Assoc. Dean Amar Comments on Prop. 19 for Seattle Times, Sacramento Bee
Associate Dean Vikram Amar commented on California's Proposition 19 for articles in the Seattle Times and Sacramento Bee. The initiative would legalize recreational use of marijuana in the state and put California law in conflict with federal laws prohibiting the drug. The Obama administration, which has stated it would not prosecute medicinal marijuana in states where it is legal, has said it would continue to prosecute recreational use regardless of whether or not Prop. 19 passes.
Associate Dean Amar told the Seattle Times that the administration probably wanted to make clear its opposition to recreational use prior to the election.
"I think [U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder] is really trying to send a message that the earlier policy with respect to medicinal marijuana should not be confused with the policy on recreational marijuana," Amar said.
Speaking to the Sacramento Bee, Amar said that Prop. 19 proponents' claims that the initiative would bring hundreds of millions in new tax revenue to the state are unlikely to prove true in the short term, given the federal government's promise to prosecute those reporting income from marijuana sales.
"Proposition 19 will not be a revenue raiser at the state and local levels in the short run," said Amar. "I just would not count on this as a meaningful revenue stream because of the specter of the Drug Enforcement Administration."
Vikram Amar, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor of Law with the UC Davis School of Law, is a national authority in the fields of constitutional law, civil procedure, criminal procedure, and remedies. His biweekly column for FindLaw.com, a leading provider of online legal information, centers on his expertise in constitutional law.
Sacramento Bee