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Marijuana or scientifically known as Cannabis, have been approved for medicinal usage in the US since 1996. Now, 13 years later, California is going further on its efforts to fully legalize the possession and usage of marijuana beyond medicine.

From a recent count, more than a dozen states in the US have granted laws permitting the possession of small amounts of the said drug; Massachusetts is the most recent state that has done so. Because of California’s acceptance of marijuana as a medicinal aid, Oakland has gained a new title in the state being one of the strongest advocates for the consumption of marijuana in the US. The said area has been called Oaksterdam, creating the impression that it is the Amsterdam of the US. Amsterdam has been known to be the world center of marijuana deregulation and Oakland has followed suit. Now there are establishments in Oakland that sell a variety of marijuana-based products. The state is also home to a facility where its residents can get their own ID to establish their right to consume cannabis for medicinal purposes. Now, California is sprawling with establishments, schools, lawmakers that would want the legalization to be approved and migrants that have found California as their new home because of the drug.

School of Marijuana:
Being that Oakland has made a thumbs-up on marijuana usage, it is but fitting to have the academy join in the necessary studies on how to further the drug’s consumption and importance. Richard Lee, a pioneer advocate of the legalization of marijuana has established Oaksterdam University which is a trade school for those who would like to venture to the cannabis commerce. On an interview, Mr. Lee defends that the legalization of marijuana would help uplift the economy and the battle against Mexican drug cartels. In justification, Mr. Lee shares that about 60-70% of profit gained by Mexican drug cartels are all due to cannabis. In the interview with Mr. Lee, he points out that with the legalization of marijuana, there will be a big chance that the income that Mexican cartels get through their operations will be cut down and they will have less money to buy arms and weapons that are aimed for terrorism. Legalization of the drug is the way for this to be all possible.

On the Flight to Legalization:
Along with its economic and anti-terrorism effects, California leaders foresee that the legalization of marijuana could bring in as much as $1.5 Billion a year in taxes. With such a promising future, more state’s voters have nodded on the legalization of the drug. To realize such endeavors, politician Tom Ammiano has introduced a bill in the California state assembly which aims to level marijuana’s legal status with alcohol and tobacco. If it were to be legalized, California will be on top of Amsterdam since the latter only pursues toleration of the drug and not legalization. Ammiano sees that his bill is not far from being approved since more and more of his colleagues in the state assembly have been seeing the benefits of the legalization of the drug. But aside from its benefits, some antagonists also see its bad side. Clearly, the US is divided whether marijuana should be made legal or not.

Two sides of the coin:
Mr. Ammiano believes that with only prohibiting the usage of marijuana, the government is spending instead of saving. “People across the board, whether they’re conservative or liberal, have come to realize that the so-called war on drugs has failed and failed miserably,” Mr. Ammiano discusses. The bill would like to turn marijuana from a liability to an asset to the state, where it would force police efforts on the syndicates because of their violent acts and lighten up on minor offenders. As Mr. Ammiano reiterates, “We like to say prohibition is chaos and regulation is control.” Legalization of the drug is aimed at controlling the situation. But despite of the efforts of those pro-marijuana legalization, there are still opposing forces to this campaign. Those against are throwing statistics on a plate where they point out the adverse long-term effects of the drug. Key opponent to this bill is Ronald Brooks, president of the National Narcotic Officers’ Associations Coalition. Brooks defends that the legalization of marijuana would bring more inconvenience to the taxpayers as there will be a big chance that healthcare and law enforcement costs will increase as well as the frequency of crimes related to people who are under the influence of marijuana.

Let’s Get into Business:
Despite the tension on whether to legalize marijuana or not, it cannot be denied that people are considering this as an entrepreneurial field. In Oakland, patrons and owners of the Bulldog Café, happily indulge in their legally sanctioned privilege to consume marijuana for medicinal purposes. There are also those who are considering of migrating to California in order to join the marijuana trade. In fact, more than 200,000 residents of California have registered to legally consume marijuana for medicinal purposes. Legal or not, it is incontestable that marijuana found its home in California.