, along comes California with a
law that if passed will legalize a
controlled substance that not only will get
you high but will destroy your physical and
mental health.
According to the National Institute on Drug
Abuse (NIDA), marijuana has detrimental
affects specifically on the brain, heart,
and lungs. The following includes some of
what NIDA has said with regard to marijuana
usage.
"Research clearly demonstrates that
marijuana has the potential to cause
problems in daily life or make a person's
existing problems worse. In one study, heavy
marijuana abusers reported that the drug
impaired several important measures of life
achievement including physical and mental
health, cognitive abilities, social life,
and career status.
"Several studies associate workers'
marijuana smoking with increased absences,
tardiness, accidents, workers' compensation
claims, and job turnover."
Further information can be found at the
NIDA website.
It has long been argued that marijuana is a
gateway drug for teens to experiment with
other more dangerous and addictive drugs.
Many who argue against the legalization of
marijuana claim that drug smuggling from
Mexico and elsewhere will increase, not
lessen, because of increased demand.
Although lame-duck California Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger is publicly against Prop 19,
the governor last week signed a bill that
reduces the penalty for possession of less
than one ounce of marijuana from a
misdemeanor criminal offense to a
non-criminal infraction.
A poll conducted last week by the Public
Policy Institute of California is reporting
support for Prop 19 is at 52 percent while
41 percent oppose it and 7 percent are
undecided.
What are they smoking in California? Wait, I
think I know.
Bradley A. Blakeman served as deputy
assistant to President George W. Bush from
2001-04. He is currently a professor of
Politics and Public Policy at Georgetown
University.
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