california: I was reading the ballot earlier and it looks like the main reason for legalizing weed was so California, who is a debt can collect tax revenue, but I was wondering if all the smokers now have weed growing in their back yards for free, what tax revenue is there going to be? Not to mention if they outright legalize weed then Prop 215 was an absolute lie. Can't wait for the little kids hanging out in front of 7-11 asking me to buy them a pack of joints. Sounds great.|||Good question. It is true that some people would grow it at home, just like some people grow their own tomatoes. There's nothing stopping people from growing their own tobacco, yet the cigarette companies still seem to do well. People can cook at home, too - yet the restaurant industry has thrived for decades. The fact is that the vast majority of people will not have the time/knowledge/inclination to grow their own, and will buy it pre-packaged. I don鈥檛 smoke, but I definitely think it should be legal, provided that it is regulated like alcohol (no minors, and no driving). It makes absolutely no sense that cannabis is illegal while alcohol and tobacco (both of which are MORE harmful and MORE addictive) are legal. Legalization would: - Create thousands of (legal, income-tax paying) jobs - Devastate drug cartels, which would suddenly be without 75% of their income - Provide an enormous windfall for the government, which would bring in billions in taxes and SAVE billions more on law enforcement (ending Prohibition played a big part in getting the U.S. out of the Great Depression) - Allow police, courts and prisons to focus their resources on DANGEROUS criminals, rather than harmless potheads The more taxes the pot smokers have to pay, the less the rest of us will have to pay - everybody wins!|||Well you can make your own alcohol too... but how many people actually take the time to do that?? Besides, many people don't know how to do it themselves or are too lazy. Plus, to get a good amount of weed that you can pick and smoke takes kind of a lot of time. You have to wait months ones you pick it for it to bud again. Just like any plant really... I mean sure you can grow your own orange and lemon tree, but who really does that?? No one|||Umm...California will not legalize marijuana. So stop wasting your effort. Most potheads tend to not drink, so the alcohol companies will not push for it. The (AMA) American Medical Association does not recommend marijuana over the synthetic medications, which can actually be better for you than smoking marijuana!!! And the conservatives will not give you the time of day!|||The Federal Govt will step in before any such thing happens. The State is whacked out of their heads.|||Right, as if most people are actually going to grow their own. How many people make their own clothes? How many people grow their own food? How many legal citizens work under the table unless they are hiding from child support? How many people lie on their taxes? How many people make their own alcohol? Are there people who do those things? Sure, there are. But even though those things are all super simple to do, few people actually do it. Marijuana is the same way. Obviously there are people growing it right now for free. But most of the people using it arent - they are buying it from someone else. And most people, will go buy it from a store where it is taxed if it were legal because its convenient. Every other product on the market proves that. There isnt a single thing available in the stores that people cant make themselves, or go to someone else who can make it themselves and sell it without taxes and/or illegally. But walmart is still pulling in those profits, including the sales tax on every thing that goes directly to the state. I disagree that out right legalizing marijuana makes prop 215 a lie. Marijuana can be and IS used for medical purposes. Legalizing it for everyone is no different than any of these pharmaceutical companies releasing rx meds to be over the counter after their patent has expired. Check zyrtec out. It used to be one of the most expensive prescription allergy meds available by rx only, and without a generic... 6 months after the patent ran out, they bring it out over the counter at a fraction of the price.