Pubdate: Mon, 11 Oct 2010 Source: Record Searchlight (Redding, CA) Copyright: 2010 Record Searchlight Contact: http://www.redding.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/360 Author: Dick Dickerson Note: Dick Dickerson is a Redding city councilor and chairman of the Youth Violence Prevention Council. Cited: Proposition 19 http://yeson19.com/ Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/opinion.htm (Opinion) Bookmark: http://mapinc.org/find?272 (Proposition 19) PROPOSITION 19 IS BAD FOR YOUTH In general it is not the policy of the Youth Violence Prevention Council to take formal positions on political candidates or issues; nonetheless, from time to time situations or proposals arise that have a direct and/or dire impact on the very people on whom our efforts are focused. Proposition 19 - the "Regulate, Control, and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010" - is such a proposal. The very title of this ballot proposal is misleading. The act itself provides no framework to accomplish any one of its three declared intents. It doesn't regulate, control or tax cannabis. Instead the measure delegates all regulatory and enforcement responsibilities to city and county governments, establishing a confusing network of potentially conflicting rules and regulations that can vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. In addition, its passage would limit the rights of property owners and employers and create nightmare enforcement issues for local law enforcement agencies. Under this measure, any person age 21 or older may possess, process, share or transport up to one ounce of marijuana; cultivate marijuana on private property in an area up to 25 square feet (per occupant over 21); possess harvested and living marijuana plants cultivated in such an area; and possess items or equipment associated with the possession, processing, sharing, transporting or cultivation of marijuana. State and local law enforcement agencies would be constrained from seizing or destroying marijuana from people participating in these activities, and landlords could potentially be unable to enforce restrictions against marijuana growth on their own property. Health studies confirm adverse impacts and addictive effects of marijuana. The deputy director of the Office of Narcotics and Drug Control Policy under President Bush recently testified in Sacramento that studies have proven that marijuana does impair the development of the teenage brain. Additionally, over 80 percent of youths being treated for substance abuse are addicted to marijuana. This is not the "dope" that baby boomers smoked in the 1960s. The THC content is five times that of the past and has been clinically proven to be addictive. Smoking marijuana has more carcinogens and negative health impacts than smoking tobacco. Increased usage by youth: Experience has also taught us that marijuana legalization for adults will result in an inevitable increase in use among youth. From 1978 through 1990, Alaska law permitted adults to possess small amounts of marijuana - and use among youth was measured at 51 percent. This was one of the reasons that Alaskan voters passed a ballot measure in 1990 that repealed Alaska's failed experiment. California is currently the major source for marijuana for the nation. We believe that contrary to assertions, the illegal cultivation of marijuana will not only continue, but also expand. It is this aspect of the fallout from the proposition's passage that is the most troubling to the YVPC Board. As our coalition's main purpose is preventing violence among Shasta county's young people, we are concerned over the proliferation of gang activities in our county that are directly connected with marijuana cultivation in our rural areas. Given the demand in states where marijuana remains illegal, we can see no reason drug cartels cultivating their product would cut back or eliminate their efforts; it is simply too profitable. This means that gang activity will continue in our region, with the attendant potential to lure area youths with few employment or higher education possibilities. The Youth Violence Prevention Council board wishes to add its voice to the myriad opponents of this measure. Notable opponents include both California U.S. senators, Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer; gubernatorial candidates Meg Whitman and Attorney General Jerry Brown; attorney general candidates Kamala Harris and Steve Cooley; numerous law enforcement groups, including the California Association of Highway Patrolmen, the California Narcotics Officers' Association, the California Peace Officers' Association, California Police Chiefs Association, and the California State Sheriffs' Association, and civic organizations such as the California League of Cities and the California Chamber of Commerce. We urge the voters of Shasta County to continue to support the efforts of the Youth Violence Prevention Council. Vote "No" on Proposition 19.