The primary mission of the police is to protect life and property by reducing crime. By passing Proposition 19 this November, voters can help themselves and the police by instantly preventing between 40 million and 208 million crimes a year in California. In comparison to marijuana crimes, the number of murders, robberies, rapes, burglaries, and aggravated assaults total fewer than half a million combined.
Voters can achieve these massive crime reductions without any costly new programs. By passing an act to control, regulate and tax marijuana, the election will actually significantly reduce police and criminal justice spending. According to the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst, Proposition 19 will also increase tax revenues by $1.2 billion by taxing marijuana, which currently escapes taxation because it is illegal.
Marijuana crimes are only recorded when the police make an arrest or seizure, and marijuana use can only be estimated by research.
