Learning the Wrong Lesson From Prop 19
This post at PoliceOne.com epitomizes the narrow-minded satisfaction with Prop 19's failure that we knew to expect from drug war supporters.
With the failure of California’s Proposition 19—an attempt to legalize the possession and production of marijuana in the state—we see that even in one of the most liberal of states the people have spoken and are not in favor of it.
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Whichever side you choose to support, I think the bell ringing loud and clear here is this: People see that there isn’t much upside to legalization.
Framing Prop 19 as a failure for the legalization movement only works if you completely ignore the 4,502,657 people who voted for it. The measure brought in 46.4% of the vote during a midterm election, when young voters are notoriously disengaged. This outcome hardly throws cold water on the notion that marijuana legalization enjoys massive public support. If anything, our opponents should be terrified of what will happen in just two years when the presidential election increases voter turnout.
Looking for the easiest way to join the anti-drug war movement? You've found it!
And many no voters might have voted yes if wording was different
According to the election day poll of voters that Peter Lewis wisely and generously commissioned. These cops are taking way too much satisfaction from this result. A "bell ringing loud and clear" that the public isn't interested in legalization? Well, I'm glad they feel that way, they should be very concerned about the next attempt, in several states, in 2012, but if they want to be complacent, and assume their demagoguery will work again in 2012, that sounds good to me. Maybe someone will figure out a way by then to force them to explain how alcohol users have the moral standing to call cannabis users criminals. We've got arbitrary, politicized drug laws that promote violence as thoroughly as they trample on basic American principles of justice.
Police cowardice
The cowards at PoliceOne.com won't allow anyone but police officers to post comments, ensuring that no one will be allowed to contradict their lies.
the lesson to be learned from
the lesson to be learned from prop19 is..to use a cliched football cliche ..dont fumble the ball on the 1-yard line...
CONSTANT CHANGE
The police ignore the fact that support for prohibition has declined dramatically since the sixties. In California's 1969 ballot initiative the legalise vote was 13%. Prohibition was as solid as rock back then. With the vote approaching the essential 50% and support continuing to grow, a change in law is inevitable.
A Glass Half Empty
Only a Prop 19 opponent would characterize the 2010 election effort in such shallow terms as a failure.
The fact is Big Brother was sweating so bad over a potential Prop 19 victory that nine former DEA administrators felt compelled to step forward to condemn the referendum by spreading the usual lies in a vain attempt to save their political legacy of crime and corruption.
Organized crime in the form of drug enforcement and its toxic consequences now faces a running ground battle as it tries to shore up a levy of support against a tidal wave of yes votes set to hit the Left Coast in 2012. Big Brother is no longer up to it. There will be no little Dutch boy to stick his finger in the dike and stop the leak, because the little boy will be sitting in a Pasadena jail cell charged with drug violations.
A glass half full plus one vote is how things change in a democracy.
Giordano
prop 19 failed, because it
way TOO RESTRICTIVE
You're stuck in the false left/right paradigm, WAKE THE HELL UP!
The real conflict is not Democrats vs GOP, it is libertarians vs authoritarians and both the Democrat politicians and the GOP politicians (with the single exception of Ron Paul) are authoritarian. Democrats and Republicans are pro- war, pro war on drug(user)s, and pro restricting what you are allowed to do in your personal life including what you may eat, drink or smoke, what items you may have in your home (they bipartisanly banned certain drugs, certain foods, incandescent light bulbs, low flow shower heads, low flow toilets, and what the hell will they ban next?).
If you truly want freedom to live your life as you desire (so long as you are not violating anyone else's unalienable rights) you must start supporting those who actually support small government and complete liberty for all. Never ever again vote for a candidate with a D or an R behind their name (again with the sole exception of Ron Paul) unless you want the current situation to continue getting more and more restrictive of your liberty and rights, more wars, more people on welfare, and government that is more and more costly to you as a taxpayer.
Too true
But unless we can get millions of people to join our party we will never win , and the dem's and rep,s know this .
thats why they don't concern themselves with us . I'm beginning to think we will have to join with them and push to take over
both of them to get control of the basic freedom's that are in the big paper we are all so proud of. Here's to our founder's
dream of freedom for the common man . hip-hip hurrah !
Prop 19's failure
But to say that Prop 19's failure has sealed the deal on the marijuana debate is just silly because this whole process has lifted marijuana to a better position for future legalization
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