Pubdate: Mon, 8 Nov 2010 Source: Daily Journal, The (San Mateo, CA) Copyright: 2010 San Mateo Daily Journal Contact: http://www.smdailyjournal.org/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3778 Author: Bill Silverfarb, Daily Journal staff Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?115 (Cannabis - California) LEGALIZING POT DEBATE NOT OVER The debate over whether Californians should be able to smoke marijuana recreationally did not die with the failure of Proposition 19 at the polls Tuesday, in fact it is just getting started, said Richard Lee, the founder of Oaksterdam University and a major legalization proponent. "In two years, support grew by about 2 percent across the nation," Lee said. "Hopefully, that will continue." At least two pro-marijuana groups are preparing ballot initiatives for the 2012 presidential election to legalize recreational use of the drug, he said. "We have started the debate. It has turned into a serious conversation," Lee said. Proposition 19 was staunchly opposed by the California Police Chiefs Association, whose leader is San Mateo Police Chief Susan Manheimer. "The issue of marijuana legalization is not going away," Manheimer said in an e-mail to the Daily Journal. "Legalization proponents have vowed to bring the issue forward in California and other states in the weeks, months and years ahead. That is why we, as law enforcement leaders, can not sit idly by - we must continue to speak out on the threat that drug legalization poses to our communities." Lee was a major force behind getting Proposition 19 on the ballot and spent a lot of his own money campaigning for its passage. His Oaksterdam University in the East Bay teaches people how to cultivate cannabis for medical use. Statewide, the proposition failed with 3,424,145 "yes" votes compared to 3,994,442 "no" votes. The 46.1 percent of supporters, however, represented a minimal success for pot advocates, Lee said. Lee hopes that number will grow to 50 percent by 2012, when more voters are expected to turn out, despite the federal government working against the campaign. While the state shot down the proposition, voters in San Mateo County supported it by a slim margin with 51.7 percent of the vote. It passed by a wider margin in San Francisco County, earning 65 percent of the vote. "Proposition 19 had some local support amongst voters, however, many still confused the compassionate use of medical marijuana with this wholesale legalization of recreational marijuana," Manheimer said in the e-mail. The Compassionate Use Act of 1996, Proposition 215, passed with 56 percent of the vote. "Having the feds working against you is hard but they said the same thing about medical marijuana," Lee said. "It is a matter of time before it is legal for recreational use. It is not 'if' but rather 'when' and 'how.'" Recreational-use proponents will do more research and fine-tune the details of the next ballot initiative to make it more palatable to voters, Lee said. Some of the language in the failed Proposition 19 may have went too far in protecting people from unreasonable workplace drug-testing, Lee said. Language involving driving also needs to be tightened up, he said. Proposition 19 would have permitted local governments to regulate and tax commercial production, distribution and sale of marijuana. It would have allowed people 21 or older to possess, cultivate or transport marijuana for personal use if it passed. Currently, possession of marijuana is a misdemeanor under California Health and Safety Code Section 11357. Possession of one ounce, 28.5 grams, or less is punishable by a maximum $100 fine. This time around, pot advocates have gotten an earlier start for the 2012 campaign by collecting money and starting a signature drive, Lee said. And while pot advocates will be busy trying to sell its merits to the public in the coming months, opponents will also ramp up their efforts. "There is certainly more work to do to educate our public on the dangers and problems associated with drug legalization," Manheimer said. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake