MEXICO CITY -- On Nov. 2, Californians will vote on Proposition 19, deciding whether to legalize the production, sale and consumption of marijuana. If the initiative passes, it won't just be momentous for California; it may, at long last, offer Mexico the promise of an exit from our costly war on drugs.
Imagine it. Grownup Californians making a choice that should never have been denied them in the first place.
Proposition 19, the Regulate, Control, and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010 would allow adults in that state to possess up to an ounce of marijuana for personal consumption; to use marijuana in a non-public place; and to grow the weed at a private residence in an area not to exceed 25 square feet.
Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske, along with five previous drug czars (including former 'high roller' William Bennett), recently penned an op/ed in the Los Angeles Times condemning California’s Proposition 19, The Regulate, Control & Tax Cannabis Initiative of 2010. It is no surprise that America's present and former drug czars oppose the passage of Prop. 19.
Proposition 19, the marijuana legalization initiative, picked up the support Thursday of a national organization that represents African American police officers, as the campaign for legalization continues to try to build support in the black community and among law enforcement officials.
The National Black Police Assn., which has about 15,000 members, is the second African American organization to back the measure. The California NAACP has also endorsed it, citing the disproportionate arrest and incarceration of African Americans caught with marijuana.
In 1996, California became the first state in the nation to legalize marijuana for medical use. Now, with a ballot initiative up for a vote in November, it could become the first to ratify an even more striking landmark: the legalization of pot for recreational use. Proposition 19 — the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010 — treats pot much like alcohol after the repeal of Prohibition, allowing each city and county to decide whether it wants to approve and tax commercial sales of the drug.
According to a new SurveyUSA poll, 50 percent of likely voters in California say they are certain to vote yes on Proposition 19, which would legalize, regulate and tax marijuana. On the other hand, only 40 percent of likely voters said that they are are certain to vote no on Prop 19.
SurveyUSA (8/9-11)
Prop 19
Certain Yes 50%
Certain No 40%
Not Certain 10%
From uniformed beat cops to homicide dicks, SWAT officers to chiefs
and sheriffs, more and more of the nation's police officers are coming
to realize that our 40-year drug war is an unmitigated failure, that it
has ruined countless lives, squandered billions of taxpayer dollars,
guaranteed a handsome lifestyle for demonstrably dangerous people, and
done nothing to reduce drug potency, profits, or ease of access.
Thoughtful police officers know this, better than most.
