Former SJPD Chief Joseph McNamara threw his support behind Proposition 19, which would legalize and regulate the sale of marijuana in California. McNamara, who headed the SJPD for 15 years, argues that regulating marijuana like cigarettes and alcohol would make it more difficult for children to obtain the drug, since they would be forced to show ID.

Under the current ban, marijuana is easily obtainable from drug dealers he says, and there is no restriction on who can buy it. As for adults, he says that, “It does far more damage to be treating people who smoke marijuana or use marijuana as criminals than it is to have them smoke it.”

Gubernatorial candidates Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman are both on record as opposing Proposition 19, as are both state senators, Diane Feinstein and Barbara Boxer. They argue that legalization would not only make the state less safe, but that it would result in a significant loss in federal aid for failing to comply with nationwide drug-free requirements.