PROPOSITION 19 BLOWS SMOKE AROUND GROWING MARIJUANA

In November, California voters will get to decide if they want to
regulate, control and tax cannabis. At least that is what the
sponsors of Proposition 19 would like you to believe.

The law enforcement leaders in Stanislaus County see very serious
problems associated with this proposition and urge you to reject it
as a patently false and misleading initiative.

The initiative does not limit or regulate cannabis cultivation, but
rather it creates an absolute right for any adult to grow marijuana
on private property and, in some circumstances, on public land. The
initiative is so poorly constructed and lacking in clarity that it
even appears to prevent a property owner from objecting to a tenant
to cultivating marijuana.

The title of the proposition misleads the public into thinking that
it "regulates, controls and taxes cannabis."

In fact, the initiative provides absolutely no guidance or framework
for this, but instead delegates regulatory and enforcement
responsibilities to individual city and county governments. The
initiative actually prohibits the state from taxing cannabis. The
patchwork of conflicting and inconsistent laws that would proliferate
throughout the state will lead to confusion and litigation that will
make the ongoing Proposition 215 (medical marijuana) quagmire seem tame.

Proposition 19's deference to local authorities to regulate marijuana
is nothing like how alcohol is controlled in California. Forcing
local governments to individually promulgate cannabis regulations
will burden cities and counties that are already struggling with
major budget cuts and staffing shortages.

The initiative could deprive California counties, cities, private
companies and nonprofits of up to $40 billion annually in federal aid
and grants affecting schools, businesses and government contracts.
The Federal Drug-Free Workplace Act requires all employers who
receive government funds and contracts greater than $100,000 to
maintain a drug-free workplace. Proposition 19 does not comply.

The initiative would allow an employee to bring marijuana to work,
and probably even use it while at work, with no sanction available to
the employer. Employers would only have the ability to address
consumption -- and then only after the fact when that consumption
actually impairs the job performance of a specific employee.

It is short-sighted and irresponsible to propose the introduction of
more mind-altering substances -- and on a grand scale -- into our
communities because it might produce tax revenues.

The independent Rand Corp. study has warned that any revenue benefits
of Proposition 19, as claimed by proponents, are highly speculative, at best.

The social and health costs will outweigh any potential revenue. If
individuals freely grow their own marijuana, there would simply be no
tax revenue.

We, the law enforcement leaders of Stanislaus County, urge voters to
reject this poorly written initiative. The initiative will fail to
generate income for the state; it could further reduce residential
property values; it will potentially rob employers of millions in
federal funding; it would create a confusing and unmanageable system
of local ordinances, and it would ultimately threaten the well being
of every Californian.