Legalization of Marijuana in the state of California

Californians will decide whether legal marijuana should be used to plug the state's $20 billion budget gap.California residents are expected to vote this year on whether legalization should be approved to raise nearly $1.4 billion in state revenue. That's based on an estimate from the State Board of Equalization, a tax administration agency. California Secretary Debra Brown confirmed on Wednesday that enough signatures had been collected to put AB 390, a marijuana legalization bill, on the ballot for Nov. 2. A press release from the secretary said that legalization proponents submitted 694,248 petition signatures for the bill, easily surpassing the required 433,791. According to the bill, people would have to be 21 years or older "to possess, cultivate, or transport marijuana for personal use." Californians would not be permitted to use the drug in public or within the presence of minors, and would not be allowed to possess it on school grounds. source CNN

Though not a user, I am strongly for this bill since it would create a lot of money and also reduce drug related crimes. Many of the people from older generations tends to believe that marijuana is a harmful and addictive drug, but in reality, it is proven that cigarettes and alcohol are as harmful. Study's have shown that alcohol and cigarettes are more likely to cause cancer. Also, it is proven that the substances such as nicotine are more addictive then THC which is a chemical found in marijuana.
There are many legitimate reasons in passing this bill. For one, it would create a lot of revenue in California. Surprisingly, marijuana is 30% of California's cash crops. If it were legal, the government would make a lot of revenue by taxing it, similar to how cigarettes are sold.
Secondly, there are many marijuana related problems in the state of California. Data shows that 300 million dollars are spent annually on enforcing marijuana related laws. If it were legal, there would not be anymore drug dealers dealing drugs sicne people would be able to get it from markets. For example, you don't see teenagers buying cigarettes or alcohol on the street.
Lastly, many believe that legalization would result result in the increase of users. However, marijuana is already very common, and people would have already tried it by now whether it be legal or not. If its alrady this common and used by many why not just legalize it.

Arizona Govenor Signs Immigration Bill

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed a bill Friday that requires police in her state to determine whether a person is in the United States legally, which critics say will foster racial profiling but supporters say will crack down on illegal immigration. The bill requires immigrants to carry their alien registration documents at all times and requires police to question people if there is reason to suspect that they're in the United States illegally. It also targets those who hire illegal immigrant day laborers or knowingly transport them. The Republican governor also issued an executive order that requires additional training for local officers on how to implement the law without engaging in racial profiling or discrimination. CNN

Being raised in southern California all my life, there were a lot of illegal immigrants in my community and I know how a community is like with illegal immigrants. I strongly oppose this bill for the following three reasons: firstly, illegal immigrants helps out the economy a lot. Secondly, the bill will cause racial profiling which by any means is not tolerable in this country. Lastly, our county is made up of immigrants. It is a well known fact that illegal immigrants help out the economy a lot. Most of the workers in southern California are illegal. Without them, many states probably would not function as well. Also, there will probably be a a lot of companies going out of business. There is no denying the fact that there will be racial profiling. Many of the people opposing this bill, including myself, are concerned that the law will cause racial profiling, assuming that most police officers don't have enough training to look past race while investigating a person's legal status. Lastly, America is a land made up of immigrants. The bill would be contradicting the fundamental ideas of the U.S.