Usa Today Says Prohabition Is Not Working.

[greenbuddha]

When major newspapers encourage open debate and positive views of cannabis / MMJ you can be SURE that more people are coming forth to point out the ridiculousness of the 'prohibition' of marijuana.

 

California Prop 19 if it passes will be one of the best things that could happen for American.

 

Ending 'prohibition' of cannabis will free up tax revenue that could be put toward improving our schools, our roads AND ending the ruin of human lives and the tearing apart of homes and families.

 

And the added tax revenue won't hurt either!

 

http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20101020/editorial20_st1.art.htm

[Phil78]

well (IMHO), they are all "for" it, now when they think it is going to pass.

 

if it doesn't pass (I pray to the Lord Almighty it does pass), their support will fizzle out.

 

but, they're banking on it passing and they're banking on being the ones who the "enlightened"

[Lindy]

California Prop 19 if it passes will be one of the best things that could happen for American.

 

Yes it will be. I think a majority of folks across the country would be in favor of legalization or decriminalization, but it's like kids in a classroom... Nobody wants to be first to raise their hand and ask a question. Thankfully the people of CA. have screwed up the courage to raise their hand.

[FlyingHigh]

'Prohibition is a disaster'

OPPOSING VIEW

By Joseph McNamara and Stephen Downing

 

Proposition 19 presents California voters with a simple choice: Continue a policy that has failed completely, causes massive harm and can never work — or say yes to a common-sense approach that destroys a $14 billion black market run by violent thugs and replaces it with a legal, controlled market, all while eliminating enforcement costs and bringing in new tax revenue.

 

As former big-city police officials, we're saying yes to the rational approach that regulates marijuana like alcohol and cigarettes.

 

After decades of marijuana prohibition, with millions of arrests and billions of dollars spent, the results are in. Prohibition is a disaster.

 

Anyone in California who wants marijuana can get marijuana. Massive law enforcement efforts have only made cartels rich, and black market violence hurts innocent people and their children caught in the crossfire between criminals. Teenagers get marijuana more easily than beer, because drug dealers don't ask for proof of age.

 

Because marijuana (other than legal medical marijuana) is illegal, it can't be taxed. Neighborhoods want police to fulfill their primary duty of protecting life and property, but officers are distracted by futile marijuana enforcement. Opponents of Prop 19, however, ask people to vote for more of what has not worked in the past and cannot work in the future.

 

Opponents of Prop 19 can't deny that marijuana prohibition is a disaster, so they try to discredit legalization by claiming that it would allow people to drive under the influence, that it is invalid since federal law will still be in force, and that it would increase use.

 

In our view, these are all untrue. For example, the U.S. already has the highest rate of marijuana use in the world, despite having some of the harshest penalties. Our rate is twice that of The Netherlands, where retail marijuana sales have been allowed for decades.

 

Opponents by now should realize that voters won't buy their fear-based claims much longer. The polls show Prop 19 ahead, with a real shot at passing. A broad coalition endorses Prop 19, including the state's largest labor union, the state NAACP, Latino leaders and Law Enforcement Against Prohibition — a 35,000-member group made up of police, prosecutors, judges, prison officials and others.

 

The latter are the people asked to enforce prohibition. They're saying it won't work, and so will (we hope) a majority of California's voters.

 

Joseph McNamara is a former San Jose chief of police; Stephen Downing is a former Los Angeles deputy chief of police.

 

 

notice the authors are former LEO^^^^^^^^