Self ownership

If you can’t put what you choose into your own body, then you do not own yourself. To have freedom means an individual making the choices to govern their own body. A peaceful marijuana user should not be threatened with violence from people calling themselves government. If you are not harming someone else or their property you should be left alone.

Marijuana is non toxic and non addictive

Research shows that no one has ever died from it. Compare that with alcohol, caffeine and nicotine which are all addictive and lethal at a high dose.

California business people will profit

Every single hemp product sold in the USA is imported from another country. With Marijuana legalized, it will let the United States farmers grow hemp for its many uses. Like hemp protein, lotions, seed, oil, clothing and so on. These product costs are artificially higher because of its prohibition and import costs. Having businesses compete in California will lower these cost dramatically. Politicians have been against hemp because of the marijuana excuse, when in reality it is hemp that they want to keep in check.

The war on drugs is a war on people and it has failed

There is no way to keep this plant out of the peoples hands who want it; so, what is the point? Even if you throw users in prison they can still get pot! If they can’t keep marijuana out of prisons how they are they going to keep it from anywhere else? Alcohol prohibition failed and created crime (Al Capone) just like it has with marijuana. People are being taxed through force to pay for this war on marijuana weather they want to pay for it or not. Would you volunteer your hard earned money in an effort to punish people for marijuana? Marijuana prohibition cost billions of dollars in the way of housing offenders in prisons, paying cops for the victimless crime, costs for courts and costs for paper pushing bureaucrats all who benefit from its prohibition. Billions would be saved if the war on marijuana ended.

Medical Marijuana patients will get their medicine at a dramatically lower cost

Medical Marijuana prices are increased hundreds to thousands of percent due to its prohibition. Growers, dealers and users all have to take risks from being thrown in prison. Therefore, this inadvertently makes an increase cost on the black market. Limitations on how much marijuana a care giver can grow and the risk of the DEA or sheriff raiding your property keeps only the biggest risk takers in the game. Dangerous indoor grow operations would no longer be necessary because they wouldn’t have to hide their crops.

What about the children!

Yes, if you care about kids you would legalize marijuana. Do you really think your kid is not going to experiment with this non-toxic plant that was wrongfully outlawed? If he does, will it help him and keep him safe to be thrown in jail or fined? How many liquor stores ask for ID when a kid tries to buy alcohol? How many drug dealers ask to see ID when a kid buys marijuana? Some kids who want to change their mental states will do things worse than marijuana. Inhaling nitrous oxide, huffing / inhaling paints, glues and solvents even choking each other. Shall we make paint containers illegal because some kids get high from them? Should we put braces around the kids necks so they can’t choke each other? Where does it stop?

You have been lied to

Harry Anslinger first told congress that marijuana was a violence causing drug. Eleven years later he completely changed his mind and explained that marijuana makes people passive. Congress didn’t know that cannabis was marijuana when they outlawed it.

No evidence of an increased use of Marijuana

Would you, your parents or your grandparents become a stoner simply because now there is no risk of being thrown behind bars? Have you been looking for years for pot but can not find it because it’s illegal? Amsterdam has less pot head kids than the US does and pot is decriminalized there. The forbidden fruit aspect is gone when your grandpa is smoking weed.

Less power and money in the hands of gangs and cartels

Question: If importing marijuana is illegal then who is the only people who will do it? Answer: Criminals and gangs. With the high risk comes great reward in the amount of money they can profit. This in turn, makes the criminal and gangs more dangerous and rich. The northern Mexico violence would decrease. The Mexican mafia and dangerous gangs in the US would lose power and wealth because they would no longer be able to compete in the marijuana trade.

Cops would harass less people

Cops get to confiscate cool stuff when they make marijuana busts. They get to “confiscate” cash – which I am sure every cop turns in completely legal and never pockets any. Houses and cars can be confiscated and the cops get the profit. With this great incentive cops are looking for as many of these busts as possible and looking at you and me as a possible target. With the thousands of marijuana arrests, busts and investigations having marijuana legalized will allow cops to go after real criminals. Do you want them going after murderers, robbers, thieves and rapists or marijuana?