PROPOSITION 19 IS NO SOLUTION TO DRUG PROBLEMS

Supporters of Proposition 19 portray marijuana legalization as a
panacea for all of California's problems. They argue that it will fix
California's budget crisis, vanquish drug cartels, save law
enforcement resources and relieve prison overcrowding.

It will accomplish none of these things. Proposition 19 won't even
legalize marijuana, which would remain punishable by federal law. The
reality is that Proposition 19 is a poorly constructed and misleading
initiative funded mainly by the personal fortune of one marijuana
dealer. It will increase drug use among our youth, waste taxpayer
dollars and create new regulatory burdens for local governments.

There is no disputing the fact that recreational marijuana use is
harmful and habit-forming. Marijuana abuse causes dependency,
respiratory and mental illness, poor motor performance and cognitive
impairment. The chemical concentration of the drug's psychoactive
ingredient, Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, has more than doubled since
1983, and marijuana intoxication resulted in 374,000 emergency room
visits nationwide in 2008.

Studies show that teen marijuana users are almost 26 times more
likely to use other illicit drugs in the future when compared with
teens that never used marijuana. What's even worse, by putting an
official seal of approval on recreational marijuana use for adults,
we would be telling children that marijuana use is OK.

Studies show that the illegality is a top reason teenagers cite for
not using marijuana and that legalization could increase general
marijuana use by 50 percent to 100 percent.

The last thing we need to do is make it easier for dealers to
increase their customer base by pushing pot on kids. Proposition 19's
backers don't want to confront these unsavory truths, so they have
tried to shift the focus of the initiative to the false promises of
increased tax revenue and decreased drug crime. But the tax argument
doesn't hold water because the tax provisions are not enforceable.

The Supreme Court decided in a 1969 case, Leary v. United States,
that it's unconstitutional to require anyone to pay taxes on
marijuana sales because anyone paying such a tax would be admitting
to a violation of federal law. So, it's unlikely that drug dealers
would forfeit their constitutional rights and rush to incriminate
themselves on federal drug charges by paying marijuana taxes.

Proposition 19 is more likely to be a drain on government coffers.
Millions of taxpayer dollars would likely be necessary to enforce new
bureaucratic mandates requiring the state to control marijuana
quality and ensure that it wasn't grown by criminal organizations.
According to the California Board of Equalization, it is impossible
to calculate exactly how much it will cost taxpayers to implement
every provision of Proposition 19 if it passes.

In addition to the false tax argument, Proposition 19 proponents also
assert that this measure will end Mexico's drug-related violence. But
the notion that these ultraviolent criminal organizations will simply
disappear is ludicrous.

At best, cartels would simply shift to other crimes, as they have
done in Mexico. If they lose ground in the marijuana trade, then
kidnapping, extortion, human trafficking and the trafficking of
harder drugs could increase. These violent criminals are not going to
seek legitimate and legal employment if marijuana becomes less
lucrative for them.

Proposition 19 is a risky experiment based on false arguments and
fake promises. Our state already has one of the most liberal
marijuana policies in the world. Anyone with a doctor's note can buy
medical cannabis, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has reduced
marijuana possession to an infraction on par with a traffic ticket,
so why not leave well enough alone?

Buying and consuming marijuana is already far too easy in California.
Proposition 19 is a big step in the wrong direction. We strongly urge
voters to avoid this costly experiment and vote "no" on Proposition 19.