SEVERAL REASONS TO SUPPORT PROP. 19

Recent polls show only a narrow lead for Proposition 19, the
initiative that would legalize personal use and possession of modest
amounts of marijuana for people over 21. I am not a marijuana user,
but this puzzles me, since there are a host of reasons for supporting it.

The legal sale and use of marijuana will: 1) generate California tax
revenue instead of revenue for foreign drug organizations; 2) shift
production and distribution from unscrupulous criminals to
law-abiding businesses; 3) limit sales to minors because, like
alcohol, sales can be monitored and rules enforced; 4) reduce crime
because business disputes can be addressed with courts, not guns; 5)
increase the product safety of a widely used substance that is
currently unregulated; and 6) alleviate prison overcrowding and
redirect law enforcement resources to dangerous crimes.

Donald G. Pellinen

Livermore