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US CA: OPED: Vote 'Yes' On Prop. 19

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URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v10/n886/a08.html
Newshawk: http://www.drugsense.org/donate.htm
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Sun, 31 Oct 2010
Source: Sierra Star, The (CA)
Copyright: 2010 The Sierra Star
Contact: [e-mail]
Website: http://www.sierrastar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3477
Author: Barry Barnett
Cited: Proposition 19 http://yeson19.com/
Bookmark: http://mapinc.org/find?272 (Proposition 19)

VOTE 'YES' ON PROP. 19

Prohibition has caused far more harm than Marijuana ever has, or ever could. It is a relatively mild drug, with no capacity for physical addiction, and has never caused a single overdose, or death, ever.

The fear mongering about what may happen if Cannabis is legalized, is as old as slavery. There are millions of users in California now. Where is all the mayhem on the streets? The fact of the matter is, that Marijuana is not causing great social harm now, and it won't after Prop 19 passes.

What about driving under the influence? Most of the fears around "impaired driving" are because people think Cannabis affects driving to the same or a similar degree as alcohol, and that is simply not the case.

Studies have shown it does not impair driving to any significant degree, as compared to alcohol where you can literally be "blind drunk."

Marijuana, on the other hand, is self limiting in that regard. The "high" if you will, peaks out at a certain level and any further use of the drug will make the user sleepy and red eyed, but it certainly won't put them into that stumbling, incoherent state that is all too familiar with alcohol.

Long-term studies show no link between Cannabis and cancer or emphysema. It can be ingested and there are even Cannabis drinks that adults can enjoy the same way people enjoy beer now. Many people will choose to use cannabis instead of alcohol, and in turn that will make our streets and public areas safer, not more dangerous as the opposition would have you believe.

So is Prop. 19 the right way to go or should we wait for a better deal? Prop 19 is not a "flawed proposition" as the opposition would have you believe. They would be saying that no matter how it was worded. They are running scared because most of their distortions about cannabis have long since been debunked, and people are beginning to come around to the truth.

Besides, Prop. 19 is only a starting point. Tom Amiano has already begun drafting a bill ( ABX 6-9 ) that will provide statewide regulation for counties that want it which addresses the main argument the opposition had against it.

In countries where cannabis has more liberal laws such as in Holland and Portugal, the rate of use for all drugs went down significantly, and kids under the age of 18 use pot at less than half the rate of kids here. I guess it's just not as cool if "mom and dad do it"... In fact, making alcohol a "forbidden fruit" back in the 30's also led to an epidemic of underage drinking that had not existed prior to Prohibition. What is that definition of insanity again?

Many in the law enforcement community have expressed their support for Prop 19 saying it is "good law enforcement." We can save billions of dollars, save our kids from interacting with drug dealers and the court system, and give adults a safer, less harmful way to relax that won't leave them hungover and non-productive the next day.

Employers in California are "at will" and can hire or fire anyone for any reason. That's the bottom line and that will not change under Prop 19. It does not create a "protected class of citizen." Don't believe the distortions of the Prohibitionists. We have millions of cannabis users now, and let's face it, they aren't exactly a group of trouble makers are they?

There is a new saliva test being developed that can determine how much cannabis is in one's system and for how long. So any fear that there is no way to test for DUI is also unfounded. Besides, there have been numerous studies that prove that cannabis does not provide anywhere near the impairment of alcohol and never could.

Of course, nobody would advocate driving under the influence of anything, but of all the prescription drugs and alcoholic beverages that one might consume before getting into a car, cannabis is by far, the least dangerous.

Vote YES on Prop 19 on Tuesday, Nov. 2. Not only for us here in California but for all the victims of draconian pot laws across the country that are hanging their hopes on us. We can change history by overturning 70 years of failed Prohibition and use those dollars to help society and even provide drug counseling for those that need it. Our police can focus on violent criminals and we can begin shutting prisons down, instead of building new ones.

MAP posted-by: Richard Lake

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