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Former Multnomah County prosecutor Mark McDonnell, left, talks with Bill Taylor, the staff counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee, after testifying on marijuana legalization.

(Jeff Mapes/The Oregonian)

SALEM -- Mark McDonnell and Norm Frink, two retired Multnomah County prosecutors known for their tough approach to crime, on Tuesday backed legislation that would ask Oregon voters to

.

McDonnell, who testified on behalf of himself and Frink at a state Senate hearing on

, said the two former deputy district attorneys recognize that voters are clearly moving toward legalizing marijuana.

Given that, McDonnell said, it's better for the Legislature to craft a legalization bill that would allow lawmakers to carefully regulate the production and sale of marijuana in the state instead of leaving it to a ballot initiative crafted by pro-marijuana activists.

"It's clear to us that essentially the legalization debate is over," said McDonnell, who ran the district attorney's drug unit for 15 years before retiring 18 months ago. "The only question is in what form."

Frink, the former chief deputy district attorney, had helped draft 1994's Ballot Measure 11, which increased penalties for several violent crimes.

-- Jeff Mapes