Argumentative Essay: Proposition 19 Debates In California

Proposition 19 Debates in California Proposition 19, also known as The Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010, has come to an end on November 2, 2010. The decision to legalize marijuana in California was unsuccessful. Votes came in at 54% no to 44% yes (LA Times). If I were a voter in California, I would have supported the legalization of marijuana for many reasons. I find marijuana to be a drug that could ultimately help the state of California as well as the United States as a whole. Many voters and critics feared that the legalization of marijuana would intensify drug abuse. This is the main reason the Proposition failed. Prop. 19 would have allowed Californians 21 and older to grow up to 25 square feet of cannabis plants, and to possess up to an ounce of marijuana (Knickerbocker). The addiction to marijuana is yet to be seen though. According to, “The Top Ten Reasons Marijuana Should Be Legal,” smoking pot clearly has far
19 debates. Over 25 million people now use marijuana annually and it is now the largest cash crop in America today. If marijuana was to be taxed by the United States government, Allen Wastler of CNN states, “According to his calculations, the government would save $7.7 billion a year if it didn 't have to spend money policing and prosecuting marijuana activity. Then, if the feds taxed marijuana at a rate comparable to cigarettes and booze, another $6.2 billion would come rolling in.” That is a lot of money that could indeed help the United States get past the economic recession it is currently in. The taxation of marijuana would be just like the taxation on alcohol and tobacco. The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax ad Trade Bureau reports alcohol taxes result in $9,499,306 dollars in the year 2008. In that same report, tobacco taxes added up to $7,153,044