Pubdate: Thu, 14 Oct 2010 Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA) Copyright: 2010 San Jose Mercury News Contact: http://www.mercurynews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/390 Cited: Proposition 19 http://yeson19.com/ Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/opinion.htm (Opinion) Bookmark: http://mapinc.org/find?272 (Proposition 19) NO ON PROPOSITION 19 Legalizing Marijuana's Inevitable, but This Is the Wrong Way The state Board of Equalization estimates that 400,000 Californians smoke marijuana every day. More than 3 million use it at least once a year. Clearly, the war on drugs is a massive failure, at least regarding pot. A well-crafted proposal to legalize and regulate marijuana for adults in California might well be a better approach, but Proposition 19 isn't it. Voters should say "no" on Nov. 2. In 1996, we supported Proposition 215, the landmark initiative legalizing marijuana for medical purposes, which some other states have imitated. We don't regret it. Pot can relieve pain and nausea for victims of cancer, AIDS and other diseases, in some cases saving lives. An initiative was the only way to make this humanitarian change. But let's face it: Implementation has been a mess, rife with unintended consequences. The lesson is that any move to legalize marijuana for broader adult consumption needs to prescribe tight, clear regulation throughout the state. Proposition 19 fails on that front. Instead of statewide rules, regulation is left to individual cities and counties. That's right. Every one of California's 478 cities and 58 counties would be allowed, but not required, to establish its own laws on how marijuana can be grown, sold, taxed and used. On some issues, local control makes sense, but this isn't one of them. Hundreds of local marijuana ordinances would also confuse the inevitable federal challenges to Proposition 19. The Obama administration may not take up the fight, but someone is bound to in the years ahead. California safety net and other programs that rely heavily on federal dollars could be in jeopardy if the state is found to be out of compliance with federal law. The most attractive element of the proposition is its potential to deliver a death blow to drug cartels -- but that is an unlikely outcome. A Rand Corp. study released this week found that only about 3 percent of Mexican marijuana sales are in California. Since it's estimated to be a $20 billion industry, it's hard to imagine Prop. 19 having much effect. Legalization in this country would have to be much broader than a county-by-county effort in one state. Proponents of Prop. 19 say marijuana users now are crowding county jails at great public cost. But Santa Clara County law enforcement officials estimate that fewer than 3 percent of inmates are there because of pot use or sale. Proposition 19 is not a referendum on whether California should legalize recreational use of marijuana. It's a vote on whether this particular initiative is an appropriate way to govern pot use. Voters should reject Proposition 19 on Nov. 2. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake