Pot to California's rescue?

A California legislator has proposed legalizing the sale of marijuana, saying that the plan would generate $1 billion annually for California. He proposes a tax of $50 on an ounce of marijuana. Pot is presently a $14 billion-a-year crop in California. Supposedly 58% of Californians approve of selling and taxing marijuana like alcohol or cigarettes. A Rasmussen poll last week found that 40% of people nationwide support legalizing marijuana, with 46% against. I guess 14% don't know what to think.

My own views against legalizing marijuana were formed in my career as a child protection worker, as I saw the effects of drug abuse on children. Here is one case I remember, that involved marijuana. A pre-school age girl came to school one day with a big bruise on her forehead. She told the teacher her daddy had pushed her onto the coffee table. I was called to the school and interviewed the child and teacher. That night I accompanied two police officers to the house, which was a shrine to marijuana. The daddy admitted he had been high on marijuana when his daughter climbed up on the couch where he was toking up, and, irritated, he pushed her down onto the coffee table. I urged the cops to remove both the daughter and her toddler brother.

After making the same admissions in court, the parents agreed to work on a treatment plan I wrote for the court. Before the children could be returned to the home, they would each have to undergo drug testing to insure they were no longer using dope. The mom was a large woman, and it took her about 75 days to get the THC out of her system. The dad was skinny, and he was free of the THC in just a little over a month. Both parents participated in parenting classes and psychotherapy, and had regular visits with their children. They were reunified with their children after a few months, and remained drug-free.

It remains my conviction that drug abuse and parenting is not a good mix. The California legislator is not taking into consideration increased child welfare costs, increases in traffic accidents, and increases in expenditures for public health programs that would likely occur if the legislation passes.