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Billionaire George Soros puts $1M behind Prop 19
A medical marijuana dispensary in Los Angeles.
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Billionaire George Soros puts $1M behind Prop 19
Billionaire George Soros puts $1M behind Prop 19
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.
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