Pubdate: Tue, 13 Jul 2010
Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)
Page: AA3
Copyright: 2010 Los Angeles Times
Contact: http://mapinc.org/url/bc7El3Yo
Website: http://www.latimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/248
Author: John Hoeffel
Cited: Sen. Dianne Feinstein
http://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactUs.Home
Cited: Proposition 19 http://www.taxcannabis.org/
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/Proposition+19

Feinstein Opposes Measure To Legalize Pot

She Calls the November Ballot Initiative 'A Jumbled Legal Nightmare.'

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, California's senior U.S. senator, has lent her
support to the campaign to defeat Proposition 19, the marijuana
legalization measure on the state's November ballot.

The prominent Democrat, first elected to the Senate in 1992, signed
the ballot argument against the initiative. On Monday, she issued a
statement through the opposition campaign calling the measure "a
jumbled legal nightmare that will make our highways, our workplaces
and our communities less safe."

Roger Salazar, spokesman for Public Safety First, said the opposition
committee sought Feinstein's support.

"She's one of the most respected figures in California," he said.
"She has a great history with law enforcement and dealing with this
type of issue. We're looking at a bipartisan effort."

Proposition 19 would allow adults 21 and older to possess, grow and
transport marijuana, and would allow cities and counties to regulate
and tax commercial sales. Most of the state's top elected officials
and candidates for statewide office - from both major parties - are
against the initiative.

Dale Sky Clare, a spokeswoman for Tax Cannabis 2010, the committee
behind the measure, said it was not surprising that Feinstein and
other statewide politicians opposed it.

"I'm just not putting a lot of faith in politicians to lead," she
said. "The voters have always led on this issue."

Both campaigns have been collecting endorsements and touting them on
their websites.

The recent unusual endorsement of the measure by the state NAACP led
to the first real debate in the campaign. The NAACP saw it as a civil
rights issue, noting that enforcement of marijuana laws
disproportionately affects African Americans. The endorsement
infuriated a group of black ministers who have organized to fight the
initiative and who believe it will lead to more crime and addiction.

The pro-legalization ballot argument was signed by several former law
enforcement officials, including retired Orange County Superior Court
Judge James P. Gray and retired San Jose Police Chief Joseph D.
McNamara. On the no side, Laura Dean-Mooney, president of Mothers
Against Drunk Driving, joined Feinstein in signing the ballot argument.

In deciding to oppose the measure, Feinstein cited a recent report
from Rand Corp., the Santa Monica-based research institute. The
report concluded that about the only certain effects of the measure
was that the price of marijuana would plummet and consumption would increase.

"In addition, there are too many unknown factors related to law
enforcement and public safety," Feinstein concluded.
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