Editor’s note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff.

California came on-line with legal recreational-use of marijuana on Jan. 1 — following the lead of Alaska, Washington, Colorado and other states. Costa Rica is not far behind with possibly approving legal-medical marijuana soon, so recreational weed is inevitable in Pura Vida-ville.

This marijuana issue has its pros and cons. The politics of additional tax money — without raising property and income taxes — is fueling this rush to legalize pot in the USA and around the world. Apparently, the United States of America is turning into a nation of stoners even more than it is now. Smokin’ all this weed just can’t be good for American society as a whole. Its effect on young children and pregnant mothers is well documented. There is a lot to worry about here. Are insurance companies and employers going to stop requiring drug tests? Will the military be forced to relax their drug policies to openly accept pot heads like they were with transgenders? Where is all this headed? Most states in the USA are so broke they are gambling with public safety for tax money because they won’t cut their budgets for non-essentials and give-a-way programs.

Would you want your bus driver high on potent weed? What about people operating machinery, flying airplanes or driving public trains and commercial semi-tractor-trailer trucks? With the spread of legal pot surely will come increases in deadly accidents that get traced back to the conductor, pilot or driver.

One thing is for sure — whether or not you approve of legal weed — be prepared to live with it. More and more states and foreign countries will be legalizing marijuana, opening private and state sales distribution outlets and hauling in that tax money while making a big dent in illegal drug trafficking. From news reports some people complain that the legal weed is just as or more expensive than from your local-street-dealer but people in legalized states are no longer getting arrested for simple-pot possession like in the old days.

The potency of today’s scientifically-grown marijuana that is being now legally sold far exceeds that of street weed that makes its way into USA mostly through Mexico. Critics claim that today’s pot is more of a gateway drug than ever before. Pot proponents say otherwise, but with a nation already addicted to alcohol, cocaine, heroin, oxycontin and all the rest of it – adding powerful pot to the mix just can’t be a good thing.

Here are three reactions to California going legal as found on Facebook.

“Illinois is a very revenue-strapped state and there’s no way they can cover the massive unfunded liability for pensions previous governor’s dumped on us. Our income and property taxes are incredibly high — as it is. Legalization would help ease the burden on the tax payers!” — Bob Keppler.

“Marijuana will increase homelessness and more Socialist-type government dealing with people that have no ambition and lack the capacity to be self-reliant.” – Norbert Beadel.

“The Democrats want everyone doped up and dependent on the government.” – Richie Terranera.

It’s no secret the Trump administration is against marijuana use. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has recently said the U.S. Department of Justice has no plans to back off federal laws against marijuana as the drug remains on the Schedule-1 list of felony drugs right in there with cocaine and heroin. But they don’t appear either to be getting in the way of state’s rights to legalize marijuana or not. Marijuana is one of those issues best left alone by the feds allowing the states to decide. Any hard-line approach to enforcing federal marijuana laws right about now would surely backfire politically. It’s too late to stop the spread of legal marijuana.

Life Magazine’s lead story on the cover of its Oct. 31, 1969 issue ran a full-page picture of a person smoking a hand-rolled marijuana ‘joint’ in extreme-close-up with this headline – ‘MARIJUANA: At least 12-million Americans have now tried it. … Are penalties too severe? Should it be legalized?’ That was 49 years ago and Americans coast-to-coast are still undecided about wacky weed, but you either smoke pot or you don’t.

Since super-stoners Cheech & Chong are still alive — in their 70s — and so is 84-year-old Willie Nelson – pot can’t be all bad.

About the Author Britt Nelson relocated to Costa Rica in 2011 from Florida, where he served as news editor for the Palatka Daily News, a newspaper owned by the New York Times Regional Newspaper Group (NYT-RNG) for 20 years.

Nelson served the NYT-RNG for 18 years in Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina and Florida as a correspondent, reporter, staff writer, senior staff writer training new reporters, copy editor, page designer, editorial writer, editorial page editor and editorial board member.