Should Marijuana Be Legalized?

In reading the article found in Newsweek “Taking the High Road” written by Jessica Bennett, she explains that a November ballot initiative could make California the first state in the nation to legalize marijuana. She explains that if approved by voters, the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act, would make California the first state in the nation to make pot legal, which would allow Californians 21 and older to grow and possess up to one ounce of marijuana. She reports that in downtown Oakland the locals call a nine block stretch in the center of Oakland “Oaksterdam”. You can find shops that already sell marijuana as a medicinal drug. The concerns are that anyone can get a doctors note for any type of ailment such as headaches, cramps, anxiety, etc. if you have the money. The article talks about how Oakland has embraced the medical-marijuana industry. There hopes are that local jurisdictions would be able to tax and regulate the marijuana trade and tax the individual.
“Harvard enconomist Jeffrey Mirion has estimated that the cost to the country of cannabis prohibition is $13 billion annually, with an additional lost in potential tax revenue.” Based on this information, Oakland voters became the first in the nation to enact a special cannabis excise tax—$18 for every $1,000 grossed that the city believes will generate up to $1 million this year. With the hope of creating new jobs, improving the city, and occupying empty store spaces. I believe that although this is a controversial subject to cover that this article was well written. I found it to be very informative, although, I feel that Texas should not take this stand.