California votes on Proposition 19 Marijuana

Medical use of marijuana is legal in the District of Columbia and14 states.

On Tuesday, California voters will decide whether their state will be the first to legalize recreational marijuana use. The vote on Proposition 19 is being closely watched as California is often seen as a mother ship,It was the first state to authorize medicinal marijuana in 1996.

Prop 19 would allow people 21 and older to cultivate possess and transport up to 1 ounce of marijuana for personal use.: The debate over marijuana legalization has caused science to get lost in the rhetorical shuffle, said Alan Budney, professor of psychiatry and a research scientist in the Center for Addiction Research at the University of Arkansas. some health agencies warn that  Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in the United States and that marijuana makes you slow and raises the risk of addiction, memory problems and cognitive functions .according to the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Enthusiasts counter that in addition to fueling creativity, pot is a natural herb with health benefits, relieving pain and improving quality of life for chronically ill patients.Grinspoon said he had staked his career on the notion that marijuana is the least toxic psychoactive drug known to man.

Supporters  for legalizing its use often say that marijuana is far less damaging than alcohol, which is legal. The medical evidence on marijuana is “not black and white,” Budney said. “When people say one thing, you can bet it’s somewhere in the middle. It’s all pretty gray.”