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marijuana plants (wikimedia.org)
marijuana plants (wikimedia.org)

Prop 19 Down in Two New Polls

Two recent polls have Prop 19 losing. Is this the "Reverse Bradley Effect" at work? Let's hope so.

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.

Swiss Drug Policy Should Serve As Model: Experts

Switzerland's innovative policy of providing drug addicts with free methadone and clean needles has greatly reduced deaths while cutting crime rates and should serve as a global model, health experts said. Countries whose drug policy remains focused on punishing offenders, including Russia and much of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, should learn from a Swiss strategy based on "harm reduction" that protects both users and communities, they said.

How Could Legalization Destroy a State That's Already Covered in Pot Plants?

I really ought to be used to it by now, but few things piss me off more than hearing our opponents claim that marijuana legalization means introducing "another intoxicant" into our society. Variations on the whole "we have enough problems with alcohol and tobacco" argument have become a favorite weapon of the anti-reform crowd, yet we've never heard any of them endorsing prohibition of beer or cigarettes.

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Reason TV on Prop 19

Here's a nice piece from Reason that looks at the arguments on both sides of the marijuana debate.

Yes On 19 Campaign Releases TV Advertisement: Former San Jose Police Chief Says Marijuana Initiative Will Improve Public Safety Law Enforcement Supporters to Hold Teleconference for Reporters on Tuesday (Press Release)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 25, 2010
CONTACT: Tom Angell - (202) 557-4979 or [email protected]
                 Amber Langston - (573) 239-8149 or [email protected]

Yes On 19 Campaign Releases TV Advertisement 

Former San Jose Police Chief Says Marijuana Initiative Will Improve Public Safety

Law Enforcement Supporters to Hold Teleconference for Reporters on Tuesday

OAKLAND, CA -- The campaign to pass Proposition 19, the California ballot measure to control and tax marijuana, released a television ad today featuring former San Jose police chief Joseph McNamara, who makes a strong public safety case for ending the current prohibition laws.

The ad can be viewed online at http://www.YesOn19.com/ad

"Let's be honest: The war against marijuana has failed," Chief McNamara says in the ad. "I know from 35 years in law enforcement. Today, it's easier for a teenager to buy pot than beer. Proposition 19 will tax and control marijuana just like alcohol. It will generate billions of dollars for local communities, allow police to focus on violent crimes, and put drug cartels out of business. Join me and many others in law enforcement. Vote YES on Proposition 19!"

McNamara, who served as San Jose's chief of police for 15 years, is now a research fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution.  He previously served as chief of police in Kansas City and as a beat officer in New York City

McNamara is just one of the many veteran law enforcers who have endorsed Prop. 19. A letter signed by dozens of police officers, judges and prosecutors who support ending prohibition can be read at: http://www.YesOn19.com/endorse/enforcement/text

Several of those law enforcers will be available on a telephone press conference call Tuesday at 11:00 AM PDT.  Reporters who would like the call-in info should contact Amber Langston at (573) 239-8149 or [email protected].

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