Chico Enterprise-Record, 13 Oct 2010 – Our view: The medical marijuana initiative was flawed, destined to be fought and clarified in the courts, and so is this proposition. There’s a reason no state in the nation has legalized marijuana — because it’s a wacky idea.

San Jose Mercury News, 14 Oct 2010 – Legalizing Marijuana’s Inevitable, but This Is the Wrong Way The state Board of Equalization estimates that 400,000 Californians smoke marijuana every day. More than 3 million use it at least once a year. Clearly, the war on drugs is a massive failure, at least regarding pot.

Sacramento Bee, 08 Oct 2010 – Backers of California’s Proposition 19 call it a landmark challenge to America’s war on drugs. But passage of the initiative to legalize pot for recreational use may open up a legal war between California and the federal government. Some fear a renewed surge of federal raids, similar to actions that shut down medical pot shops, targeted suppliers and doctors after California voters passed Proposition 215, its medical marijuana law, in 1996.

Long Beach Press-Telegram, 09 Oct 2010 – On the surface, legalizing the possession of a small amount of marijuana sounds like a good idea. Can 100 million Americans be wrong? Should California legalize the possession of an ounce or less or marijuana when federal law prohibits it? Is it possible that one out of three Americans have smoked pot?

The Times-Herald, 10 Oct 2010 – Like so many others in California, we’ve heard — and listened to — all the arguments for legalizing marijuana. We even agree that some have merit. Proposition 19, however, is another matter. The controversial Nov. 2 measure, which would legalize limited personal cultivation and use of marijuana and allow local governments to authorize and regulate commercial enterprises, is a certified mess.

Record Searchlight, 08 Oct 2010 – Should California — should America — legalize marijuana? Not just for real or purported medicinal uses, but for anyone who wants to light a pipe to unwind after work or pass an afternoon fishing at the lake? More and more, the reasonable answer to that question looks like "Yes."

Merced Sun-Star, 04 Oct 2010 – A deeply flawed measure would create many more problems than it could hope to solve. California ought to have a serious debate on whether to legalize marijuana for personal use. If lawmakers won’t confront the issue, it might even be time for a ballot initiative to change the law.

San Francisco Chronicle, 05 Oct 2010 – There’s clearly been a change in Californians’ views about marijuana. Proposition 19, which would legalize possession for adults older than 21, is leading in the polls – an outcome that would have been unthinkable just 10 years ago. So perhaps Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who opposes Prop. 19, was trying to find a middle way between the costly status quo and a potentially damaging free-for-all when he signed SB1449 last week. SB1449, authored by state Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, makes marijuana possession an infraction rather than a misdemeanor.

The Signal, 03 Oct 2010 – It’s 1972 all over again. A call to legalize marijuana in California is back, 38 years after it first appeared on the November ballot. But a lot has changed since 1972. Richard M. Nixon won’t be on the same ballot with Proposition 19 this November. Television these days doesn’t much resemble "The Waltons" and "All in the Family."

San Francisco Examiner, 04 Oct 2010 – Sunset dispensary waiting to open due to legal challenges SAN FRANCISCO – A Sunset district resident and a local church are trying to stop a medical cannabis dispensary from opening in their neighborhood.