California’s Prop 19: the politics and practicality of Marijuana prohibition

In under a week, the nation will vote in gubernatorial, Senate and Congressional elections that seem very likely to shift the national balance of power. But in many states, those same voters will be deciding on ballot initiatives that will have more dramatic and immediate consequences.

In California, voters are going to decide on Proposition 19, a ballot initiative that would legalize the use of marijuana for non-medicinal purposes. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder says that even if California were to legalize pot, the Department of Justice will prosecute Californian users and growers under federal drug laws.

For more on the politics and the practicality of Prop 19 we speak with Bruce Cain, political science professor at U.C. Berkeley and Time.com health reporter Maia Szalavitz, author of “Born for Love: Why Empathy is Essential … and Endangered.”