California Proposition 19

On Monday, the Fresno Bee posted an article on California's Proposition 19, which says:

"Should California legalize marijuana beyond current medical use to permit all adults 21 and over to use and possess pot?"

This is an intesting proposition for many reasons.  First of all, does anyone remember that when California legalized marijuana for medical use, opponents said that legalizing marijuana for medical use was the beginning of a drive to generally legalize it?  Well, I guess they knew what they were talking about.

The move to legalize pot is supported by:

• Large unions such as the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), State Council and United Food & Commercial Workers Union, also Oaksterdam University marijuana trade school, and California NAACP

The move to legalize pot is opposed by:

• Law enforcement groups, such as the California Police Chiefs Association and the California Narcotics Officers Association, also political candidates and officeholders Jerry Brown, Meg Whitman, Dianne Feinstein, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and also The California Chamber of Commerce  

The supporters claim legalization will raise revenues and avoid budget cuts, that legalization will reduce crime, weaken drug cartels, and create a framework to prevent minors from accessing marijuana.  They also claim legalization will retain employers' existing rights to fire or discipline employees or address pot consumption that impairs job performance.

The opponents claim legalization will not reduce crime--that it will in fact result in more impaired drivers on the roads.  The bill contains anti-discrimination language that could prevent employers from enforcing rules against marijuana without clear evidence of impairment.  Legalization could also lead to private industries and public agencies losing federal funding for failing to meet "drug-free workplace" standards.

The article also lists the people contributing money for an against legalization.  It is an interesting read.

There is one other aspect of this proposition appearing on the California ballot at this time.  Democrats in Congress are behind in generic polls.  The key to the 2010 Congressional Elections will be voter turnout.  Senior citizens are beginning to realize that they have been screwed by Obamacare and are quite likely to vote Republican.  One way to counter that vote is to bring out the younger vote, which has trended Democrat in the past (and overwhelmingly supported President Obama).  One way to bring out the youth vote is to put legalization of marijuana on the ballot.  I haven't seen any polls, but my guess is that most of the population between the ages of 18 and 25 supports legalization.

Politics is a full-contact sport.  Placing legalization of marijuana on the ballot in California during this Congressional election is an example of that.  If placing this proposition on the ballot results in Democrat victories in Congress and the governorship, look for states with a lot of electoral college votes to have similar propositions on their ballots in 2012!