Pubdate: Wed, 10 Aug 2016
Source: Orange County Register, The (CA)
Copyright: 2016 The Orange County Register
Contact:  http://www.ocregister.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/321
Author: Brooke Edwards Staggs

POT LEGALIZATION FOES FILE THEIR OWN LAWSUIT

Opponents of an effort to legalize marijuana for adults in California 
have filed a lawsuit that claims advocates made "false and 
misleading" statements about how the measure regulates advertising, 
sales and more.

The suit was filed one day after backers of Proposition 64 filed a 
lawsuit of their own over what it called "reefer madness-style 
misinformation" from opponents.

Both petitions aim to force the Secretary of State to throw out 
portions of statements that would otherwise appear in official voter 
information guides for the Nov. 8 election.

The No on 64 lawsuit filed Tuesday disputes that the measure only 
allows marijuana to be sold in businesses off-limits to people under 
21, since the measure does permit delivery services.

And opponents "vigorously" argue that the measure, if passed, could 
expose young people to pot ads on TV, according to the lawsuit.

"The marijuana business folks behind Prop. 64 need to come clean with 
the voters of California and stop pretending that this is about 
protecting children," said Wayne Johnson, spokesman for the 
opposition campaign.

Advocates insist the measure includes strict regulations for delivery 
services, plus a tracking system for all sales in the state. And the 
fact-checking website PolitiFact has rated the claim about Prop. 64 
legalizing marijuana commercials as "mostly false."

While advocates reference studies that indicate both teen use and 
impaired driving in Colorado have decreased since the state legalized 
marijuana in 2012, the No on 64 lawsuit points to other studies 
suggesting both factors have increased.

It will be up to a Sacramento County Superior Court judge to decide 
Friday whether to change statements from either camp or let voters 
sort it out at the ballot box.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom