Politics Makes Strange Bedfellows

Politics Makes Strange Bedfellows

California is set to have its citizens vote via referendum on the legalization of pot in 2010.  As of now, it is legal for medical use despite it being illegal per the Federal government.  Without telling my actual stance on the legalization of marijuana let me list some pretty significant "pros" that will come out of California's social experimentation.

First, the Federal government will be shown to be the actual paper-tiger that it is when it comes to drug enforcement.  Long has the US spent BILLIONS on chasing drug dealers and as far as I know the drug trade is tougher and deadlier than ever. No return on our investment!  If California legalizes pot, marijuana producers go legal or get shut down via market forces. (Do you buy beer/wine/liquor from a bootlegger or from Foodlion or BiLo?)  Chasing drug dealers...good!  Putting drug dealers out of business and not spending Billions chasing them... better.  As well, now California municipalities can tax the drug and use those funds to chase crack, meth, and cocaine dealers.  Or fund addiction centers, head start school programs or build prisons! (Knowing California it will be wasted on a typical liberal agenda.)

Second, the legal precedent of California standing up to the US government will trickle down to all states.  California legalizing marijuana will actually make it easier for states like Texas, South Carolina Vermont, Iowa and others who consistently try to protect State's Rights, to do so.  That means telling the Federal government "NO" even if they pass massive healthcare legislation that has no Constitutional backing.  That means telling the Federal government "NO" to education mandates that are not right for South Carolina.

Finally it lets California, a pretty diverse and representative sample of the US, conduct the social experiment of legalizing weed.  We, in SC, get to sit back watch this either be a success or a complete failure.  Perhaps test scores will drop and kids become more lazy than they are now.  Perhaps people are constantly late for work, zoned out at work and always have the munchies.  Maybe California collapses on itself in a drug educed haze.  Maybe.  Or, they enjoy Billions of dollars in new tax revenue, cut crime and show the Federal government that we are 50 sovereign states in one union of mutual support and protection, not one 350 million person state in need of a massive government Nanny.