| Graphic: Yes On 19 |
Former San Jose Police Chief Says Marijuana Initiative Will Improve Public Safety
The campaign to pass Proposition 19, the California ballot measure to legalize, control and tax cannabis, released a television ad on Monday featuring former San Jose Police Chief Joseph McNamara, who makes a strong public safety case for ending the current prohibition on marijuana.
“Let’s be honest: The war against marijuana has failed,” Chief McNamara says in the ad.
“I know from 35 years in law enforcement. Today, it’s easier for a teenager to buy pot than beer,” McNamara says. “Proposition 19 will tax and control marijuana just like alcohol. It will generate billions of dollars for local communities, allow police to focus on violent crimes, and put drug cartels out of business.”
“Join me and many others in law enforcement,” McNamara says. “Vote YES on Proposition 19!”
McNamara, who served as San Jose’s chief of police for 15 years, is now a research fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. He previously served as chief of police in Kansas City and as a beat officer in New York City.
Chief McNamara is just one of the many veteran law enforcement officers who have endorsed Prop 19. A letter signed by dozens of police officers, judges and proscutors who support ending marijuana prohibition can be read at Yes On 19’s website here.