Argument in Favor of Measure Y

President Bush's war on drugs has failed. It has been costly, ineffective, and unjust. Arresting law-abiding citizens for personal marijuana use clogs our courts and wastes our tax dollars and police resources.

Measure Y will make adult marijuana offenses on private property the lowest priority of the Santa Monica Police Department, allowing police to focus their time and our tax dollars on solving serious and violent crime - like rape and theft.

Marijuana is illegal under state and federal law, and this initiative does not change that. Measure Y will reduce local spending on marijuana arrests and send a strong message to our political leaders in Sacramento and Washington that it's time for more common sense marijuana laws. It will also provide another layer of protection for medical marijuana patients, curtail racial profiling and strengthen our civil liberties.

The Bush Administration has made marijuana, medical or otherwise, the number one priority in its failed Drug War. Over 700,000 marijuana arrests are made each year, including medical marijuana patients. Meanwhile, our overcrowded prisons are at nearly twice capacity and taxpayers are now being asked for billions more to build new ones. It makes no sense to continue these ineffective, wasteful policies, which arrest nonviolent marijuana users.

In 2003, Seattle passed a similar measure and reduced marijuana arrests by 75%, saving millions of dollars for city priorities. By passing Measure Y, Santa Monicans will join other forward-thinking cities like West Hollywood, Oakland and Seattle in leading the way to safe and sensible drug policy.

Santa Monica should have policies that are consistent with our values and priorities. That's why community leaders, law enforcement and legal experts agree: Measure Y is the right thing to do for Santa Monica. Please join us in voting YES ON Measure Y. Please visit www.sensiblesantamonica.org for more information.