Pubdate: Sun, 17 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 Authors: Dianne Feinstein and Lee Baca Note: Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat, is California's senior U.S. Senator. Lee Baca is Los Angeles County sheriff. They co-chair the No on 19 campaign and wrote this article for this newspaper. 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 NO SOLUTION TO DRUG PROBLEMS Supporters of Proposition 19 portray marijuana legalization as a panacea for all of California's problems. They argue that it will fix California's budget crisis, vanquish drug cartels, save law enforcement resources and relieve prison overcrowding. It will accomplish none of these things. Proposition 19 won't even legalize marijuana, which would remain punishable by federal law. The reality is that Proposition 19 is a poorly constructed and misleading initiative funded mainly by the personal fortune of one marijuana dealer. It will increase drug use among our youth, waste taxpayer dollars and create new regulatory burdens for local governments. There is no disputing the fact that recreational marijuana use is harmful and habit-forming. Marijuana abuse causes dependency, respiratory and mental illness, poor motor performance and cognitive impairment. The chemical concentration of the drug's psychoactive ingredient, Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, has more than doubled since 1983, and marijuana intoxication resulted in 374,000 emergency room visits nationwide in 2008. Studies show that teen marijuana users are almost 26 times more likely to use other illicit drugs in the future when compared with teens that never used marijuana. What's even worse, by putting an official seal of approval on recreational marijuana use for adults, we would be telling children that marijuana use is OK. Studies show that the illegality is a top reason teenagers cite for not using marijuana and that legalization could increase general marijuana use by 50 percent to 100 percent. The last thing we need to do is make it easier for dealers to increase their customer base by pushing pot on kids. Proposition 19's backers don't want to confront these unsavory truths, so they have tried to shift the focus of the initiative to the false promises of increased tax revenue and decreased drug crime. But the tax argument doesn't hold water because the tax provisions are not enforceable. The Supreme Court decided in a 1969 case, Leary v. United States, that it's unconstitutional to require anyone to pay taxes on marijuana sales because anyone paying such a tax would be admitting to a violation of federal law. So, it's unlikely that drug dealers would forfeit their constitutional rights and rush to incriminate themselves on federal drug charges by paying marijuana taxes. Proposition 19 is more likely to be a drain on government coffers. Millions of taxpayer dollars would likely be necessary to enforce new bureaucratic mandates requiring the state to control marijuana quality and ensure that it wasn't grown by criminal organizations. According to the California Board of Equalization, it is impossible to calculate exactly how much it will cost taxpayers to implement every provision of Proposition 19 if it passes. In addition to the false tax argument, Proposition 19 proponents also assert that this measure will end Mexico's drug-related violence. But the notion that these ultraviolent criminal organizations will simply disappear is ludicrous. At best, cartels would simply shift to other crimes, as they have done in Mexico. If they lose ground in the marijuana trade, then kidnapping, extortion, human trafficking and the trafficking of harder drugs could increase. These violent criminals are not going to seek legitimate and legal employment if marijuana becomes less lucrative for them. Proposition 19 is a risky experiment based on false arguments and fake promises. Our state already has one of the most liberal marijuana policies in the world. Anyone with a doctor's note can buy medical cannabis, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has reduced marijuana possession to an infraction on par with a traffic ticket, so why not leave well enough alone? Buying and consuming marijuana is already far too easy in California. Proposition 19 is a big step in the wrong direction. We strongly urge voters to avoid this costly experiment and vote "no" on Proposition 19. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake