St.Augustiners Stir Mixed Feelings Towards Pot

The legalization of pot proves to still be a controversial topic anywhere, and St.Augustine, Fla. wasn’t the exception. When St.Augustine locals were asked about how they felt about Gov.Scwarznegger’s petition for lawmakers to study the economic benefits of a hypothetical legalization of the substance, the reactions were passionate but certainly mixed. The people who agreed with Schwarzenneger did mostly because of the economic benefits they saw were feasible, while the naysayers cited mostly moral and logically inclined reasons. Robert Parry, 23, a graphic designer, said he was against any kind of efforts towards marijuana legalization, “I know too many dumb people” he said. When asked about the possible economical benefits he says he doesn’t see them because “legalized marijuana might hurt the tobacco industry.” Dr.Diviney, an army veteran and a Latin American studies professor at Flagler College, declared himself to be adamantly opposed to any pro-drug legislation, and also thought that it wouldn’t do much in the economical aspect of any state, “When these drug addicts can't or won't work and cannot pay for even legalized drugs, who pays? We the average tax payer does. If you balance the cost of legalizing drugs against the cost of keeping them illegal, which really costs more? I do not think we really have any idea.” On the other hand, Steve Monette, 22, a History major at Flagler, thinks it could be a good answer to California’s economic foes, and maybe even the other state’s economic problems. “I think that if legalizing marijuana helps with California’s budget deficit, then why could it not help in other states?” He also said “Everybody knows that a lot of people smoke as well, these are people like you and me who have to go through all this consequences for minor crimes like possession.” Stephanie Bowcutt, 20, an English major at Flagler as well, brought up the fact that within the new 2000’s generation, weed is already a very socially accepted drug. “I think that right now we are not ready for a full on legislation of marijuana, but it’s obvious that for people my age it’s just as accepted as alcohol or tobacco.” Marijuana is something that arguably unites and divides people of all ages and backgrounds. When something that has the potential to change things in such drastic way is brought forth for legislation, it can cause quite a stir in American society (though the younger generation seemingly already isn’t horrified by marijuana), and much like when alcohol was legalized, it will go through a lot of scrutinizing before something like legalization is achieved. Though St.Augustine is full of young surfer and artsy kinds support it, the city’s conservative/Christian roots also contribute to its mixed feelings towards the drug.