How would you vote on California Prop 19?

I would certainly, absolutely, no question vote in favor of it and I don’t even smoke pot any more, not for a long, long time. But it’s about as rational an approach to marijuana as I’ve ever seen even close to becoming law. Does any state have anything even close to this, if this were to become law? Not that I know of. Is it going to be retroactive so that anyone who’s in jail for marijuana offenses that would have been legal under this statute will be released from prison? That would be a great thing.

YES ON PROP 19! (more of a slogan than a vote…but that’s how I’d go).

I am going to vote yes. I don’t smoke weed (I am clean and sober) but the amount of time and money wasted on people just smoking something that is way safer than alcohol is ridiculous.

In would vote Yes! Studies show the state of California would earn 300 million a year in taxes off of it and save another 300 million by not throwing everyone in jail for it.

I would absolutely vote to legalize it.

I’d vote yes. I believe it’s what the Founders would do.

Yes.

Part of me is outraged that Prop 19 is even necessary. Smoking pot is a matter of personal choice, just like the use of alcohol.

Yes. Completely.

I am voting against it. Sorry to all the stoners out there, but I am very anti-drug.

@filmfann Who says only stoners want to legalize it? I’m not a stoner.

@filmfann it is not a drug, it is a plant. A useful plant with no ill effects.

@filmfann Would you also vote to criminalize alcohol, caffeine, and pharmaceuticals?

(I’d vote yes, if that wasn’t clear.)

I’ll be voting yes tomorrow.

Also don’t smoke pot; already voted yes.

@filmfann Are you really “anti-drug?” Your local drug store or pharmacy is in the business of selling “drugs.” They sell all sorts of things including amphetamines, opiates, barbiturates, tranquilizers,all sorts of drugs that are dangerous and addictive, drugs that are really not different, chemically, than their illegal, street counterparts. And alcohol, while you may not consider it a “drug” it is a “mind altering substance” and, while regulated, it is perfectly legal. So, when you say you are “anti-drug” what exactly do you mean by that?

Hopefully, one day it will be legal in all 50 states. It’s far less dangerous than alcohol and the tax revenue from legalizing it would be substantial. Legalizing marijuana would also create a lot of jobs. Those who make the products to grow it, Amsterdam style coffee houses would pop up, etc. The smart choice is to legalize it, but unfortunately there’s still a lot of uninformed people out there who still believe all the misinformation that’s been spread for so long about weed.

I would have to live there to make up my mind about it. Here’s the problem: although the Feds have given a pass to medical marijuana (for now), they have stated they will continue to enforce the Federal laws involving production and trafficking. I don’t like the situation this would set up.

Consider this: the state law makes it lawful to produce, distribute, and consume marijuana, but the Federal law still says it’s a no-no. The Feds are not going to enforce the law against the people who consume it – they don’t have the resources. They do, however, have the resources to go after large producers and distributors. And they will (thanks, Holder, you’re a dick).

This means that demand for the product will increase, but domestic production will still be suppressed – perhaps at levels more aggressive than it is now. As a result, Cali will not reap the benefits of taxation, but the Mexican drug lords will step up their activities to meet the demand. This means more violence at the border and more obstacles to immigration reform. I don’t like it one bit, but that’s what could happen.

Were the Feds to leave marijuana prohibition to the states, as they did with the 21st Amendment, I would vote for Prop 19 in a minute.

@IchtheosaurusRex

I think the Feds will try at first but it will be too costly. Feds aren’t going to invade small growers homes. Sure they will get a few scape goats but as a whole most people will be able to consume without a problem since the local police will not enforce it. I like this law because for once a state is standing up to the power of the Federal Government. This country was founded upon states rights and the Federal Government over the last century has VASTLY broadened it’s power.

I don’t see it causing more violence. The cartels supply the stuff anyway. Even with the feds involvement any kind of local production, even 10% will cut the amount the cartels supply by that much.

I do not think it’s going to pass. Someone pulled the wool over people’s eye in the last month

@lillycoyote I doubt you are that dense, but I will explain. I am anti-pot, anti-heroin, anti-LSD, anti-roofies, anti-non-prescription drugs. I honestly feel these are just escapes from real life, and we need to avoid that.
@lapilofu I wouldn’t have a problem with them outlawing alcohol, except I will miss beer and wine.

@filmfann

Just because you believe that why should you force your beliefs on others? Who are you to say whats bad and good for people? If you don’t want to smoke, more power to you but shouldn’t you allow the people who want to to do so considering it’s been proven to be not that bad

@CaliBuddz , they won’t go after the small growers, but for legalization to work, you have to have production and distribution on an orderly – and taxable – scale. The Feds won’t let that happen. I agree 100% that legalization should be left to the states. Once it goes legal in one state, the rest will follow and the cartels will be out of business. Hemp is an easy crop to cultivate, and there’s very little refinement necessary – just separate the sticks and seeds. You can tax the shit out of it and still sell it for far less than the street price of illegal weed.

Voting yes on pro 19 seems a good thing. But…

If passed you relinquish your right to privacy.

@filmfann why would you drink beer and wine if you don’t like “escapes from real life”? And do you like movies? Video games? The internet? What about sedation at the dentist/hospital?

My current favorite argument—though in the past I’ve used others about the benefits of marijuana, for instance—for the legalization of marijuana goes something like this: no matter how many lives you think marijuana destroys it’s all but proved that its prohibition destroys more.

Two good quotes—

“But we do know this [...] that more people die every year as a result of the war against drugs than die from what we call, generically, overdosing.”
— Wiliam F. Buckley Jr.

and

“Marijuana never kicks down your door in the middle of the night. Marijuana never locks up sick and dying people, does not suppress medical research, does not peek in bedroom windows. Even if one takes every reefer madness allegation of the prohibitionists at face value, marijuana prohibition has done far more harm to far more people than marijuana ever could.”
— P. J. O’Rourke

Excellent @lapilofu. And those are quotes from two conservatives. I wish I could give you more than one GA.

I voted yes! Marijuana should have never been made illegal in the first place. If it does indeed pass, would it take effect tomorrow?

As of now (8:15 PM), 19 is losing 49%-51%.

@Brian1946 where do you get these numbers?

@Afos22

I think got those from the CBS election coverage on TV.

found it http://www.sacbee.com/2010/11/01/3150276/california-propositions-results.html and, damn….

Mono county is voting yes so far.
Thank you Mammoth Lakes. ;-)

What a sad day :(. The legalization campaign was way under-financed. I bet if it had the money-backing to flood the airwaves it would have passed.

yea..will it come up next election?

I was just talking about this with some friends. If the funding was there, this prop probably would have passed. The “Yes on 19” camp kept saying, “We will win in the 2012 elections.” We can only hope.