Sierra Sun, 22 Oct 2010 – TRUCKEE, Calif. — In an opinionated and myth-busting debate, four panelists met Wednesday night to argue benefits and consequences of the November ballot measure Proposition 19 — to legalize marijuana in California. The debate, held at the Truckee Town Council Chambers, was a collaborative effort between the Coalition for a Drug Free Nevada County and the Tahoe-Truckee Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention Working Group to educate voters on both sides of the issue.

Boulder Weekly, 22 Oct 2010 – LOS ANGELES – Proposition 19, the California initiative that would legalize marijuana, got a boost Thursday from several Hollywood celebrities who announced they were throwing their support behind the measure. Rock singer Melissa Etheridge joined actors Danny Glover and Hal Sparks, former Los Angeles Police Department Deputy Chief Steve Downing, former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson and activist Sarah Lovering at a news conference at Cafe Was in Hollywood to announce their support for Proposition 19. The ballot measure would allow adults 21 and older to grow and possess marijuana and would authorize cities and counties to approve the cultivation, sale and taxation of pot.

Sierra Sun, 22 Oct 2010 – TRUCKEE, Calif. — In an opinionated and myth-busting debate, four panelists met Wednesday night to argue benefits and consequences of the November ballot measure Proposition 19 — to legalize marijuana in California. The debate, held at the Truckee Town Council Chambers, was a collaborative effort between the Coalition for a Drug Free Nevada County and the Tahoe-Truckee Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention Working Group to educate voters on both sides of the issue.

Boulder Weekly, 22 Oct 2010 – LOS ANGELES – Proposition 19, the California initiative that would legalize marijuana, got a boost Thursday from several Hollywood celebrities who announced they were throwing their support behind the measure. Rock singer Melissa Etheridge joined actors Danny Glover and Hal Sparks, former Los Angeles Police Department Deputy Chief Steve Downing, former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson and activist Sarah Lovering at a news conference at Cafe Was in Hollywood to announce their support for Proposition 19. The ballot measure would allow adults 21 and older to grow and possess marijuana and would authorize cities and counties to approve the cultivation, sale and taxation of pot.

Appeal-Democrat, 20 Oct 2010 – I am a marijuana smoker. I have several different back problems. I also suffer from insomnia. I use marijuana as a medicine. This medicine helps me move easier during the day. It lightens my mood if I am upset; it helps calm my nerves. Before I started smoking I used to have to take six Vicodin a day, with ibuprofen. Now there are days where I do not have to take anything thanks to medical marijuana. I believe if a person is a responsible smoker they will not be smoking during their work breaks or get stoned and go teach. That would be wrong. I believe if they are in the comfort of their own home they should be able to smoke. It would be just like having a nice glass of wine or a beer after work.

Appeal-Democrat, 20 Oct 2010 – Given that it was written partially in response to opinion polls, rather than as an exercise in pure theory, Proposition 19, which would legalize the possession and use of up an ounce of marijuana (cannabis) for adult Californians, contains provisions that an advocate of pure devotion to liberty might not have included. Some of these provisions have raised questions, some justified and some exaggerated out of any relation to reality. We thought it appropriate to deal with some of these issues, chiefly the reasons for having a "local option" for sales and cultivation and the possible implication this proposal would have on the ability of employers to discipline people who are impaired at work due to cannabis use, and of police to handle drivers similarly impaired. Prop. 19 would establish a statewide policy, to wit: adults may possess up to an ounce of cannabis and may cultivate a patch of plants amounting to 25 square feet. But it contemplates that there will be a demand to purchase cannabis, as well, so it allows localities to develop their own policies for regulating cultivation and sales (and collecting taxes on them) or to prohibit any sales or cultivation beyond the 25-square-foot limit.

Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct 2010 – California Can Pass Prop. 19 and Legalize Marijuana, but the U.S. Government Won’t Go Along. If California voters were still under the illusion that Proposition 19 would legalize marijuana, U.S. Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. sought to disabuse them of the notion last week. "We will vigorously enforce the [federal Controlled Substances Act] against those individuals and organizations that possess, manufacture or distribute marijuana for recreational use, even if such activities are permitted under state law," Holder wrote in a letter to nine former heads of the Drug Enforcement Administration who had lobbied the Obama administration to forcefully oppose California’s overreaching ballot initiative.

Porterville Recorder, 19 Oct 2010 – The Tulare County Sheriff’s Department is requesting the Board of Supervisors approve an operational agreement for the South Valley Marijuana Suppression Program. To underwrite these efforts, both Tulare and Fresno counties use a combination of general fund and grant money. The state’s Marijuana Supression II Program requires that counties create a joint marijuana suppression team to apply for funding with one county serving as fiscal agent for the grant, a staff report states.

Daily Forty-Niner, 18 Oct 2010 – Voter turnout among 18 to 29-year-olds is generally a low number and fluctuates depending on the election. The percentage of youth voters has slightly increased over the years, but it has never passed the highest rate of 55.4 percent in 1972, when 18-year-olds were able to vote in the presidential election for the first time. The second largest youth voter turnout was during the 2008 election of Barack Obama, where 66 percent of the votes from the that age group were in favor of Obama. This year’s upcoming November election is expected to have an increase in young voter turnout because of the California measure to legalize the cultivation, possession and transportation of marijuana. In fact, votes from youth will be crucial for the bill to pass.

The Orange County Register, 19 Oct 2010 – Given that it was written partially in response to opinion polls, rather than as an exercise in pure theory, Proposition 19, which would legalize the possession and use of up an ounce of marijuana (cannabis) for adult Californians, contains provisions that an advocate of pure devotion to liberty might not have included. Some of these provisions have raised questions, some justified and some exaggerated out of any relation to reality. We thought it appropriate to deal with some of these issues, chiefly the reasons for having a "local option" for sales and cultivation and the possible implication this proposal would have on the ability of employers to discipline people who are impaired at work due to cannabis use, and of police to handle drivers similarly impaired. Prop. 19 would establish a statewide policy, to wit: adults may possess up to an ounce of cannabis and may cultivate a patch of plants amounting to 25 square feet. But it contemplates that there will be a demand to purchase cannabis, as well, so it allows localities to develop their own policies for regulating cultivation and sales (and collecting taxes on them) or to prohibit any sales or cultivation beyond the 25-square-foot limit.