With the election just over a week away comes a blitz of new TV ads, many of them from campaigns the wider audience hasn't heard of. Case in point: Prop 19, the effort to legalize marijuana. On Tuesday, the first Yes on 19 ad will appear in the Los Angeles market (and apparently is the first TV spot from either side of the issue). It features former San Jose police chief and current research fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution Joseph McNamara.
"Let's be honest: The war against marijuana has failed," says the 15-year former chief of the department. "I know from 35 years in law enforcement. Today, it's easier for a teenager to buy pot than beer. Proposition 19 will tax and control marijuana just like alcohol. It will generate billions of dollars for local communities, allow police to focus on violent crimes, and put drug cartels out of business. Join me and many others in law enforcement. Vote YES on Proposition 19!"
But if polls with wide differences are any indicator, Prop 19 is in trouble. The latest via the LA Times/USC poll shows it losing 51% to 39%. Internal (robo call) polling from the Yes camp, however, says that they're up 56% to 41%. "Cannabis-legalization backers say people are often ashamed to admit their support for Prop. 19 to humans but are happy to press a button for pot when a robot calls," explained the LA Weekly.
What do you think will actually happen?
