It's about time. Let's stop arresting our fellow citizens for this herb that is much less harmful than alcohol. We know it is a safe and effective medicine, I believe it also is a safe intoxicant. There will always be some people who misuse anything in society. Let's use a portion of the revenue for subsidized treatment options. For the prohibitonists that are in the treatment community that could mean clients that aren't forced unwillingly by a court but are voluntarily getting help for their issues. Freedom is not free and the war on marijuana seriously impacts our freedom in many ways. End the war on marijuana today.

I want to start nuclear testing again in California its for the safety of all. Other country's have become serious threats and we should be prepared. Freedom is not free. And nuclear war is just a quick and painless way to win a war with the push of a button. We will still help them rebuild after we nuke em. Come on people, wake up! This marijuana adgenda is going to have the same, if not worse impact on our society as tobacco.

The legalization of marijuana in our country will only invite more drug related crime and accidents to a society that is basically at it's knee's in trying to resolve this massive public health problem. Studies have shown that marijuana for frequent users, causes lasting concentration, perceptual, and coordination impairment even after the user reports sobriety. Currently, there is no effective methodology for measuring intoxication other than blood or urine tests, which measure the metabolite level not the level of intoxication. How are our law enforcement and legal systems to accurately determine if someone is unable function appropriately? Additionally by making it legal it will increase the drugs availability to youth which in-turn will cause an increase in behavioral problems. Unfortunately drug use and abuse not only adversely effects the user but many innocent people, many of them being our youth. I am all for freedom but let’s not legalize something that negatively impacts our society. We need to be moving towards litigation which protects the innocent and their freedom. Namely zero tolerance rule for drunk and drugged driving. Forget about .08 and .10, any level of intoxicant in the body causes impairment at some level. There should be more effective penalties such as mandatory 1 year suspension of driver’s licenses on the first offense and life suspension on the second offense along with mandatory 1 year jail sentences for those who violate the suspension. Additionally, our society needs to develop and rely more heavily on public transportation systems, our public transportation systems are deplorable compared to other developed countries.

God Bless America. And the Great State (of mind) of California. ;^)

Officers determine sobriety by administering field sobriety tests. Pot smokers under the influence will fail these tests also. When the blood is tested and it comes back positve for both Hydroxyl and Carboxy metabolites, the pot head should be convicted. The problem is that officers are not suspecting DUI when they don't smell alcohol. Every crash they go to they need to suspect every driver is under the influence and every driver should be field sobriety tested at crashes. Pot heads, under the influence suck at driving in general, slow reaction times and indicisiveness eat them up. You can tell a pot head under the influence just by talking to them. They are slow to respond to questions. They always have the "no big deal" approach to everything.

PLEASE! I do not see many downsides for legalizing marijuana, and even the downsides I can "understand" can be argued for. Legalizing marijuana will help our economy so much right now, especially where we are in one of the worst recessions our country has seen in a WHILE. Giving the government control and the right to tax will only help the US rise out of debt. Some debaters may say that "the government will never be able to control it because people will grow their own to avoid the taxes." I do not think that this would affect the legalizing that much. People are not going to want to take 3 months out of their lives and constant nuture and caring for a plant just so they can avoid the taxes. Plus all the intangible and tangible costs of planting your own plant will cancel out the benefit of it. As for the health side, we all know that their is a synthetic form of THC known as marinol, but so what. Studies have shown that marijuana just works better. Now what to do about the health problems that are associated with pot smoking? Well I cant really come up with an amazing argument to that to be honest....but come ON people!!! We all know alcohol is ten times worse, and like that can't be classified as a gate way drug in itself? It's peoples own decisions to do what they want, and besides, smoking weed just chills people out in the first place. No one gets angry and shoots someone off smoking a blunt.

Dear Mariah You say "besides, smoking weed just chills people out in the first place. No one gets angry and shoots someone off smoking a blunt. Well our youth and community members were shouted at when they spoke up at a city council meeting. Our City Council was threatened with bodily harm if they didn't vote for the weed people. Community members have been slandered and their childrens web page attacked. We also had a shoot out at a dispensary in a quiet neighborhood. Just yesterday I was called a vicious hateful person by a legalizer and had not said a word to him. Just because I work in AOD Prevention he called me that. I have dedicated my life to helping, and I am attacked all the time because I help people get Clean and Sober.