History has a tendency to repeat itself. With wars, economic shifts and trends, things that seem like they were back in “the ol’ days” seem to be stuck in the present day. In the 60s and 70s, counterculture was mainly defined by one thing: marijuana.

In this new decade, marijuana – also known as cannabis – has resurfaced and become a staple of this decade’s general population. Cannabis is leaving its mark on our time and on our fall ballots. This coming November, a proposition will be put onto the ballot to try and do something that no one thought would happen. This fall, the battle for the legalization of marijuana is on in your local voting precincts, bringing on a modern clash of the ages: should cannabis be legalized and taxed?

If the people of California were to vote in favor of Proposition 19, California has an incredible chance of returning to the better California it once was.

Proposition 19 is being pushed to the public during this election season. Proposition 19 is the bill to make possession of cannabis for personal use legal for anyone over the age of 21, and tax them for their usage. The bill outlines a basic plan of how cannabis will be controlled once the proposition is passed. Cannabis would be handled like alcohol, being prohibited from anyone under the age of 21, and violators would be given a strict punishment, according to the Proposition 19 website.

There is no question that California is more than knee-deep in the economic hole of the recession. Under the unwatchful eye of California police officers, $14 billion dollars in illegal transactions are made every year. California could use a few billion of those dollars back in its empty pockets. The official website for Proposition 19 states that passing of Proposition 19, could help California potentially “generate billions in annual revenue” from taxation.

“We need cash,” said 18-year-old microbiology major Diego Rivera. “And by implementing a process to control the sale and taxation of weed we simultaneously reduce the profits of those growing weed illegally (less money to serious drug producers) and increase profits for ourselves.”

These billions of dollars could go toward jobs, healthcare, smoother roads, the safety of our children and education.

“I think it will help the economy simply because the government will tax it to the point of no return,” said 17-year-old psychology major Tiana Sell. “All the tax put on it will go straight toward funding California, so the economy will virtually be better.”

The taxation would help pull California out of its slump. The local police always collect marijuana from dealers, so why not make something off of it as well?

Millions of dollars from taxpayers would be saved by putting policemen in the right places on the streets of California. Officers have patrolled the city and have caught many dealers of cannabis, all to have those dealers walk the streets soon after and sell like they did before.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation website, there were nearly 900,000 arrests made last year related to marijuana, most of those just for possession. Not only was their effort refuted after arresting the dealers, but their effort could be used for something much more serious. Their time spent on cracking down marijuana dealers could be spent in the more dangerous streets, stopping gang violence, rapes, robberies and helping developing neighborhoods become safer communities.

The consensus of the opposing side to the Proposition 19 debate jumps to conclusions, such as people smoking around their children and in public areas.

The No on Proposition 19 website claims the proposed bill has large flaws, allowing cannabis users to drive under the influence, smoke in the workplace and even near schools. Regarding children, minors and school grounds, the proposition, “prohibits people from possessing marijuana on school grounds, using it in public, smoking it while minors are present, or providing it to anyone under 21 years old.”

This prohibits any smoking on the De Anza campus and/or around any other campus. Cannabis would, in essence, be treated as a substance similar to alcohol. The passing of Proposition 19 would pose no threat to those in schools. Driving under the influence of marijuana would yield the same consequences as driving under the influence of alcohol. Simple regulations such as these would make marijuana just another substance like alcohol.

People need to lighten up and take a second to think about this: California will surely be a better place. If Proposition 19 passes there would be more money to use, more protection offered and a little more freedom to enjoy. History does tend to repeat itself, but there is even more history to be made.