Pubdate: Fri, 16 Jul 2010
Source: San Bernardino Sun (CA)
Copyright: 2010 Los Angeles Newspaper Group
Contact:  http://www.sbsun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1417
Author: Josh Dulaney, Staff Writer
Cited: Proposition 19 http://www.taxcannabis.org/
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/Proposition+19

FONTANA CITY COUNCIL PASSES RESOLUTION AGAINST POT PROPOSITION

FONTANA - The City Council approved a resolution Wednesday night 
against a November ballot proposition that would legalize marijuana 
for those 21 and over.

Officials passed the resolution against Proposition 19, the so-called 
Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act, which aims to legalize 
marijuana use in a similar way as alcohol.

The resolution was drafted by Police Chief Rodney Jones, with some 
language borrowed from the California Police Chiefs Association's 
talking points against the proposition.

It states that the proposition is little more than a complete 
legalization of marijuana.

"The parts that are really concerning is an employer cannot take 
action against an employee unless they show impairment," Jones said.

The resolution also says that billions of dollars in federal grants 
and subsidies will be lost to the state because California employers 
will no longer be able to comply with the Federal Drug Free Workplace 
Act of 1998.

California voters legalized medical marijuana in 1996 when they 
passed Proposition 215.

But local leaders throughout the state have struggled to balance the 
policy with a federal law that bans marijuana as a Schedule 1 
controlled substance.

Marijuana advocates maintain that besides its medicinal benefits, 
marijuana does not lead to violence like alcohol and other drugs.

Lanny Swerdlow, clinic manager of the THCF Medical Clinic in 
Riverside, said there are a variety of reasons why he supports the 
proposition, besides the potential tax revenue it would bring to 
local governments.

"There's a civil-rights issue," Swerdlow said. "The marijuana laws 
are unfairly enforced. What a waste of time for police and the courts 
that are overcrowded."

Swerdlow said that those who use marijuana typically cut back their 
use of alcohol. There will be an increase in marijuana use if the 
proposition passes, and that will be in direct proportion to the 
decrease of alcohol use, he said.

Jones said using marijuana for medical purposes is something that 
should be determined in the field of medical science, not in the ballot box.

"One of the points I think people are missing is we don't identify a 
medicine by a popular vote," he said. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake