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Proposition 19: Legalizing Marijuana And Keeping It On A Short Leash

A photograph of a cannabis plant. The photo at that site is marked as being copyright-free, and is credited to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

A photograph of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) in Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge.

California’s Battle With Marijuana

It seems like a lifetime since the first gunshot that sounded the war on California soil took place. Now, this war on drugs has taken a drastic turn. November the 2nd marks the final showdown between California and its ancient rival, marijuana. A ballot called Proposition 19 was posted for California residents to vote on. If this proposition should pass, then the government will gain the ability to legalize, regulate, control, and tax this green monster. It seemed that the commotion leading to this day would see to the victory of the infamous cannabis. But it seems that California people were not ready for it after all.

The Green Light For Marijuana

There are many benefits to legalize marijuana for both economic reasons and social reasons. The proposition allows the taxation and regulation of cannabis. According to the OB Rag website, California will get $1.4 billion from taxes and save $200 million from law enforcement efforts on arresting cannabis users and shutting down plantations. At this time that is a very big boost to the downtrodden economy of California. This also prevents the useless imprisonment of people who poses marijuana. Many good people smoke cannabis and only indulge in it like any other vice. However, when they get imprisoned, the people around them end up suffering. Most of these people don’t deserve such a punishment just for indulging in what research shows is a less harmful drug than cigarettes.

The Red Light For Marijuana

With those benefits, it seems like a sound plan to legalize marijuana. Yet, so many people oppose it. Even some regular cannabis users oppose it. According to ‘Stoners Against The Prop. 19” Tax Cannabis Initiative’, “they believe this would make marijuana less legal in a way.” That is because the government would be the one regulating this product. This means that corporations will be pushing out the small marijuana distributors and minimizing the free business that pot dealers and pot smokers enjoy. For most marijuana users, the last thing they want is Marlboro Man for cannabis. Many also believe that the last thing we need is another legal drug flowing in our blood stream. The minorities in California are already kept down by alcoholism and other drugs. They believe legalizing marijuana will set them back severely.

The Outcome Of The Final Battle

It has been a struggle of epic proportions for both sides. At the start, many Californians were for the idea of the legalization of cannabis. When it came down to it, the dream of legal weed was just that, a dream and a broken promise. The things that regular marijuana users wanted were not delivered. This caused pro-pot users to vote “no” on prop 19. It was a start in the right direction, but balancing drugs and law is always a tricky act. It seemed this time the scales tipped towards law far more than drugs. According to the LA Times, voters are rejecting the idea of prop 19. Let’s hope in the future they will have a better proposition that benefits everyone.

References:

http://www.latimes.com/topic/lifestyle-leisure/recreational-substance-use/marijuana-use/proposition-19-%28california-2010%29-EVHST0000249.topic

http://votetaxcannabis2010.blogspot.com/2010/07/why-pro-pot-activists-oppose-2010-tax.html

December 31, 2010 Posted by | Legal, New, News, Society | , , , , | Leave a Comment

Plans for Comprehensive Development of the Millennium Declaration of 2000 is Meeting Obstacles

Bangladeshi child labourers work at a balloon workshop in Kamrangir Char, on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009. Twenty years after the U.N. adopted a treaty guaranteeing children's rights, fewer youngsters are dying and more are going to school, but an estimated 1 billion still lack services essential to their survival and development, UNICEF said Thursday.

Photo by Pavel Rahman

In the Millennium Declaration of 2000, world leaders set forth a new vision for humanity. Leaders committed themselves ‘to spare no effort to free our fellow-men, women and children from the abject and dehumanizing conditions of extreme poverty’ in accordance with the plans for comprehensive development of the Millennium Declaration of 2000. We must recognize the nature of the global trust at stake and the danger that many developing countries’ hopes could be irredeemably pierced if even the greatest anti-poverty movement in history is insufficient to break from ‘business as usual’. Are we on course to look back, in 2015, and say that no effort was spared?” The same goals and planned efforts are supposed to be the goals as well as long-term objectives for countries as well as the regional organizations. But are these goals slowly being met? Is there any significant change as to the low quality of life of the bulk of mankind?

Long-term Alleviation of Hunger

Meaningful long-term alleviation of hunger is rooted in the alleviation of poverty, as poverty leads to hunger. World hunger is a terrible symptom of world poverty. If efforts are only directed at providing food, or improving food production or distribution, then the structural root causes that create hunger, poverty and dependency would still remain. While resources and energies are deployed to relieve hunger through technical measures such as improving agriculture, and as important as these are, inter-related issues such as poverty mean that political solutions are likely required as well for meaningful and long-term hunger alleviation.

Interconnectedness of Globalization

Behind the increasing interconnectedness promised by globalization are global decisions, policies, and practices. These are typically influenced, driven, or formulated by the rich and powerful. These can be leaders of rich countries or other global actors such as multinational corporations, institutions, and influential people. In the face of such enormous external influence, the governments of poor nations and their people are often powerless. As a result, in the global context, a few get wealthy while the majority struggle.

Lapses in the Development Goals of the Asia – Pacific Region

The latest estimates on poverty 93 per cent of the population of the developing world are impoverished. Estimated 72 million children of primary school age are not in school, 57 percent of them are girls. Changes in the levels of child mortality also show wide differentials according to social-economic status. In most countries that have made substantial reductions in child mortality in recent years, the largest changes were observed among children living in the richest 40 per cent of those living in urban areas, or whose mothers have some education. Recently, UN discovered that there are significant lapses in the development goals of the Asia – Pacific Region, particularly in the country of Bangladesh. After all no comprehensive program can address the complex nature of under development and socio – economic poverty. Moreover, the goals set for the region merely adopted in part the Millennium development goals but also has lapses in terms of how it comprehensively approaches the problem. These lapses though they may be solvable that does not make the goals more attainable.

Reference:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jC1HnBSyLrMaYPDtPczxFD0GqnIw

http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews/articleid/4373041

September 10, 2010 Posted by | Society | , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

   

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