Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010

As some may know, California has a ballot initiative coming up that would legalize marijuana for those over 21. It is a very detailed proposition that envisions open farming, sale of marijuana in retail establishments, and taxes. With this coming up, I'm struck by how little discussion I've seen about the merits of such a movement. What does the research say will happen should this pass? How might it affect our campuses? What should be the prevention community's position on this? The fact is, polls are showing that it has a very good chance of becoming law.

I'm struck by the dichotomy between this and the prevention community's response to the Amethyst Initiative. That initiative was only a letter, and has yet to be turned into legislative proposals or initiatives; yet immediately upon its release, many of us were tapped to argue against it.

What does the relative silence about this movement mean?

I'm curious what others think.

Jim Lange