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8 FROM PAGE 1 MARIJUANA


the law would be implemented, the SDDC voted to endorse Prop. 19 by a vote of about 36 to 7, club President Larry Baza said. “It will be interesting to see how this shakes out, because if the majority of the state of Califor- nia (approves legalization) there’s going to be a lot of work that needs to get done to make it fly in a responsible way,” Baza said. Proponents of the law, which


would permit local California governments to regulate and tax commercial production, distribu- tion and sales of the drug, say it would create much-needed revenue to balance the state budget. Prop. 19 proponents esti- mate that there is currently $1.4 billion in annual illegal marijuana sales that the state could tap into. Proponents say it would free up law enforcement to prosecute more serious crimes, as opposed to non-violent drug offenses that often unfairly target minorities. Prop. 19 would permit only adults 21 years of age or older to possess the drug, to be consumed only at home or at licensed estab- lishments. Former San Diego Deputy


Mayor and Democratic state Assembly candidate Toni Atkins also supports Prop. 19. In a statement, Atkins told Gay San Diego she weighed many of the public safety issues raised by opponents before mak- ing her decision. “I’m also aware that our


prisons are full of individuals with small-time offenses and low-level crimes related to the sale, the use and cultivation of marijuana,” she said. “I think our prison space and law enforcement resources should be used for more vio- lent offenders and the savings of taxpayer dollars would go a long way to help solve our prison overcrowding problem, as well as issues related to the health care and medical needs for such a large population of inmates.” Atkins cited the pervasive


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problem of prescription drug abuse, which she said is “fast be- coming one of the leading causes of death for young people aged 14 to 25.” “I think we have a long way to go yet on the proper educa- tion and messaging in society for individuals with addiction issues, period—be it alcohol, other drugs or medications,” she said. However, fellow openly lesbi-


an Democrat, state Sen. Christine Kehoe, opposes Prop. 19. She cited a conflict with existing fed- eral law, under which marijuana would still be illegal.


“It appears the Obama admin-


istration is not going to take the same hands-off approach with the recreational use of marijuana as it has with medicinal use,” Kehoe said. “Until federal law changes, the recreational use of marijuana will remain illegal and I think we can expect the federal govern- ment to step into this situation if it were to pass in California and assert federal preemption.” Despite his support for the state’s existing medicinal marijuana law, Republican County Supervisor Ron Roberts, a long-


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time ally of the LGBT community, sided with the district attorney and his fellow county supervisors in opposing Prop. 19. “A great deal of effort went


into creating a San Diego County law for distributing medical marijuana and we now should be focusing on making that work,” Roberts said. “The blanket legalization proposed by Prop. 19 may result in a crackdown by the federal government that would jeopardize our progress in bring- ing this medicine to those who truly benefit it.” Stephen Whitburn, an


openly gay candidate challenging Roberts in the Nov. 2 election, declined to state his position on the measure. Whitburn serves as vice-chair of San Diego’s Medical Marijuana Task Force. “Because of my role on the


Task Force, I have made a point of not confusing the issues and therefore have not been involved with Prop 19,” he stated. Similarly noncommittal on the


measure were openly gay council members Todd Gloria (a Demo- crat whose chief of staff said he “doesn’t have a public position”) and Carl DeMaio (A Republican who did not respond to a request for comment). William Rodriguez-Kennedy,


president of the Log Cabin Re- publicans of San Diego, said his group ultimately sided with the state Republican party in oppos- ing the issue, though the Log Cabin’s gay and lesbian mem- bership also pulled the item for discussion. “It’s not really an issue of actu- ally being against the legaliza-


FROM PAGE 7 BRIEFS


County—participated in the illegal dumping. “It’s time for Target to clean


up its act,” Dumanis said. “The corporation has been fighting this losing battle for too long and the California environment is worse off because of it.”


The Motels, Crystal Waters to headline Palm Springs Pride, Nov. 7 New-wave artist Mar- tha Davis & the Motels will headline the Greater Palm Springs Pride festival on Nov. 6. Dance Diva Crystal Waters will headline the festival on


tion,” said Rodriguez-Kennedy, who characterized proponents’ claims that Prop. 19 will solve the state budget crisis as “a little amorphous.” “It’s sort of a badly-written ini- tiative,” he said. “Had it been writ- ten better … I think the conserva- tive position would be to support it—you’re raising money in a way that you’re not raising taxes. “I’m not one of those big anti-marijuana people in gen- eral. I take more of a Libertar- ian position, in that the govern- ment should be as much out of your lives as possible.” Kyle Kazan, a former police


officer and San Diego spokesper- son for the group Law Enforce- ment Against Prohibition (LEAP), said it is hypocritical to ban the use of marijuana when alcohol is legal and “does far more damage to society than marijuana.” Openly lesbian San Diego


County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, who co-wrote the coun- ty supervisors’ position against Prop. 19, disagreed, pointing to Alaska’s legalization of marijuana in 1978. “Twelve years later the voters


repealed the law and one of the reasons was because marijuana use among children was mea- sured at 51 percent during that time,” she said. “I did five years in the juvenile


court and almost five years in the superior court dealing with drug (cases),” Dumanis said. “Every single kid that I saw began with alcohol and marijuana and never ended with it. I think any time you tell kids it is okay to use marijuana it muddies the water


Nov. 7. Club act Robin S. also performs Nov. 7. The festival is 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. both days at Angels Sta- dium, Sunrise Way and Baristo Road. Tickets to the festival are $10. For more information, visit pspride.org.


SDSU to participate in ‘Col- leges Rock Hunger’ food drive


The Associated Students of


San Diego State University has partnered with the San Diego Food Bank to participate in a countywide effort aimed at al- leviating hunger in San Diego. The SDSU student body will go up against cross-town schools University of San Diego, the University of California, San Diego and California State Uni-


and it gives them a reason to use it. We have enough of a problem right now with legal prescription abuse. Why add another mind- altering substance for kids to use and abuse as well?” Ben Cisneros, co-regional


field director for San Diego’s ‘Yes on 19’ campaign, argued that mar- ijuana enforcement often leads to racial profiling.


“Marijuana is enforced typi- cally in a discriminatory way, im- pacting some communities more than others,” he said. Dumanis said about 35


percent of the cases her office is handling are drug-related while those related to the sale and pos- session of marijuana amount to “a very small percentage.” “To say that it increases the


incarceration of African-Ameri- cans with less than an ounce of marijuana, I don’t think is prob- ably a good argument because nobody goes to jail for less than an ounce of marijuana,” she said. “It can’t be (for) personal use.” LGBT organizations have long given their support to medical marijuana because of its use in treating cancer and AIDS patients. Dr. Igor Grant, director for UCSD’s Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research (CMCR), said marijuana is as effective as other drugs legally prescribed to treat conditions such as neuropathy and AIDS wasting syndrome. For close to a decade, CMCR has received funding to study the efficacy of medicinal marijuana, which was approved by voters


see Marijuana, pg 23


versity San Marcos in a friendly competition in which each of the universities is trying to collect the most pounds of food for the drive. The competition, a partnership with the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego, is titled “Col- leges Rock Hunger.” Students and others who


wish to donate non-perishable food items at SDSU will be able to place them in red collection bins located across the campus in residence halls, the Student Life and Leadership office, ad- ministration offices, the athletics building, and other locations. Also, bins will be available at Viejas arena during the Maroon 5 and Alice in Chains concerts and at Qualcomm Stadium during the SDSU Homecoming Game on Oct. 16.


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