Philanthropist George Soros Donates $ 1-M to Marijuana Legalization
Advocates for the legalization of marijuana received substantial support from philanthropist George Soros on Tuesday, according to a report on the Los Angeles Times.
In addition to endorsing Proposition 19, Soros donated $1 million towards the effort in the final week before election, scheduled for November 2. Dale Sky Jones, a spokeswoman for the Yes on 19 committee, shared: “Better late than never… It will be a nail-biter to the end.”
Soros’ donation came at a time when polls showed that support for the initiative was slipping. The Yes on 19 campaign had just begun to air ads on cable television, and is set to roll out a campaign ad with a former San Jose police chief in Chico, Fresno and Bakersfield. Part of the donation will undoubtedly go towards TV ads and efforts to reach undecided voters.
The donation was made to a campaign committee that was being run by the Drug Policy Alliance, a national advocacy group that also receives financial support from Soros. The new infusion of funds leaves $1.5 million at the disposal of the Yes on 19 campaign.
Over on the other side, the No on 19 campaign is not raising as much dough. As of mid-October, the campaign had raised $47,000; large donations increased funds to $93,000, but this is nowhere near the amount available to legalization advocates. Roger Salazar, a spokesman for No on 19, shared: “We’ve been outspent on this campaign from Day 1, and the more they spend, it seems like the lower they go in the polls.” The No on 19 campaign is currently running radio ads in Redding and Chico, according to the report.
Tags: california marijuana, california marijuana law, california medical marijuana, california recreational marijuana
October 28, 2010 at 4:57 amjon
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Marijuana needs to be legalized. If you have never smoked it before than dont vote against it. It does wonders for people and crime would go down because everyone would chill out. It could also bring us out of debt in a matter of days. 60% of Americans smoke reefer so why wouldnt we just legalize it so that americans can stop worrying about something that is better for you than things that are already legal… cigarets and alcohol.