WHY YOU SHOULD VOTE YES ON PROP. 19

AS an elected official, I believe California's current marijuana
policy is a failure that causes immense harm to our communities. That
is why I am endorsing Proposition 19, the initiative to control, tax
and regulate adult cannabis consumption.

I do not use marijuana, nor do I want anyone's children to use it.
However, the reality is that our current marijuana prohibition laws
do nothing to prevent use, especially among young people. Teens
consistently report that it is easier for them to obtain illegal
marijuana than it is to get legal and age-regulated alcohol. That's
because schoolyard dealers don't ask for ID like licensed businesses do.

It is time to create a sensible, constructive policy that takes
marijuana out of the hands of organized crime and actually allows our
local governments to begin enacting control and regulation.

Every year, our state spends hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars
and thousands of police hours on the war against marijuana. Every
police hour spent targeting nonviolent adult marijuana offenders is
an hour that could be spent protecting our communities from the
threat of violent crime. Indeed, in 2008 almost 60,000 violent crimes
went unsolved in California. That same year, more than 61,000
Californians were arrested for misdemeanor marijuana possession.

We just cannot afford to distract our law enforcement officials with
low-level marijuana offenses.

At the same time, other state legislators and I are trying to find
solutions to our state's ongoing multi-billion dollar budget deficit.
Last year's shortfall equals the amount spent last year on prisons,
community colleges and the California State University and University
of California systems combined, according to the nonpartisan
California Budget Project.

In a study released this month, Jeffrey Miron, a Harvard University
economist, found that marijuana prohibition in California alone
consumes overall government expenditures of more than $960 million
annually while forcing us to forgo what would be an additional $351
million in tax revenues from legal and taxed marijuana.

As elected officials, we must overcome decades-old complacency and
legislative gridlock surrounding this issue. When current policy has
so obviously failed, we must begin the hard work of crafting better
policy solutions and learning to adapt to changing circumstances.

I believe the passage of Proposition 19 would yield many positive
results. We can take advantage of the projected increase in tax
revenues to avoid budget cuts to education and other public services.
We can support the development of small businesses. And we can
establish responsible labor standards that support employer and
employee success in a legal, regulated market.

And importantly, Proposition 19 will establish a strongly regulated
market for marijuana just like we have for alcohol. Only licensed
vendors will be permitted to sell marijuana, and then only to adults
older than 21. The cost savings from no longer prosecuting low-level
marijuana users and the new revenue generated by taxing and
regulating it will be especially important in these tough economic times.

Proposition 19 would also curtail the destruction in our forests and
wilderness areas by illegal growers who supply drug cartels and gangs.

The people of California recognize that regulation and taxation are
preferable to the current broken system of marijuana prohibition.

A poll released this week by Survey USA shows 48 percent of those
polled support taxing and regulating marijuana, compared with 44
percent against. Constituencies with majority support include likely
voters ages 18 to 34 (59 percent), independents (51 percent) and
Latino voters (50 percent).

For these reasons I will be voting yes on Proposition 19. I urge
others to do the same.