Friday, 4 November 2016

First casualty in failed war on marijuana: the truth

Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom

According to Gallup, national support for legalizing marijuana has reached a new 47-year peak.

President Obama says marijuana is no more harmful than alcohol. Every statewide poll shows consistent support for Proposition 64, which appears on Tuesday’s ballot.

Yet opponents — unable to justify a criminalization policy that wastes hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars and has resulted in 500,000 marijuana-only felony arrests over the last decade — continue resorting to fear over facts.

1) Proposition 64 will protect children far better than the status quo. It can be easier today for young people to access marijuana than alcohol — and drug dealers don’t card. In legalized states such as Colorado, teen marijuana usage has decreased. 64 has strict child protections — including ID-verified age limits, child-proof packaging, bans on child-attracting edibles and marketing to children — and unprecedented investment in youth education and drug prevention.


2) As recommended by California Highway Patrol, Proposition 64 sets the first statewide standards for Drugged Driving detection and apprehension. It invests more than $100 million annually into local law enforcement for new training and technology.

3) Proposition 64 explicitly preserves the rights of medical patients and protects existing small growers. It preserves Proposition 215 and provides licensing preferences to small businesses, bans large grows for a minimum of five years and empowers regulators to deny a license to monopolies.


Proposition 64 was modeled after the work of our Blue Ribbon Commission on Marijuana Policy, including our Humboldt County Forum. Follow the facts and vote yes.

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