Alternative Rx Solutions officially endorses Proposition 19 on California’s November Ballot to tax and regulate recreational use of marijuana. The proposition will legalize recreational use of marijuana for anyone over 21 years of age and requires stiff penalties for anyone passing marijuana to a minor, a mandatory three years in prison, in fact. Recently, the debate has ramped up as support has declined by many advocates and industry pioneers due to the uncertainty of what legalization will do to the industry. In California, entire economies thrive on the production and manufacture of marijuana, such as Mendocino County that is well known for producing some of the best marijuana in the world.
A recent Rand Study reported that legalization can cause dramatic decreases in the price for an ounce of marijuana and argues that any future tax revenues cannot easily be calculated. Tax revenues, of course, being the most significant argument presented by legalization advocates as cities, counties, and the state’s economies continue to decline and suffer during the recent recession. The Rand group itself has admitted that there are just too many uncertainties and variables that prevent the painting of an accurate picture on legalization.
However, the NAACP has recently endorsed the legalization of marijuana as a big step in the civil rights movement and cited a report issued by the Drug Policy Alliance on the disparities of arrests between blacks and whites for marijuana related crimes. In many counties in California, young people of color, particularly black people are arrested and incarcerated at rates up to three times that of whites.
Alice Huffman, President of the California chapter of the NAACP stated that “…substance abuse and addiction are American problems that affect every socioeconomic group, and meaningful public health and safety strategies are needed to address it. However, law enforcement strategies that target poor Blacks and Latinos and cause them to bear the burden and shame of arrest, prosecution and conviction for marijuana offenses must stop.” Alternative Rx Solutions believes as does the California Chapter of the NAACP that “…whatever potential harms may be associated with using marijuana are more than outweighed by the immediate harms that derive from being caught up in the criminal justice system.” As such, Alternative Rx Solutions fully endorses and supports Prop 19 and the legalization, taxation, and regulation of marijuana for adults.
