Less than a week after officially qualifying for the November ballot, backers of an initiative that would legalize the adult possession of small amounts of marijiuana and set up a tax and regulatory scheme to govern its sales today launched a radio ad in the Los Angeles area.

In an apparent attempt to blunt expected opposition from those in the law enforcement community, the first ad features a former L.A. County sheriff's deputy whose duties once included working in classrooms to educate students about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse. In the ad, Jeffrey Stoddard says he's "seen firsthand that the current approach on cannabis is simply not working."