Obama administration drug policy director Gil Kerlikowske, along with his predecessors, John Walters, Barry McCaffrey, Lee Brown, Bob Martinez, and William Bennett, have joined in opposition to the marijuana legalization initiative that will be voted on by Californians in November. Writing in the Los Angeles Times, the sextet of drug czars reject the arguments that “legalizing and taxing marijuana would generate much-needed revenue, and that legalization would allow law enforcement to focus on other crimes.”
“Despite the millions spent on marketing the idea, legalized marijuana can’t solve California’s budget crisis or reduce criminal justice costs,” say the current and former officials. “Our combined opposition to this ill-considered scheme spans four different administrations and represents the collective wisdom of a former secretary of Education, a governor, a mayor and teacher, an Army general, a drug policy researcher and two police chiefs. Our opposition to legalizing marijuana is grounded not in ideology but in facts and experience.”