VOTE NO ON PROPOSITION 5

Imagine this: You have just been arrested for drug possession by a
police officer. You are surprised, scared out of your mind, afraid of
receiving a long sentence and are running out of options. Proposition
5 wants to give you two solutions: rehab in exchange for prison or a
shortened sentence based on a new set of criteria for punishment.
Sounds nice, right? Wrong.

In accordance with Proposition 36, Proposition 5 will continue to
allocate spending on rehab programs for convicted drug users.
According to a UCLA study done on Proposition 36, many of the drug
users on parole either have never showed up for treatment or failed to
finish their programs. Almost $460 million a year would be set aside
for these already faulty programs with Proposition 5, and with
California's increasing deficit and the nation's unstable economic
standing, this is not the best investment.

The San Jose Mercury News editorial board agrees that Proposition 5 is
flawed due to its "very complex initiative [that] would let drug
dealers, drunken drivers, child abusers, burglars, thieves, con
artists, embezzlers and others stay on the streets - even if they drop
out of treatment, keep using and get arrested again or violate parole
or probation."

Furthermore, Proposition 5 would change the laws on drug sentencing.
If someone were caught with less than 28.5 grams of marijuana, that
person would receive a lesser penalty. Also, a methamphetamine dealer,
along with other drug criminals, can be released from prison in as
little as six months, when their usual sentence would equal three
years. Although proponents claim this proposition will help the
overcrowding of prisons and the criminals themselves, many argue that
police officers will be unable to pursue serious drug
convictions.

Martin Sheen, an actor and the co-chair for the No on Prop 5 Campaign,
expressed that he "believe[s] in rehabilitation and not incarceration,
but successful rehabilitation needs accountability and so often
demands direct intervention in the life of someone who is addicted to
drugs . Proposition 5 would cripple successful rehabilitation programs
and dramatically limit the power of judges to help those who need it
most."

Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the Los Angeles Times, Sen. Dianne
Feinstein and our childhood favorite DARE America top the list of
those who strongly oppose the measures that constitute Proposition 5.
Many organizations against drug use also oppose it, along with
Lieutenant Gov. John Garamendi, the mayors of San Diego and Fresno and
48 Republican and Democratic members of the California State
Legislature.

Many of the proposition's opponents agree that the initiative creates
a "get-out-of-jail-free" card for those who blame drugs for their acts
in a crime. The rehabilitation programs would also not fund drug
testing, which is a major component in helping drug abusers. Due to
its many flaws, one thing is for sure: Proposition 5 is not the solution.