Marijuana the Key to Solving California's Economic Woes?

A television ad was released in California this week, calling for the legalization of weed in order to make it a taxable good and use it to help lift California out of its worsening budget crisis. I think it will take a little more than that, but it is probably a step in the right direction. According to the sponsor of the commercial, legalizing and taxing marijuana can help save the jobs of 20,000 teachers. There are several hurdles to this, including our national aversion to any legalization of marijuana, not to mention that marijuana is much easier to grow than, say, beer, which is legal and probably more dangerous to use than marijuana (when you consider the liver disease that comes with regular drinking and the many people who drive their vehicles intoxicated). But I'm digressing. I'm not a pothead (never touched the stuff), but government-manufactured marijuana is probably much more potent than that grown in your friend's closet. I know, I've seen Pineapple Express.



BTW, since we're on the topic, I'm also posting a video from Real Time with Bill Maher that features a town hall meeting with President Obama, in which he dismisses an online suggestion that marijuana be legalized. I meant to post this months ago, but it infuriated me, in that he didn't give a clear rationalization for his position. I expect this from McCain and most of the other Washington politicians, but this was the "hope and change" guy.