Good. I hope it becomes legal. People will do it either way and there is more than enough proof of that. Lets spend money on education/prevention instead of punishment.

You go california and everyone else will follow I think it is a good thing

We won't make enough money off it to make it worth the problems it will cause. Why don't we just make Oakland like an Amsterdam and make it legal there only. Then we will see how productive they are after a couple years. We can make it like a pot haven, sort of like a huge Garberville. What Vegas is for Gambling, Oakland could be for potheads. Then we can count the fatal crashes and the crime and all that up and decide if it is right for the whole state or not. MX, you could care less about prevention and education. You just want to get stoned legaly. Why do you care if you are stoned legally or illegally. It won't get rid of that paranoid feeling that exist when you smoke pot. That is a side effect.

legalizing grass would be great,but i doubt we will ever see it because of the revenue of the drug bust & fines not to mention all the cars, houses, kids & every thig else the states & government takes in a drug raid

Governments should adopt policies for marijuana similar to those for cigarettes (i.e. tax the product, ban sales to minors, license retailers and distributors, heavily restrict advertisements and promotions, prohibit use of the product in public indoor places).

Let California legalize pot, then all then all the potheads from my neighborhead can move there to enjoy all the benefits of weed- like watching movies when you are really high and laughing a lot. Maybe it will be cheaper when you can grow an entire garden of it- and all the potheads working at McDonalds will have enough money to buy a car for a change. But make sure to put a lock and 10 foot fence around your weed, and carry a shotgun when picking it, as it may bring attention to the locals that want in on the action. Luckily we will have universal health care soon all the unemployed potsmokers can rely on the government to pay for their recovery and treatment.

ill agree with that mr godshall,put it in state stores beside the vodka no telling how much tax they could put on that.

Living in the land of "fruits and nuts" for almost 30 years (and loving it!) I’ve been exposed to this discussion ever since. I’ve also been on both sides of it –staunchly opposed to legalization due to extensive research that ultimately concludes that it really does slow down thought processes, decreases motivation and stunts maturity and many scientists still disagree whether it is addictive. That and the result of the alcohol prohibition fiasco where most of the producers of that drug were criminals until it was repealed and in an instant, organized crime became a multi-million dollar legitimate business. And we see the residual effect to this day- advertising to youth, fortified beverages marketed to the low-income and alcoholic populations and the list goes on. Big alcohol still doesn’t acknowledge its product as a drug! Then I see the billions wasted on the drug war, the emergence of pot as a “medicine”, treatment advocates such as the Drug Policy Alliance promoting legalization to advance their primary objective to reconstruct the entire concept of criminal justice and incarceration. When I compares pot smoking to raging alcoholics, crack heads, meth heads, opiate addicts and prescription pill addiction, I do see a lesser evil. Should we legalize it? Can we really tax it? Would it actually hinder some of the violence associated with it use? Will it make more youth try it? More adults? I don’t know. But the question is posed and my hope is that we’ve learned from the past and use that knowledge wisely.

I have an idea. Let's make it unlawful to make laws. That way we can put politicians in jail...where most of them belong.

Arnie... Don't forget the bankers and lawyers, they fall into the same boat with the Politicans. 3 ring circus.

A couple of thoughts: 1. Why are comparisions made between marijuana and alcohol in justifying the legalization of marijuana? Look how much harm alcohol has done to society; why compound/increase harm by legalizing marijuana? 2. I heard a commercial in the last couple of weeks advocating the legalization of marijuana so 20,000 teachers could be funded by a marijuana tax. I know California is in dire straits, but think of the irony of funding educators with marijuana money; how hypocritical- those who are charged with educating our children and helping them make healthy choices, reaping from reefers. How low can we go?

Preventing legalization is all about greed, and those who are buying into the bogus arguments against it are regurgitating the BS brainwashing. Dumby - most pot smokers are very productive, intelligent folks throughout all levels of society, not bums as you suggest. C. Cummins asks, "Why are comparisons made between marijuana and alcohol in justifying the legalization of marijuana?" Because alcohol is FAR, FAR MORE DANGEROUS than pot, yet legal. People want the WAY LESS dangerous option to relax and mitigate pain without being treated like criminals. And the medical benefits to many are REAL - Big Pharm wants you to swallow their lies and use their DANGEROUS EXPENSIVE drugs instead. Don't do their bidding at the expense of those who are suffering.

Why spend the time to educate our kids, if you are shoving pot in their face. Once they start smoking it, they will forget evrything the just learned and they will believe everything that pot advocates tell them. It's called the "Pied Piper" effect. Parents will have a tough time trying to make their children feel good while competing with the local drug dealers. Look at the struggles we already face with alcohol and illegal weed. Stopthehate could not be more wrong, Marijuana is just as dangerous as alcohol when it comes to driving. Say I'm lying and I'll say you're an addict. Stay sober!

C. Cummins is right to point out the irony of taxing pot to pay for teachers. It's pretty ironic that any addictive substances/behaviors are taxed this way. Many states use cigarette taxes to fund low cost health insurance - wouldn't they save more on healthcare by stamping out smoking? State lotteries are used to fund education, yet if students understood math and especially probability a little better, they would never bother to waste their money on lottery tickets once they reached adulthood.

To Stopthehate - I have a question for you or others who support the position that pot is less dangerous and destructive than alcohol, so why not legalize it. Are you advocating legalizing pot and immediately reinstituting prohibition on alcohol? I think I could support this because the total cost to society probably would decrease. But, to simply compound the existing problem by ADDING another substance - even one that's admittedly less destructive - to already-legal alcohol doesn't make much sense to me, because the total burden on society would still increase. It's kind of like injuries: if I were forced to choose between getting my leg broken or my back broken, I would choose my leg. But there's no way you can convice me that I should volunteer to get my leg broken over and above an already broken back. Why make things worse than they already are?

56% give me a break. ACORN poll, they sure don't call moderates or conservetives. The only people they poll is far left and they still only got 56%.

I say go right ahead. California is already a shining example of everything that is wrong in the world today. Hey let's spend 1.4 million dollars to have Michael Jackson's funeral and then we will cut funding for DNA testing in rape cases. Stay Stupid California

When someone you love has cancer, and the anti-nausea drugs barely help, are very invasive and expensive, then you can tell me how to feel about this. I lived through that Hell, and pot was a blessing! Maybe if everyone who blocks this bill had to live through the same Hell, they would have more perspective and empathy. Big Pharm hates to lose business to a more effective, cheap drug - greed is evil - I LIVED IT!!!!! At least my poor, sweet darling had some relief before she died, no thanks to you haters (Stay Stupid Calif? = EVIL!)

Dear stopthehate when you distance yourself from the potheads who use you so they can get high then we have common ground. The voters of California were duped with the last sentance of Prop 215 " or any ailment that marijuana will ease the pain." Also California is where all stupid ideas come from, I was born here and lived my whole life here.

You were probably hoping I wuld not chime in, TOO BAD. Poor stopthehate, I'm not getting exactly why you support legalizing pot if all you cared about was the medical care your significant sweetheart has already gotten. Here we go again with the parade of the sick, lame, and lazy. I don't care to prosecute the dying and never have. However, if you think a chick with menstral cramps deserves to smoke weed, you need a smackdown. Healthy people don't need pot and they don't need people like you preaching the let freedom ring and the burn your bra crap either. Preach about closing breweries and tobacco farms all you want, but don't justify legalization by pointing out how bad alcohol and cigarettes are. We already know that. You think there is money to be made and there is, but it comes at the expense of our healthcare system(especially the one we are going to be forced into if Obama gets his way). Frankly, I am not paying for other peoples pot with my tax dollars, talk about a tea party, (And don't tell me we already are, I want to keep my head in the sand at this point). Stay sober!

Why keep a war on drugs thats not working? Why waste taxpayers money on sending people to prison? Verde you may say you're not paying for other peoples pot habit but you are paying for prison guards,prisons,Narcs,fuel wages,courts,judges,cars,surveillance costs,office costs,splitting up families.Why don't you go to youtube and watch Barry Coopers videos. He used to be a cop that made alot of busts and see his point of view on how this drug war is not all what its made out to be,

I used to an advocate of legalization until I heard a presentation on the effects of pot of pilots and cabin crew. The pilots were making 4 times their normal error rates in the simulator after a 'normal' social intake of cannabis. I'm a pilot and I assure you that a lot of aircrew take drugs both prescribed and illegal. 46% of road deaths in the US are associated with drug use. Legalisation will add to that figure. Of course, I wouldn't criticise anyone giving any drugs to someone dying of cancer but there are hospices that administer pain releiving medication legally. If you want to do it illegally, fine by me but don't dump legalization on the rest of society and to young developing brains.

ABOUT TIME! Marijuana is not a totally safe drug....and your point is? Marijuana laws have been the organizing feature of a culture war and the class of '49 has been losing. Perhaps by legalizing it and taxing it we can divert some suppression money toward raising drug resistant kids....and providing treatment for those who become addicted.

As far as the needs of cancer sufferers and the "stop the war on drugs because it doesn't work" concepts. Those with cancer can get their needs prescribed - even opiates, which are more dangerous than pot. As for the war on drugs - what if, during World War II when the Allies had been pushed out of most of Europe, they decided to stop being in that war because it wasn't working. Those in favour of pot legalization keep harping on how science can't prove that pot is such a terrible substance. Well, the lack of conclusive data also can't prove that it's safe enough to legalize so, why this frantic hue and cry to legalize without the facts that would show it's O.K? Such irresponsable "knee jerk" reaction and the tendency of pot supporters to use tirades reminds me of the typical frantic aura of Denial; one of the major danger signs of destructive addiction.

Stupid Stupid People Legalize and be smart

Many are the people who need to realize that things are not "stupid" just because the observer can't understand the things -and- other people are not "stupid" just because they communicate things that are beyond the observer's ability to understand.

Ask yourself this..Why is pot illegal? Who made this decision? The goverment did!!! Why?? WEll to protect the pharmacutical industry. To protect the laws of the FDA!! The goverment and FDA go hand in hand. All they care about is how much money they are making and how to keep it!! Thants why pot is illegal. What should be illegal is all this new medication thats coming out for anything and everthing. Have u seen the side effects??? Possible death, heart attack.. etc!!!! Who are the drug dealers now!!! Now just because the goverment states that pot is illegal doesnt make it wrong. Dont be blinded by their B.S.!!! Trust me, if pot becomes legal it would only mean more money for the economy. Either way people are going to continue to smoke it so lets make some money and improve the economy. Why not get it legally. Dont u think drug activity would drop. Of course it will. Why?? Because the majority of people who smoke weed for the wrong reasons only do it not just because of the effects from it but because its agianst the law thats why. If anything thats why people over due it. Theres still gona be laws to protect california from people who over due it. Just like any other crime in the world..