CANNABIS, victory at the ballot box

Good on Californians, Nevadans and, erm, the good people of Massachussetts, for making cannabis, recreational or otherwise, legal. On November 8th, 2016 propositions were passed in those states making it legal to use cannabis recreationally.

Granted, it's hard to ignore the risks associated with recreational cannabis use. Cannabis consumers should prepare themselves for a host of potential illnesses, those which become a burden on our health care system (but, like E40 says in the song, "everybody's got choices"). And yet, in my view, in spite of the health risks, found in equal importance in alcohol and tobacco, a single dollar bill ripped from the hands of criminal gangs is a win for society. Yesterday, in one fell swoop Americans have helped put a number of criminals out of business.

There is value in one-upping the criminal establishment on several fronts. The cannabis dollar, the gambling dollar, the lottery dollar, all makes for valid revenue for the state. As an American residing in socialist France I am all the more disheartened by France's abject and incomprehensible refusal to follow suit and legalize cannabis.