In an op-ed for the LA Times, Gil Kerlikowske, John Walters, Barry McCaffrey, Lee Brown, Bob Martinez and William Bennett, directors of the Office of National Drug Control Policy in the administrations of Presidents Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush, write that Californians should oppose Proposition 19, the initiative to legalize and tax marijuana. The thesis of the article focuses on scrutinizing the claims of the prop’s supporters, namely that its passage will generate much-needed revenue and that legalization would allow law enforcement to focus on other crimes. The op-ed states:

“No country in the world has legalized marijuana to the extent envisioned by Proposition 19, so it is impossible to predict precisely the consequences of wholesale legalization. We can say with near certainty, however, that marijuana use would increase if it were legal, because some people now abstain simply because it is illegal. We also know that increased use brings increased social costs. […]Marijuana, though, is easy and cheap to cultivate, indoors or out, and Proposition 19 would allow individuals to grow as much as 25 square feet of marijuana for "personal consumption." Why would people volunteer to pay high taxes on marijuana if it were legalized? The answer is that many would not, and the underground market, adapting to undercut any new taxes, would barely diminish at all.”

The writers also argue that the majority of law enforcement officials do not support legalization. You can read the full article here. And in response to its arguments, the following article calls it’s reasoning weak. You can read the opposing take here.