This bill could actually bring a hint of sanity to an other wise dark history of racism and prejudice that's lasted for 100 years.California could set the tone for the 21st century if the fear mongers don't have their way.The only people arguing against this bill are hard core drug war advocates that reject all the evidence that the people are tired and this is what the public wants.Don't let their scare tactics fool you.they have no real argument at all.

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I like the idea of prop 5 but like many initiatives it has a big flaw in that it is another unfunded state mandate. If the prop 5 included a funding mechanism it's a great policy but without state funding it essentially reduces state costs while increasing the burden on counties. Prop 5 highlights the general problem with the initiative process in California in that good ideas are often poorly executed.

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The following is this one man's opinion, no more, no less:

This is a great idea but a bad format. The bill is too intricate. I can see judges going nuts over the nuances of the 3 rehab tracks. I like the reduction of possession of marijuana of less than an ounce to an infraction rather than misdemeanor, but unfortunately this is a part of this bill and can't be split off.

The argument in the California voter info guide against this bill is a bunch of BS (i.e., passage will dump criminals out on the streets and increase crime), but I still will vote against it for the reasons I have stated. Many judges under the current system offer good rehab options such as via Proposition 36 and drug court, and the current system works fine.

Compose a simpler bill with similar ideas, and I might vote for it next time.

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Rehab is great, but as we always hear, success depends on the individual wanting sobriety more than some level of intoxication. With out going into to much detail, I found myself living in my car(two and a half year fighting with social security another 4 months waiting for first check). After receiving my check for back payment, it may seem strange but hosing was not my greatest concern. My greatest desire was to get across country to see my Mother in her nursing home for Mothers day. Upon returning to my hometown and before being able to secure an address I could call home, still living in my car, I found sleeping behind a former employers business a safe place to sleep. Oh gee, now my confession, I had also managed to get a 1/4 once of marijuana. While watching a movie on my brand new laptop (the one I'm using right now) I was surprised by high beam headlights coming through my windshield. With smoke rolling out my window,denial wasn't an option. I was busted. I went through the courts first time offender drug program. One year supervised probation. This included weekly visits to my PO that included urine screens. This went on for the first three months. Then it was reduced to twice a month, glad I wasn't working, I don't think most employers would accept someone missing that much time. Not to mention for someone that works that's a lot of missed income and of course less taxes to the system as a whole. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot. This was just the part of the process, the legal part. Now even though the charges were dismissed, I'm in the system for the rest of my life for being someone who doesn't follow the rules of this game of life. Now the rehab part is handled completely separate. It included ten appointments with a shrink also during regular working hours and billed at $92.00 per hour. You learn real quick to keep the secessions as short as possible. Quarter hour was about as quick has you can answer the required legal questions take the breathalyzer and pee in a cup. These urine screens were farmed out to a private company so they add $20.00 to the bill. Also I was required to attend eight AA and or NA meetings of my choice and attend eight other group meetings with other offenders. Last week the pain was so bad I ended up in the ER twice, the hydromorphone does little more than give me a headache, Sunday and Tuesday I considered the ER again. Today, I smoked two small bowls and was able to walk the dog around the block and might even clear the cobwebs of my dishes.

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Court was a trip in itself. The first time in front of the judge, I was informed about the program and accepted it because after going through the program successfully the charges would be dismissed. Then when the judge asked if I had a drivers license, my attention spiked, no one ever mentioned my privilege of driving was going to be suspended for six months. Whoa, to late to change my plea. I must of looked totally in a state of shock as I left the court room. Two different police officers stopped me and told me I should have just not shown up and I would have just been sent a $35.00 fine in the mail. Not being employed or going to school the only reason I could drive anywhere was to keep court order appointments. I appealed. During the time between the two hearings I was still able to drive, and was able to continue establishing my first home in almost three years. In returning to court on the appeal I again just accepted the program. Why, I didn't want the conviction on my record. I have personal reasons for that, which I can't go into in public. The point is, where does all this lead. Insanity has been described as doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Sounds like the "war on drugs" is an exercise in insanity to me. Before the "war on drugs", 1.3% of the population used or abused some sort of drug, today 1.3% of the population uses or abuses some sort of drug. Could the billions of dollars spent in this war be spent in some fashion other than making criminals out of out of the ones who do some sort of drug. Educating our children, honestly, would go a long way. I could go on for pages and pages and take this a multitude of different directions, so to sum it up. The WAR on drugs is and always will be a failure, creating more problems than it cures and is in reality nothing more than a front for the militarization of the police with expanded powers simple because of the use of the word WAR in the title of governmental jargon. STAT(sorry thats another topic) The government is suppose to fear the people not the people in fear of the government. It's time for peace talks, in this WAR.

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