The battle to legalize marijuana in California is heating up in the final days of the campaign.

Armed with a million-dollar donation from billionaire philanthropist George Soros this week, supporters of Proposition 19 have launched a new TV ad that targets mostly younger viewers of “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report.”

“They’re hoping we don’t vote this year. That’s why they don’t talk about Prop 19 – how it’ll force the government to stop wasting money on outdated pot laws.”

While some in law enforcement support legalizing marijuana, most oppose it. So do the Democratic and Republican parties, and the state’s most popular elected official – U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein. She’s been campaigning against it at events this week.

Prop 19 would let people 21 and older possess up to an ounce of marijuana, and would allow cities and counties to legalize retail pot sales and impose taxes. The latest opinion poll indicates that 51 percent of likely voters oppose Proposition 19, and 39 percent support it.

Proposition 19’s prospects may be shaky, but the ballot measure to legalize marijuana for recreational use got a big boost today from billionaire financier George Soros.

George Soros put a lot of money behind the measure that legalized medical marijuana 14 years ago. Now, he’s back with a $1 million contribution to the campaign to support Prop 19.

He announced his support for the measure in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece. His argument is economic: law enforcement agencies are spending billions to enforce a prohibition that has become unenforceable, Soros wrote. Regulating and taxing marijuana, he continued, would save that money and provide billions more dollars in revenue.

Prop 19’s opponents say that the measure is poorly written, and that its passage would handcuff employers who want drug-free workplaces, lead to more incidents of drugged driving and pit California law against federal law.

Soros’ announced his support near the end of a campaign in which neither side has raised a lot of money.

Source: www.scpr.org