"Marijuana seems to be the gateway drug to becoming president." Considering marijuana legalization in California.

This is in response to the idea that California legalize marijuana in order to fix the economy. What a controversial idea! The downside is that the DEA would no longer have the same credibility, law enforcement officers from a number of agencies would be out of work, there would be another bureaucratic agency added to the already bloated system, revenue from court fees would decrease immeasurably, accidents on the roads could potentially increase, since it can be as dangerous as texting while driving, people might be potentially losing motivation daily and marijuana could become chemicalized, much more so than it is now, sold by major corporations that don't care about customers health.

The upside? CA jails would be emptier, as would courts, snack companies would increase their bottom line, there would most definitely be a new source of state revenue based on taxes for growers and consumers (which might be offset by the lack of revenue from court fees assessed on people charged with marijuana related offenses), people would be smiling more, and sleeping more, and eating more. and those individuals who have become monetarily successful through the farming of marijuana would lose a lot of black market money, but would have a head start on the new legalized industry. And more people would have the opportunity to gateway their way to the presidency.

As you can see the issue is not as simple as it seems. It is clear that there are enough pot smokers in California to support a marijuana industry, illegal or otherwise, but would legalizing it help the economy. That is not so clear. And with the social stigma attached to marijuana in this country it seems that regardless of the pros and the cons this argument will continue and legalization will not happen, not in the immediate future.