The Fontana City Council unanimously approved on July 14 a resolution that opposes a California ballot initiative that intends to legalize various marijuana-related activities.
Despite the pleas of several local residents and experts who defended the use of marijuana during the public comments section of the meeting, the four-member council approved the resolution without any discussion.
The city's resolution opposes Proposition 19, the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010, which will be on the ballot for the Nov. 2 general election.
Fontana Chief of Police Rod Jones argued that Prop. 19, which would permit local governments to impose and collect marijuana-related fees and taxes, "does little more than a complete and wholesale legalization of marijuana."
Jones added that the use of medical marijuana, one of the main arguments by proponents of Prop. 19, "is better left to medical science rather than a popular vote."
"This act prohibits employers from taking any disciplinary action against employees for using marijuana unless they can show actual impairment," said Jones. "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 1988."
According to a staff report, Prop. 19 would likely increase marijuana use among children and young adults, as it reportedly did in Alaska, where marijuana use was legalized in 1978 and then repealed in 1990.
In addition, staff reports indicated that "...marijuana has been proven to impair the development of the teenage brain, and more than 80 percent of youth being treated for substance abuse are addicted to marijuana."
However, local resident Ron Deziel claimed that some of the statistics the chief presented are unfounded and need revision. Deziel indicated that liquor also impairs brain development and yet teenagers have easier access to alcohol than marijuana, and that under Prop. 19 obtaining marijuana will be heavily regulated.
"(Marijuana) is not different from a supplement that you can get from a store, not much different from other drugs that are legally available to responsible adults; just because is legal it does not mean is going to undermine society and corrupt our youth," said Deziel.
He and 10 other activists urged the City Council to wait and analyze the facts and then come back at a future date to make a wise decision, but the council denied his request.
Robert McCoy, an Ontario-based attorney with relatives in Fontana, asked the council to be neutral on the subject to avoid possible lawsuits in the future. He argued that the resolution is a potential liability to the city if Prop. 19 passes.
"Ninety-eight percent of officers will uphold the law, but two percent don't care about the law, and they don't care about protecting people's lives. My concern with this is that the city is adopting a resolution ratifying that conduct," said McCoy. "Illegal conduct by officers arresting somebody without probable cause could cause the city some lawsuits. Your job as the City Council is to be neutral; once the proposition is voted on, then you can come back and make resolutions."
Carlos Ceballos indicated that by adopting Prop. 19, cities like Fontana could generate money that could be used for after school programs, parks, recreational activities and law enforcement. By refusing to adopt it means municipalities are going against the will of the people, he said.
The public is sharply divided over the idea of legalizing cannabis. A recent Field Poll showed that Prop. 19 was narrowly trailing, but a SurveyUSA poll found that Californians were in favor of the measure by 10 percentage points.
In 1996, 56 percent of Californian voters approved Prop. 215, which legalized marijuana use for seriously ill patients. However, medical marijuana patients run the risk of apprehension under federal law, which local authorities tend to follow.
Prop. 19, spearheaded by Richard Lee, a marijuana legalizing activist from Oakland, would allow persons over the age of 21 up to one ounce of marijuana for personal consumption. It would allow persons to use marijuana in a non-public place such as a residence or a establishment licensed for on-site marijuana consumption, and allow them to grow marijuana at a private residence for personal use.
If approved, Prop. 19 would allow local governments to authorize retailers to sell up to one ounce of marijuana per transaction. Local governments could authorize larger amounts of marijuana for personal possession and cultivation depending on a person-by-person need.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: Fontana Herald News
Author: ALEJANDRO CANO
Copyright: 2010 Fontana Herald News
* Thanks to MedicalNeed for submitting this article
Despite the pleas of several local residents and experts who defended the use of marijuana during the public comments section of the meeting, the four-member council approved the resolution without any discussion.
The city's resolution opposes Proposition 19, the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010, which will be on the ballot for the Nov. 2 general election.
Fontana Chief of Police Rod Jones argued that Prop. 19, which would permit local governments to impose and collect marijuana-related fees and taxes, "does little more than a complete and wholesale legalization of marijuana."
Jones added that the use of medical marijuana, one of the main arguments by proponents of Prop. 19, "is better left to medical science rather than a popular vote."
"This act prohibits employers from taking any disciplinary action against employees for using marijuana unless they can show actual impairment," said Jones. "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 1988."
According to a staff report, Prop. 19 would likely increase marijuana use among children and young adults, as it reportedly did in Alaska, where marijuana use was legalized in 1978 and then repealed in 1990.
In addition, staff reports indicated that "...marijuana has been proven to impair the development of the teenage brain, and more than 80 percent of youth being treated for substance abuse are addicted to marijuana."
However, local resident Ron Deziel claimed that some of the statistics the chief presented are unfounded and need revision. Deziel indicated that liquor also impairs brain development and yet teenagers have easier access to alcohol than marijuana, and that under Prop. 19 obtaining marijuana will be heavily regulated.
"(Marijuana) is not different from a supplement that you can get from a store, not much different from other drugs that are legally available to responsible adults; just because is legal it does not mean is going to undermine society and corrupt our youth," said Deziel.
He and 10 other activists urged the City Council to wait and analyze the facts and then come back at a future date to make a wise decision, but the council denied his request.
Robert McCoy, an Ontario-based attorney with relatives in Fontana, asked the council to be neutral on the subject to avoid possible lawsuits in the future. He argued that the resolution is a potential liability to the city if Prop. 19 passes.
"Ninety-eight percent of officers will uphold the law, but two percent don't care about the law, and they don't care about protecting people's lives. My concern with this is that the city is adopting a resolution ratifying that conduct," said McCoy. "Illegal conduct by officers arresting somebody without probable cause could cause the city some lawsuits. Your job as the City Council is to be neutral; once the proposition is voted on, then you can come back and make resolutions."
Carlos Ceballos indicated that by adopting Prop. 19, cities like Fontana could generate money that could be used for after school programs, parks, recreational activities and law enforcement. By refusing to adopt it means municipalities are going against the will of the people, he said.
The public is sharply divided over the idea of legalizing cannabis. A recent Field Poll showed that Prop. 19 was narrowly trailing, but a SurveyUSA poll found that Californians were in favor of the measure by 10 percentage points.
In 1996, 56 percent of Californian voters approved Prop. 215, which legalized marijuana use for seriously ill patients. However, medical marijuana patients run the risk of apprehension under federal law, which local authorities tend to follow.
Prop. 19, spearheaded by Richard Lee, a marijuana legalizing activist from Oakland, would allow persons over the age of 21 up to one ounce of marijuana for personal consumption. It would allow persons to use marijuana in a non-public place such as a residence or a establishment licensed for on-site marijuana consumption, and allow them to grow marijuana at a private residence for personal use.
If approved, Prop. 19 would allow local governments to authorize retailers to sell up to one ounce of marijuana per transaction. Local governments could authorize larger amounts of marijuana for personal possession and cultivation depending on a person-by-person need.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: Fontana Herald News
Author: ALEJANDRO CANO
Copyright: 2010 Fontana Herald News
* Thanks to MedicalNeed for submitting this article
