On September 23rd yeson19.com reported on 2 polls about Proposition 19. Public Policy Polling has Prop 19 at 47-38 in favor and Survey USA has Prop 19 at 47-42 in favor. PPP said among young voters it's 54-34 in favor. Prop 19 requires a simple majority to pass, meaning over 50% of voters.
The Deputy Director of NORML, Paul Armentano, wrote a piece on hightimes.com called "Coming to Terms With Taxation, Regulation, and California’s Prop. 19.", appearing on the site on on September 23rd.
On September 23rd an article by Jennifer Chaussee appeared on capitolweekly.com called "Follow the money: The impact of legalized pot." Chaussee wrote "The arguments surrounding the controversial measure to legalize and tax the recreational use of marijuana have relied at least in part on speculation", saying "neither side knows for sure how the initiative will affect California’s economy." The article went on to say how estimating the impact of Prop 19 was difficult for the Board of Equalization, the Legislative Analyst's Office, and the RAND research group. On September 21st, Ammiano introduced the bill Marijuana Control and Regulation Act of 2010 which would take effect after the passage of Prop 19. It would impose a substantial fee on the sale of legal marijuana in order to discourage substance abuse, and funds would be used for drug education and awareness programs. In the bill a marijuana sales license could not exceed $5,000 initially, and not exceed $2,500 for yearly renewal. The bill states that no person can legally sell marijuana or marijuana derivatives without a proper license. Medical marijuana would be exempt from those fees.
Also from Capitol Weekly, on September 21st, the California Cannabis Association held a press release at the Capitol to oppose Prop 19. President George Mull said Prop 19 doesn't protect medical marijuana patients because county councils will get to decide whether to allow legal sale of marijuana in their counties. Lanette Davis, associated with the Canna Care medical marijuana distributor, said Prop 19 would impose unfair taxes on patients. Dan Newman, spokesman for Yes On 19, said Prop 19 won't affect current medical marijuana laws. The Alameda County Democratic Party supports Prop 19. Yes On 19 said that Democratic Parties in Butte, Los Angeles, Madera, Modoc, Orange, Placer, San Francisco, Siskiyou, and Sonoma County have endorsed Prop 19. LEAP member Nate Bradley said possession of under one ounce of marijuana results in a misdemeanor with a max $100 fine but that it costs counties $1,000 to process, saying $60 million per year could be saved if police just stopped writing those tickets.
You can add the Los Angeles Times to the list of California newspapers opposed to Prop 19. The LA Times is the 4th most widely distributed newspaper in the US. An article entitled "Snuff out pot measure" appeared online on September 24, 2010. The LA Times said marijuana legalization is a "valid subject for discussion" but that Prop 19 "poorly thought out, badly crafted and replete with loopholes and contradictions." The paper said Prop 19 is "an invitation to chaos" since it leaves regulation up to 478 cities and 58 counties, and the law could change hundreds of times from county to county. "In Los Angeles County alone it could mean 88 different sets of regulations." The paper said if Prop 19 created a statewide regulatory framework it would merit more consideration.
The LA Times wrote that even if Prop 19 passes, marijuana will still be a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act, which "would set up an inevitable conflict with the federal government that might not end well for the state." The paper wrote regarding Prop 215, "an untold number of residents have faced federal prosecution for actions that were allowed under California law." The paper said there's no guarantee the next presidential administration will be tolerant of state laws on marijuana. It said that much new revenue could be eaten up by the new bureaucracies and departments that local governments would establish. And that Prop 19 "could cause substantial harm." It would create a "protected class of on-the-job smokers", giving them the legal right to smoke marijuana at work unless employers could actually prove impairment. Employers will no longer be able to discipline a worker for being high or drug test for it. The Los Angeles Times concluded that the hypothetical benefits of Prop 19 are outweighed by the risks of the strong possibility of contradictory municipal laws as well as conflicts with federal law.
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