LEGALIZING MARIJUANA WOULD END PROHIBITION AND INCREASE THE PEACE

ON Nov. 2, California voters can strengthen community safety and
bolster public infrastructure with a simple "yes" vote on Proposition
19, the initiative to control and tax marijuana.

After fighting on the front lines of the War on Drugs as a police
officer, I know that the current prohibition on marijuana not only
doesn't work, but causes harm. That's why I'm voting "yes" to change
our marijuana laws on Nov. 2. I, and an increasing number of law
enforcement professionals, have learned that most of the negatives
associated with marijuana stem from prohibition rather than from the
plant itself. These negatives - not least of which is cartel-driven
violence - can be reversed when we move to finally control and tax
the market, instead of letting criminals make all the decisions (and profits).

Those who support continued prohibition don't have facts on their
side, only fear. Fear argues regulating and taxing cannabis will
provide a "gateway drug" to impressionable teenagers. Fear cries
regulating and taxing cannabis will increase crime. Fear says
regulating and taxing cannabis will transform California workers into
stoner zombies. Fear claims regulating and taxing cannabis will
encourage people to toke up and get behind the wheel.

But these fears are actually the reality of our current situation
under prohibition. Despite having extremely harsh marijuana laws, the
U.S. has the highest rate of cannabis consumption in the world. It is
twice as high as the Netherlands, where commercial sales to adults
have been tolerated for decades.

In California, an estimated one-tenth to one-third of the population
uses marijuana, according to estimates by the federal government. So,
anywhere from 3.8 million to 12.5 million state residents smoke
cannabis. And these estimates may be conservative because unlike in
the cases of murder, robbery, rape, burglary, stalking and assault,
marijuana use is consensual and unlikely to be reported by "victims"
or witnesses.

Meanwhile, prohibition is clearly not keeping marijuana out of the
hands of young people. Federal surveys consistently show more than 80
percent of teenagers say marijuana is "easy" or "very easy" to get.
In a recent study from Columbia University, teenagers said it is
easier to get illegal marijuana than age-regulated alcohol. Under
current law, criminals - not obligated to request proof of age -
benefit from prohibition at our communities' expense.

And the expense is great.

In a study released last week, Jeffrey Miron, a Harvard University
economist, characterized prohibition as "fiscally irresponsible." He
noted that marijuana prohibition in California alone consumes overall
government expenditures of more than $960 million annually while
forcing us to forgo nearly $351 million in tax revenues from legal
and taxed marijuana.

Let's be realistic, the days of shooting up the neighborhood for a
share of the beer market ended when we repealed alcohol prohibition.

Al Capone, rest his soul, is dead and buried. Yet the federal Drug
Enforcement Administration estimates Mexican cartels derive more than
60 percent of their profits from marijuana. Legalization would bleed
their profits. With more than 28,000 Mexicans killed in the past four
years in turf wars - battles are spreading north of the border -
hamstringing the drug cartels is a national priority.

As for stoned workers, ending marijuana prohibition doesn't mean
abandoning common sense. Just as the legal sale of alcohol neither
encourages workplace drunkenness nor prevents employers from taking
appropriate action against errant workers, there's nothing in Prop.
19 that forces employers to tolerate workers who are impaired on the job.

Similarly, the rules of the road will remain unchanged. Driving under
the influence will remain illegal after Prop. 19 passes, and for good
reason. So, let's take the opportunity this November to finally put a
stop to decades of reefer madness.

Our Golden State's health, safety and economic future are at stake.
We need to return our attention and limited resources to where they
belong - away from pot smokers and toward violent criminals, from
budget deficits to new revenue streams. Proposition 19 will allow
police to focus on protecting public safety, the job we signed up for.

Please join me and many other law enforcers in supporting this
much-needed change to our failed marijuana laws.