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.

San Diego Union Tribune, 22 Oct 2010 – The debate over Proposition 19 — the Nov. 2 initiative to legalize marijuana in California — proves once again that where there’s smoke, there’s ire. But lost perhaps in the overheated haze of political rhetoric and culture clash is an ongoing scientific effort to elucidate marijuana’s potential as a powerful pain killer for people with HIV, diabetes, spinal cord injuries and other life-altering conditions. That effort, I fear, may go up in smoke.

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.

Chico Enterprise-Record, 22 Oct 2010 – I can tell when someone buys the lies. The phraseology for questioning what drugs teenagers first try invariably includes the word "illegal." The availability of alcohol from bars, cupboards and refrigerators within any teenagers’ own home, provides ample opportunity for entry into recreational drug use. Alcohol is the actual gateway. After recognizing the similarity of alcohol prohibition with current drug laws and the utter failure to stem recreational usage (as alcohol prohibition failed), we can begin to redirect our efforts. Alleged partial success is another phrase for failure. Drug czars, "War on Drugs," interdiction, prohibition, DEA, CAMP, and every other acronym, attempt or law to restrict or reduce recreational drug usage have failed miserably. Yetsome continue to believe the fiction legislation can control stop those seeking to recreate or escape painful situations.

The Santa Barbara Independent, 20 Oct 2010 – Once again I see that the battle lines have been drawn over the issue of marijuana legalization. Moralists who pine for the days of old tell us that if we legalize this drug, that the moral slippery slope on which our society has been sliding will escalate into a free fall into a drug-crazed world of Reefer Madness debauchery. I have this simple question for these people: How do they reconcile their argument with the fact that marijuana was legal in the U.S. until 1937?

Sacramento News & Review, 21 Oct 2010 – Re "Too high" by Nick Miller (SN&R Frontlines, October 14): I don’t use the stuff, but let’s be reasonable; radical differences in approach will lead (at least) to users traveling to areas where taxation is least.

The Chico News & Review, 21 Oct 2010 – Pushing 60 now, I’ve long been tired of the cat-and-mouse game that using cannabis invokes. I totally lost any respect for the law at a tender age. Faith in government? What, the government that wants to see me in a cage? The prohibition has been quite corrosive on my and many of my comrades’ patriotism. We can restore respect for law, and law enforcement, as well as faith in the American way by ending this prohibition. We could even end up like the Dutch–who’ve managed to make pot boring in the eyes of that country’s youth and whose rates of use are but a small fraction of ours.

Sacramento News & Review, 21 Oct 2010 – Re "Smoke and spin" by Nick Miller (SN&R Beats, October 14): Balking on the cannabis (marijuana) issue could cost Democrats dearly if Republicans get smart and seize the cannabis issue. Cannabis prohibition and extermination isn’t consistent with Republican ideals, such as states’ rights, smaller federal government, free trade, capitalism, constitutional rights, etc. Millions of Democrats will jump ship and vote for Republicans if they do the right thing and support ending one of the most embarrassing segments of American history.

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.

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.