NO ON 19

Pot Measure Is Poorly Worded and Potentially Dangerous

One of the traps that continues to ensnare California is the belief
that complex problems can be resolved with simple solutions at the ballot box.

The latest example is Proposition 19 on the Nov. 2 ballot. The bait
with this one is the idea that all would be better if voters would
simply legalize the recreational use of marijuana.

Proponents contend that the violent criminal market - which appears
to be making itself at home in the North Coast - would go away, the
high cost of policing marijuana sales would disappear, and California
would be able to pocket $1.4 billion in additional sales tax revenue.

Don't believe it.

Proposition 19 is so poorly worded and filled with loopholes that
it's likely to create more confusion than clarity. And, as with
Proposition 215, which legalized medicinal uses of marijuana, it
would still leave California law in conflict with federal law,
creating more regulatory and policy gridlock at all levels of government.

Of greatest concern is that Proposition 19 would create dangers where
they don't exist now. Chief among them is that the initiative does
not create a standard for "driving under the influence." Under
Proposition 19, drivers may legally be able to operate vehicles even
if they have marijuana in their systems.

Proposition 19 also would afford marijuana users protections that
would frustrate, if not prohibit, businesses from enforcing a
drug-free workplace. School districts, for example, could be
powerless to take action against a school bus driver who arrives at
work with marijuana in his or her system.

There's no guarantee that legalizing marijuana in California will
reduce the number of illicit pot farms on public and private
property. It may do just the opposite, making California an even more
attractive place to grow marijuana to sell in states where it still
will be illegal.

We recognize that there's probably a good argument to be made for
legalizing marijuana. But this is not it.

This flawed initiative is guaranteed only to bring more unintended
consequences, political gridlock and court battles. California has
enough problems to worry about.

This is why we join Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, all of the state
candidates for governor and the U.S. Senate, Mothers Against Drunk
Driving and numerous other California newspapers in recommending a no
vote on Proposition 19.