Pro-19

I read Dr. Sherif El-Asyouty’s commentary about the harms of marijuana and, as a former police officer who worked to enforce California’s marijuana laws, I’d like to respond.

Even though I agree with the doctor that marijuana isn’t harmless, I still support passing Proposition 19 because I saw with my own eyes that current laws do nothing to stop use, and I’ve learned how prohibition actually increases danger.

Despite having extremely harsh marijuana laws, our country has the highest rate of cannabis consumption in the world. It is twice as high as the Netherlands, where commercial sales to adults have been tolerated for decades.