Critics of Prop 19 rely on fear. They argue that this proposition will throw out existing law, harm our children, and make our roads less safe. They are wrong on all counts.
Prop 19 will not affect existing laws that safeguard against dangerous drug abuse. The Legislative Analyst’s Office, a nonpartisan advisory group, asserts Prop 19 would not affect laws prohibiting driving under the influence of drugs or possessing marijuana on school grounds.
Moreover, the LAO says, “…employers would retain existing rights to address consumption of marijuana that impairs an employee’s job performance.” Claims to the contrary are simply fear mongering.
The worst reason to keep marijuana illegal is that doing so will protect our children. According to the 2003 Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics, nearly 40 percent of high school seniors had tried an illicit drug; a quarter of them had used in the last 30 days.
The objective of the federal laws against marijuana is to ensure that America’s youth do not use illegal drugs. Nearly three decades of drug-war tactics have proven ineffective in keeping marijuana from teens who want it. According to The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse; federal, state and local governments spent at least $467.7 billion in 2005 towards the war on drugs.
Worries about marijuana’s impact on road safety are unwarranted. Researchers at Hartford Hospital and the University of Iowa found that drivers on marijuana had nearly identical scores to those of drug-free drivers when tested on a driving simulator.
Furthermore, FARS accident reporting system finds that California’s liberal marijuana laws are not a significant cause of marijuana accidents. California ranks 14th in the nation in the rate of marijuana involvement in fatal traffic accidents. Interestingly, states with the toughest marijuana laws rank higher on that list. Zero percent of fatal accidents came from the most liberal cities in California: San Francisco and Santa Cruz. This suggests that the legal availability of marijuana has little negative impact on driver safety.
Prop 19 is a step in the right direction towards decriminalization. The United States will continue to lose its 30-year, half a trillion dollar a year War on Drugs. Why should we allow the effects of this war to be more dangerous for Californians than the drugs themselves? Do we choose to support the drug cartels by supporting our current drug laws or do we choose to bring them to their knees by killing their illegal business?
Vote for liberty. Vote yes with us on Prop 19.
