LEGALIZING MARIJUANA IS BAD FOR CALIFORNIA

Imagine California as a magnet that feeds the illicit drug trade for
the entire North American continent. Is that what we want to incubate
as one of the Golden State's prime industries?

As protectors of public safety, members of the California Police
Chiefs Association see only problems associated with Proposition 19,
the initiative on the November ballot to legalize recreational
marijuana. Prop. 19 threatens communities already beset by drug abuse
and narcotics trafficking. Simply put, Prop. 19 will undermine public
health and public safety in California. Here's how.

Drugged Driving Makes Our Roads More Dangerous.

Prop. 19 allows a state and a workplace where any driver over the age
of 21 can get on the road with marijuana in their system. The tragic
death of Carrie Jean Holiman, 56, a fifth-grade teacher mowed down
July 22 while jogging near Chico by a stoned driver, is a harbinger
of things to come if Prop. 19 were to pass.

"Drugged driving" incidents are on the rise, and this initiative does
not establish standards for driving under the influence of marijuana.
Law enforcement will have very little recourse to keep those drugged
drivers off the road.

Transit drivers and everyday commuters will be able to drive while
under the influence of marijuana. That fact alone should be enough to
oppose this measure.

Marijuana Use Among Youth Correlates With Lower Academic Performance in School.

Studies have shown that expanded availability and perceived social
acceptability will increase marijuana use among youth.
Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC - the main active ingredient in
marijuana) impairs the development of the adolescent brain.

The percentage of kids in drug counseling for marijuana addiction has
been increasing annually, and the resulting negative effects place
our youth's development and our future workforce at risk. With Prop.
19, increased availability and use by youth will lead to increased addiction.

Public Safety Will Suffer, and the Quality of Life in Our Communities
Will Deteriorate.

The truth is the production and distribution of marijuana is already
big business and controlled by violent drug cartels. Should this
initiative pass, the cartels are well positioned and eagerly awaiting
a greatly expanded marketplace. We need only look at the violence
occurring among warring drug cartels along our border with Mexico to
imagine what California might experience.

A recent Rand Corp. study concluded that passage of Prop. 19 would
cause marijuana prices to fall so low that criminal organizations
will flock to California to buy their dope for resale in their home
states. In effect, Prop. 19 will make California a launching pad for
illicit marijuana dealing across the country. Far from freeing up law
enforcement to deal with serious crime, as proponents claim, Prop. 19
would mean we would be overwhelmed by international drug cartels that
use violence and guns to protect their lucrative markets.

Closer to home, Prop. 19 would allow anyone to grow marijuana
anywhere - in a vacant lot near a school yard or in a house next door
to you. Community groups in San Francisco's Sunset District are
dealing with fire hazards, security and safety issues posed by these
grow houses, which have seriously degraded the quality of life in
their community.

Costs Will Outweigh the Supposed Revenues.

Are we really serious about introducing more mind-altering substances
into our society because it might produce tax revenues? The
independent Rand study has warned that any tax revenue benefits
produced by Prop. 19 are highly speculative, at best. Marijuana still
remains illegal under federal law, thus any locally imposed taxes are
legally uncollectible, according to case law, which states that no
one can be compelled to pay a tax that might subject them to
prosecution by the federal government.

Then there are the social and health costs. Law enforcement officers
see countless emergency room cases where drugs containing anything
from pesticides to rat poison have been known to cause severe health
problems, yet Prop. 19 offers no regulation, standardization or
oversight to ensure safe, nontoxic marijuana would be sold, packaged
or distributed. Because marijuana is addicting and people do seek
treatment for it, increased use will lead to increased addiction and
increased treatment costs. These costs would outweigh any potential
revenue derived.

Legalization Will Cost California Billions of Dollars in Federal Funding.

Because Prop. 19 protects marijuana use in the workplace, it would
put California out of compliance with the federal Drug Free Workplace
Act, according to research done by the California Chamber of
Commerce. Compliance with that act is required for federal funding.
California could lose up to $40 billion annually in federal aid and
grants affecting schools, businesses and government contracts.

Please join me and the many law enforcement groups, faith leaders,
victim's rights advocates and employers throughout California who all
oppose Prop. 19. It's ill conceived, badly written and creates
significant health and safety problems. Drug use is damaging to our
communities, our youth and everyone we are sworn to serve and
protect. How could we make access to drugs easier?