Prop 19 is up Against Big Money

The opposition of Proposition 19, the bill that would allow small amounts of marijuana to be legal for personal use in California, has gone the way of “reefer madness.” In the final days before the election, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has entered into the mix with a new radio ad warning Californians of stoned drivers and stoned nurses.The opposition to Prop 19 is using fear tactics to prevent the measure from passing. These fear tactics are primarily lies and gross distortions. The No on Proposition 19 campaign’s website welcomes visitors with a picture of a wrecked car and an overturned school bus, presumably filled with children killed by a stoned driver. "On average, a drunk driver kills someone every 45 minutes," warns the campaign’s website. "Recreational marijuana use in fatal crashes will increase if Prop. 19 passes. It will be legal for a driver to get high right before taking the wheel. It will also be legal for passengers to smoke pot as they drive on the freeway or in your neighborhood." Of course that is a lie. Driving under the influence would still be illegal as it is now. The law is not just for driving under the influence of alcohol. Duh.

The latest surveys suggest that Prop 19 is falling behind. This is a reversal from earlier in the month where Prop 19 had been leading. The Chamber, the strange new funders of election, is worried however. In an internal memo obtained by The Huffington Post, the Chamber reveals it is spending its own money to defeat the measure because the No campaign is being outspent. "I have experienced a great deal of difficulty in getting members of the business community to understand that the marijuana initiative on the November ballot (Proposition 19) is more about making it illegal for employers to have a marijuana free workplace, than it is about removing criminal penalties for possession," California Chamber CEO Allan Zaremberg wrote in an memo to Chamber members.

The Chamber is not concerned with California residents’ safety. I think it is safe to say that opposing Proposition 19 is a financial strategy for the Chamber. They represent businesses that use drug testing to discriminate. They represent pharmaceutical companies that would rather have you under the influence of Xanax than weed. Yes, the Chamber is using the scary notion that if Prop 19 passes, everyone at work will be high. Suddenly, employers will be powerless to enforce laws that prevent workers from drinking alcohol on the job. It is a ridiculous idea and one that is blatantly false. Prescription drug abuse is at an all-time high in our country. Prescription drugs such as Xanax, Soma, Ativan, and Oxycontin do far more damage than marijuana. They are highly addictive medications. They are also completely legal. Yes, people need prescriptions for them. Prescriptions are not difficult to get with our prescription happy medical professionals. No such luck? These medications are easily obtained on the street as well. There are plenty of people, thousands of professionals, that already show up to work completely blazed out of their mind. Only it is legal and doctor recommended. So give me a break. Why the double standard? Because pharmaceutical companies have lots of money and lots of lobbyists. It has nothing to do with workplace safety.