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Why Pot Legalization Is the Most Important Issue Before Voters This Election Day (Opinion)

The writers opine that, though limited to voters in a single state, Prop. 19 is the only policy matter on the table with the potential to restructure the lives of virtually all Americans. If Prop. 19 passes, it will force, at long bloody last, an honest reconsideration of failed prohibitionist policies throughout the United States. In fact, given the drug war's influence on our foreign policy in Latin America and central Asia, Prop. 19's reverberations would even be felt far outside our borders.

Multibillionaire Investor George Soros Backs Proposition 19

George Soros, the multibillionaire investor who helped bankroll three initiatives to change drug laws in California, endorsed the marijuana legalization initiative and plans to make a major financial contribution to the campaign. "Proposition 19 already is a winner no matter what happens on election day. The mere fact of its being on the ballot has elevated and legitimized public discourse about marijuana and marijuana policy in ways I could not have imagined a year ago," Soros wrote.

Stop Stifling Proposition 19 Supporters (Action Alert)

We Are Drug Policy Action.

Tell the Attorney General to stay out of the Prop. 19 debate!

Register to vote!
Send him a letter today!

Dear friends,

Recently, in a letter to former DEA administrators, Attorney General Eric Holder said:

"We will vigorously enforce the [federal law] against those individuals and organizations that possess, manufacture or distribute marijuana for recreational use, even if such activities are permitted under state law."

This carefully-timed statement is an attempt to take the steam out of the Prop. 19 movement. But the fact of the matter is states can decide their own marijuana laws, and if Proposition 19 passes it will effectively legalize marijuana in California.

Write Attorney General Eric Holder today and tell him to stay out of the Prop. 19 debate and respect voters' choices!

Polls continue to show Proposition 19 at about even odds of passing, and thanks to the help of supporters like you, we've been able to work with the "Yes on 19" campaign to launch a significant TV and online ad campaign as well as make thousands of calls to California voters and raise money to get out the vote. It's this sort of activism that will tip the scales on Election Day.

With only six days left until Californians take to the polls, we can't let empty threats stop our momentum. Send a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder and tell him that marijuana legalization is an issue states must decide for themselves!

Back in 1996, the federal government said the medical marijuana initiative in California was a symbolic gesture at most because they would continue to criminalize all marijuana use. Now, fourteen other states and the District of Columbia have functioning medical marijuana laws. It was politically-motivated saber rattling then -- just as Attorney General Holder's statement is today.

Let's put sound policy before petty politics. Write Attorney General Holder today!

Sincerely,

Stephen Gutwillig
State Director, California
Drug Policy Action

California Law Enforcers Endorse Proposition 19

Today at press conferences in Oakland and Los Angeles, a group of police officers, judges and prosecutors released the following letter of endorsement for Prop. 19/marijuana legalization signed by dozens of law enforcers from across California.

Law Enforcers Say Control and Tax Cannabis to Protect Public Safety


To the Voters of California:

As police officers, judges, prosecutors, corrections officials and others who have labored to enforce the laws that seek to prohibit cannabis (marijuana) use, and who have witnessed the abysmal failure of this current criminalization approach, we stand together in calling for new laws that will effectively control and tax cannabis.

As criminal justice professionals, we have seen with our own eyes that keeping cannabis illegal damages public safety -- for cannabis consumers and non-consumers alike. We’ve also seen that prohibition sometimes has tragic consequences for the law enforcers charged with putting their lives on the line to enforce it. The only groups that benefit from continuing to keep marijuana illegal are the violent gangs and cartels that control its distribution and reap immense profits from it through the black market.

If California's voters make the sensible decision to effectively control and tax cannabis this November, it will eliminate illegal marijuana distribution networks, just as ending alcohol prohibition put a stop to violent and corrupting gangsters' control of beer, wine and liquor sales.

As law enforcement professionals, we especially want voters to understand that legalization will allow us to do our jobs more effectively and safely. In 2008, there were over 60,000 arrests for simple misdemeanor cannabis possession in California, yet nearly 60,000 violent crimes went unsolved in our state that same year. When we change our cannabis laws, police officers will no longer have to waste time on low-level cannabis arrests; we'll be able to focus on protecting the public from murderers, rapists, drunk drivers and burglars. Cannabis cases will no longer clog up court dockets. And room in our costly, overflowing prisons will be freed up when we stop locking people up just because they tested positive for cannabis while on probation.

Because of all the overhead and administrative savings that legalization will generate, our criminal justice apparatus will have more resources to keep more good law enforcers employed serving the public in this time of fiscal turmoil. Ending prohibition will also put a stop to other crimes and problems caused by the illegal marijuana market, such as robberies, gang warfare, gun-running and house fires caused by underground grow operations.

Controlling marijuana through a regulated system will also reduce its availability to kids. Right now, illegal dealers have no incentive to check IDs or avoid selling to juveniles, given that the market is illegal for everyone. But under adult legalization, licensed cannabis businesses will face penalties and consequences that will effectively deter underage sales. Indeed, a recent study from Columbia University shows that teens currently find it easier to purchase illegal marijuana than age-regulated alcohol.

And, because marijuana is illegal and unregulated, its producers aren’t required to do any quality control or safety evaluation, and sometimes it is adulterated with other drugs or harmful chemicals. While law enforcers understand that every drug has the potential for abuse, making cannabis illegal has made it much more dangerous than it otherwise would be under effective regulation.

Please join us in supporting the sensible solution to California’s failed cannabis policies. Let’s vote to control and tax cannabis this November – for safety’s sake.

Sincerely,

MacKenzie Allen
Former Deputy Sheriff, Los Angeles Sheriff's Dept.
Deputy Sheriff, King County Sheriff's Dept. (Ret.)

James Anthony
Former Community Prosecutor, Oakland City Attorney's Office

L. Lawrence Baird
Former Senior Reserve Park Ranger, Orange County

William Baldwin
Correctional Officer, California Department of Corrections (Ret.)

Nate Bradley
Former Officer, Wheatland Police Department
Former Deputy, Sutter County Sheriff's Office

Walter Clark
Deputy District Attorney, County of Riverside District Attorney's Office (Ret.)

Stephen Cobine
Captain, Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office (Ret.)

William John Cox
Former Officer, El Cajon Police Department
Former Sergeant, Los Angeles Police Department
Former Deputy, Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office
Retired Supervising Trial Counsel, State Bar of California

Bill Dake
Former Officer, San Francisco Police Department

David Doddridge
Narcotics Officer, Los Angeles Police Department (Ret.)

Stephen Downing
Deputy Chief, Los Angeles Police Department (Ret.)

Rick Erickson
Officer, Lakeport Police Department (Ret.)

Paul Gallegos
District Attorney, County of Humboldt

Dr. Nina Graves
Former Military Police, Santa Barbara

James Gray
Judge, Superior Court of Orange County (Ret.)

Terence Hallinan
Former San Francisco District Attorney

Russ Jones
Former Narcotics Detective, San Jose Police Department, DEA Task Force

Kyle Kazan
Former Officer, Torrance Police Department

Leo E. Laurence
Former Biker Enforcement Task Force Member, San Diego District Attorney's Office
Former Deputy Sheriff, Missouri

Madeline Martinez
Correctional Peace Officer (Ret.), State of California Department of Corrections

Danny Maynard
Former Yolo County Sheriff’s Office
Former Sacramento Port Police Department

Walter McKay
Former Senior Police Specialist, Police Assessment Resources Center, Los Angeles, CA
Former Detective, Vancouver Police Department

Joseph McNamara
Chief of Police, San Jose Police Department (Ret.)

Joe Miller
Deputy Probation Officer, Mohave County Probation Department
Police Officer, Needles Police Department (Ret.)

John O'Brien
Sheriff, Genesee County, MI (Ret.)
University of Phoenix, Southern California campus

John A. Russo
Oakland City Attorney

David Sinclair
Former Deputy Sheriff, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff

Mike Schmier
Former Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles
Former Administrative Law Judge California State
Former Federal Labor Prosecutor San Francisco

Jeffrey Schwartz
Senior Deputy District Attorney, Humboldt County (Ret.)

Lyle Smith
Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (Ret.)

Norm Stamper
Executive Assistant Chief of Police, San Diego Police Department (Ret.)
Chief of Police, Seattle Police Department (Ret.)

Jeff Studdard
Former Reserve Deputy Sheriff, Los Angeles County

All agency affiliations are listed for identification purposes only.

Stand Up to Big Alcohol (Action Alert)

SAFERchoice.orgSAFER's BlogDonate to SAFERHelp the Cause

The alcohol industry is fueling the campaign to defeat Proposition 19in California so that adults cannot make the safer choice to use marijuana.

According to campaign finance reports, the California Beer and Beverage Distributors State Issues Committee donated $10,000 to the campaign to defeat Proposition 19, the initiative that would establish a legal and regulated marijuana market and provide adults with a safer recreational alternative to alcohol. 

We understand why Big Alcohol wants to protect its turf and keep Californians drinking; but why does the No on Prop. 19 campaign -- which is calling itself "Public Safety First" -- share this goal?

Click on the button below or visit http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/5559/action/prop19to send a message to the head of the No on Prop. 19 campaign, calling on him to explain why the campaign is working with Big Alcohol to drive Californians to drink.  Then visit the campaign's website -- http://www.Yeson19.com -- and find out how you can help bring about a victory this November.

You will be redirected to the Yes on 19 website after taking action!

 

Prop 19 "Robo-Polling" Shows Majority Support

The Yes On 19 campaign Friday released an internal poll showing that likely voters support the initiative to control and tax marijuana by a margin of 56-41 when presented with an automated questionnaire but are less likely to state their support to live interviewers.

Day of Action: You Can Help Legalize Marijuana in California (Action Alert)

SSDP Action Alert

Dear friends,

Seven days - that’s how little time is left before California votes on Proposition 19, the ballot initiative that would legalize, tax and regulate marijuana.

We know that young people overwhelmingly support Prop 19, so it’s up to us to make sure they vote by November 2.

SSDP and Just Say Now are launching a Prop 19 Day of Action on Saturday to coincide with Jon Stewart's and Stephen Colbert's Rallies for Sanity and Fear on October 30. We’re going to call thousands of young voters and drive out support for Prop 19.

Can you join us? Pledge to participate in the Prop 19 Day of Action this Saturday.

http://action.firedoglake.com/page/s/prop19ssdp

When you make your pledge, tell us if you'd like to start making phone calls to California voters about Prop 19 using the Just Say Now call tool right from your home -- or if you want to step up, tell us if you can organize a phone banking party.

Young people throughout California will be watching the rally and getting fired up to cast their vote on election day. You can call them and remind them to vote Yes on 19.

Calling young people is a sure-fire way to turn out voters most likely to support Prop 19 and help legalize marijuana. Plus, it’s super easy and fun to call right from your home. So please sign up to call on Saturday, or let us know you want to have a phone bank party!

Click here to pledge to join the Prop 19 Day of Action on Saturday!

http://action.firedoglake.com/page/s/prop19ssdp

Are planning to be in D.C. on Saturday? Join SSDP for our pre-rally sign making party and post-rally phone banking party in our D.C. office.RSVP to the Rally to Restore (Drug Policy) Sanity in Washington, D.C.

Thanks for all you do to pass Prop 19.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Perri

Associate Director
Students for Sensible Drug Policy

 

Connect with SSDP

 

Could Legalizing Marijuana in California Help Cure Breast Cancer? (Opinion)

The latest research is proving that cannabinoids play a mitigating role in breast cancer. An urgent issue for Breast Cancer Awareness Month: the clock is ticking for the 207,000 women expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer this year alone. Mary Jane Borden, a former marketing analyst for largest U.S. marketer of cancer chemotherapy drugs in the U.S. during the 1980s, opines on the issue.
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