Prop 19 is limited to marijuana, but almost everything in your post is applicable to other drugs (cocaine etc.)
Would you vote yes on a future proposition that legalizes all drugs ?
Would you vote yes on a future proposition that legalizes all drugs ?
You take a substance out of the hands of professionals and place it into the hands of criminals. The quality of the substance goes down. The number of dead bodies goes up. The truth about the drugs themselves gets completely distorted with lies and propaganda instead of becoming common knowledge.
Legalization should go hand-in-hand with education and healthcare reform. If you get those elements right, you'll have a much more functioning society. Fewer drunk drivers, fewer overdoses, and no drug cartels to speak of.
What healthcare reform? Are we going to pay for the health care of addicts now? If you become an addict you should have to also deal with the consequences. Education should concentrate on telling kids not to touch drugs because most likely, they will fuck up their life. Pot may not be chemically addicting or as harmful as cigarettes, but it ruins your ambition and can be even worse for kids or even younger adults that should be figuring out what they want to do in life.
I also don't think it will get rid of the drug cartels. They will just have a legal way of funding their operations. It will only make it easier for them to make money.