The fact that it was approved by such a large margin enhances the power of our message. Nadelmann said his organization, the Lindesmith Center, plans to build on the California experience to try similar ballot measures in states like Michigan, Ohio and Florida. He said he also plans to highlight the vote in his efforts to persuade lawmakers in New York to change that state's Rockefeller laws, which impose lengthy sentences on low-level drug offenders. Nadelmann, however, acknowledged that there was still much work to do to implement Proposition 36, including licensing new treatment centers and expanding county probation departments. The measure doesn't take effect until July 1, 2001.
Opponents reject the idea of voter dissatisfaction with the drug war.
They argue that they lost because they were outspent by more than 10 to 1. Voters were misled. Brown believes the initiative might harm the state's successful drug courts because it takes away a judge's ability to put a relapsed offender in jail for a couple of days. Proponents predict, however, that drug courts will adjust, possibly by focusing on a different group of offenders than those who qualify under Proposition 36. Prison guards union president Don Novey, whose organization opposed Proposition 36, said the measure may lead to more crime because it applies to those convicted of using hard drugs.