Pubdate: Sun, 31 Oct 2010
Source: Sierra Star, The (CA)
Copyright: 2010 The Sierra Star
Contact:  http://www.sierrastar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3477
Author: Barry Barnett
Cited: Proposition 19 http://yeson19.com/
Bookmark: http://mapinc.org/find?272 (Proposition 19)

VOTE 'YES' ON PROP. 19

Prohibition has caused far more harm than Marijuana ever has, or ever 
could. It is a relatively mild drug, with no capacity for physical 
addiction, and has never caused a single overdose, or death, ever.

The fear mongering about what may happen if Cannabis is legalized, is 
as old as slavery. There are millions of users in California now. 
Where is all the mayhem on the streets? The fact of the matter is, 
that Marijuana is not causing great social harm now, and it won't 
after Prop 19 passes.

What about driving under the influence? Most of the fears around 
"impaired driving" are because people think Cannabis affects driving 
to the same or a similar degree as alcohol, and that is simply not the case.

Studies have shown it does not impair driving to any significant 
degree, as compared to alcohol where you can literally be "blind drunk."

Marijuana, on the other hand, is self limiting in that regard. The 
"high" if you will, peaks out at a certain level and any further use 
of the drug will make the user sleepy and red eyed, but it certainly 
won't put them into that stumbling, incoherent state that is all too 
familiar with alcohol.

Long-term studies show no link between Cannabis and cancer or 
emphysema. It can be ingested and there are even Cannabis drinks that 
adults can enjoy the same way people enjoy beer now. Many people will 
choose to use cannabis instead of alcohol, and in turn that will make 
our streets and public areas safer, not more dangerous as the 
opposition would have you believe.

So is Prop. 19 the right way to go or should we wait for a better 
deal? Prop 19 is not a "flawed proposition" as the opposition would 
have you believe. They would be saying that no matter how it was 
worded. They are running scared because most of their distortions 
about cannabis have long since been debunked, and people are 
beginning to come around to the truth.

Besides, Prop. 19 is only a starting point. Tom Amiano has already 
begun drafting a bill (ABX 6-9) that will provide statewide 
regulation for counties that want it which addresses the main 
argument the opposition had against it.

In countries where cannabis has more liberal laws such as in Holland 
and Portugal, the rate of use for all drugs went down significantly, 
and kids under the age of 18 use pot at less than half the rate of 
kids here. I guess it's just not as cool if "mom and dad do it"... In 
fact, making alcohol a "forbidden fruit" back in the 30's also led to 
an epidemic of underage drinking that had not existed prior to 
Prohibition. What is that definition of insanity again?

Many in the law enforcement community have expressed their support 
for Prop 19 saying it is "good law enforcement." We can save billions 
of dollars, save our kids from interacting with drug dealers and the 
court system, and give adults a safer, less harmful way to relax that 
won't leave them hungover and non-productive the next day.

Employers in California are "at will" and can hire or fire anyone for 
any reason. That's the bottom line and that will not change under 
Prop 19. It does not create a "protected class of citizen." Don't 
believe the distortions of the Prohibitionists. We have millions of 
cannabis users now, and let's face it, they aren't exactly a group of 
trouble makers are they?

There is a new saliva test being developed that can determine how 
much cannabis is in one's system and for how long. So any fear that 
there is no way to test for DUI is also unfounded. Besides, there 
have been numerous studies that prove that cannabis does not provide 
anywhere near the impairment of alcohol and never could.

Of course, nobody would advocate driving under the influence of 
anything, but of all the prescription drugs and alcoholic beverages 
that one might consume before getting into a car, cannabis is by far, 
the least dangerous.

Vote YES on Prop 19 on Tuesday, Nov. 2. Not only for us here in 
California but for all the victims of draconian pot laws across the 
country that are hanging their hopes on us. We can change history by 
overturning 70 years of failed Prohibition and use those dollars to 
help society and even provide drug counseling for those that need it. 
Our police can focus on violent criminals and we can begin shutting 
prisons down, instead of building new ones. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake