Californians and Their Pot

Prop 19 on the California ballot is a controversial proposition. Prop 19, if passed, will legalize private marijuana growth (in an area of no more than 25 square feet) and use for those 21 years of age and older. There are many expected downfalls to Prop 19, yet there are just as many expected benefits, one of the most significant of which being a decrease in the influence of the Mexican drug traffickers and a shrinking of the size of the Mexican drug cartels. This expected benefit apparently does not hold according the the San Francisco Chronicle article of October 12, 2010, entitled "Study: Legalizing pot won't hinder Mexican cartels" by Martha Mendoza.

Californians, who make up one-seventh of the U.S. marijuana market, already are farming marijuana at a much higher rate than in neighboring states and tend to buy domestic rather than smuggled marijuana, the study found.

The study found that the majority of Californians either farm their own marijuana or prefer to buy domestic marijuana, which supposedly shows that Mexican drug cartels have little influence in California. I found this study to be questionable because if, as the study says, most Californians don't buy the products of Mexican drug cartels, then it doesn't make sense why people so strongly believe that these cartels have power and are making such a hullabaloo regarding the influence of Mexican drug cartels. I believe that despite the results of this study, the Mexican drug cartels do have some noticeable power as a result of California operations and passing Prop 19 will make it difficult for drug cartels to remain as influential as they were and are now and I agree with Stephen Downing, former Los Angeles chief of police, who says:

It's ridiculous to claim that ending prohibition won't have a big financial impact on these violent criminals' bottom lines