PROP. 19: WE SHOULD SAY NO TO LEGAL MARIJUANA

Proposition 19 is entitled "The Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis
Act of 2010." In truth, it does none of these. Let us show you just
how flawed and misleading the ballot initiative is.

Among the unintended consequences of Prop. 19, employees will be able
to show up to work under the influence of marijuana while being
within their legal rights.

That's right, truck drivers, fork lift operators, school bus drivers,
doctors, nurses, teachers and essentially anyone else will be able to
smoke marijuana before coming to work and will not face any
disciplinary action by their employer.

Similarly, the rights of employers will be downsized as they will no
longer be able to conduct employee drug tests and even if they know
an employee is under the influence they can only take action if they
are able to prove impairment. This subjects employers to more
lawsuits as they will inevitably fail to provide a safe work environment.

It's also a costly problem for places of business. According to the
California Chamber of Commerce, not only will business owners have to
accommodate marijuana users by providing smoke breaks and designated
smoking areas strictly for marijuana use, but they will also have to
pay more in insurance fees to make up for the increased danger in the
workplace and will also be required to pay for marijuana-related accidents.

Moreover, the research shows that by failing to comply with the
Federal Drug Free Workplace Act of 1988, businesses across the
California will lose millions of dollars in federal funding, as well
as federal research grants for state colleges and universities.

Our law enforcement officers will also inherit an albatross if Prop.
19 passes. The way the initiative is written, local governments
throughout the state will have the responsibility of passing a
framework for taxing marijuana sales, meaning each of the 58 counties
and 478 cities in California very well could have a different set of
laws for people to follow creating a patchwork of ordinances and
confusion for those trying to enforce them.

Furthermore, while provisions in the ballot measure prohibit drivers
from smoking while driving, nothing prevents people from smoking just
before getting behind the wheel of a vehicle. There is also no
language that explains what constitutes being "under the influence"
of marijuana and unlike alcohol, there are no conclusive tests that
can be conducted to detect the level of marijuana in one's system.
Just like with workplace issues, law enforcement officers will be
responsible for proving a driver was impaired after an incident occurs.

Finally, regardless of the outcome in November, United States Federal
Law views marijuana as an illegal substance, therefore overruling any
state law in place.

The federal government has already made it clear that legalization of
any drug is not on its agenda. President Obama's 2010 National Drug
Strategy states that "We have many proven methods for reducing the
demand for drugs. Keeping drugs illegal reduces their availability
and lessens willingness to use them. That is why this Aadministration
firmly opposes the legalization of marijuana or any other illicit
drug. Legalizing drugs would increase accessibility and encourage
promotion and acceptance of use."

Our state cannot afford to face the tribulations surrounding
Proposition 19. The initiative has too many loopholes and takes
legalization too far. All facts aside, California would be the only
state to legalize marijuana, but if we simply look to other parts of
the world where marijuana was decriminalized, such as the
Netherlands, it's easy to see how public safety was damaged and
clearly this is not what we want for our state.

Voters should not risk the well-being of our state. Vote "no" on
Proposition 19.