Proposition 64

Isaac Gonzalez

Mr. Lewenstein

ENGL 008

7 November 2017

Proposition 64

The legalization of marijuana has been controversial because it's classification as an illegal drug. Since last November in 2016, the conversation about marijuana use has been fired up around the country. Will it cause more problems for society or would it change for the better? I think marijuana could not only help those in need of medical attention but can also help the economy with more open jobs and keep society safer from the dangers of the streets. Although marijuana can be useful for you, it also has its cons. Health risks and self-control can be some significant issues we might have to face shortly. Even with the growing glassblowing industry and new inventions to have something to smoke on the go can raise the problem of public use.

   Legalizing marijuana might not be a bad thing because of all the positive feedback we would get from it. First off the opening up of more jobs. Right now in society, it's hard enough to get a job as it is but when marijuana is legalized for recreational use, new businesses will open up like dispensaries and picking jobs. Because of this many companies will have their growers. This will be better for society's health because getting their product from a trustworthy supplier ensures better quality and safety. What I mean by this is now you won't have to get it from some random person on the street not knowing what they did or could’ve done to it. Increased tax revenue is also a big win if we legalized the devil's lettuce. In 2015 legal marijuana sales racked up almost a billion dollars and tax collected from that one billion can for towards fixing up schools roads and even hire more workers for jobs like firefighters and police officers.

   On the other hand marijuana has it’s downsides. Your lungs could be at risk due to the fact that marijuana smokers hold in the smoke longer and deeper than a cigarette smoker. This will cause damage to your lungs. Another fear society has for the forbidden plant is impaired vision while operating an automobile. Because of the properties of marijuana, when you are under the influence your mental state is slower and reaction time can be a big problem. In addition to the public's safety, public use of the herb can be hazardous towards others around you. Second hand marijuana smoke may be a real problem because second hand cigarette smoke can cause damage to your lungs but studies are still being tested on the subject.

   Even though there is some serious downside to smoking marijuana, there are ways to go around it. Edibles and (THC) vape pens help out with no smoke or less harmful smoke into your lungs. They will also help out with the public safety issue of general use. No Smoke from the edible and less hazardous smoke from the vape pens. There are also CBD pens that contain no THC. CBD pens are used for pain relief in extreme sports like UFC and MMA, which can be an excellent substitute for you to go out in public or operate a vehicle. In conclusion, I think that the recreational use of marijuana should be legal because the economy will improve providing more jobs and public construction improvement with the tax money coming from it as well.