The campaign behind California’s Proposition 64 to legalize cannabis for everyone 21 and older announced that they’ve received the official endorsement of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
According to the Yes on Prop 64 campaign, this means that “every large-circulation daily newspaper in Southern California has now endorsed Proposition 64.”
The endorsement from the Union-Tribune is an important one, as the paper opposed Proposition 19 to legalize cannabis in 2010. The Union-Tribune joins the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Daily News, Orange County Register and Riverside Press Enterprise as outlets that opposed Prop 19 in 2010. All publications support Proposition 64 in this year’s election.
Related: Which States are Voting on Marijuana Reform in November 2016?
In their endorsement of Prop 64, the Union-Tribune went directly after one of the primary attacks used by opponents of the measure: that it decrease road safety.
“The recent increases in those states of the number of people in fatal accidents found to have THC in their systems may reflect a greater emphasis on drug testing instead of a spike in stoned motorists,” the paper states.
“Marijuana use has barely increased among Washington teenagers and somewhat increased among Colorado teens, reflecting a trend in the Rocky Mountain State that predated adult legalization.”
California Newspapers Endorsing Prop 64:
- Los Angeles Times
- San Francisco Chronicle
- San Jose Mercury News
- East Bay Times (FKA Contra Costa Times and the Oakland Tribune)
- Modesto Bee
- Los Angeles Daily News
- Santa Cruz Sentinel
- Orange County Register
- Riverside Press-Enterprise
- Daily Breeze
- Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
- Long Beach Press Telegram
- Pasadena Star News
- Redlands Daily Facts
- San Bernardino Sun
- San Gabriel Valley Tribune
- Whittier Daily News
Organizations Endorsing Prop 64:
- California League of Conservation Voters
- California Council of Land Trusts
- California State NAACP
- California Democratic Party
- Courage Campaign
- Equality California
- Law Enforcement Against Prohibition
- National Latino Officers Association
- William C. Velasquez Institute
- United Food and Commercial Workers Western States Council
Current and Former Elected Officials Supporting the Measure:
- Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom
- Sacramento Mayor-elect Darrell Steinberg
- Democratic U.S. Reps. Ted Lieu and Jared Huffman
- Republican U.S. Reps Dana Rohrabacher
- Tom McClintock
- State Senator Mark Leno
- Assembly Speaker Emeritus Toni G. Atkins
- Former Republican Congressman and Finance Director for the State of California Tom Campbell
- Assembly members Rob Bonta, David Chiu, Susan Eggman, Cristina Garcia, Reggie Jones-Sawyer, Kevin McCarty and Bill Quirk
If Prop 64 is passed into law next month, those 21 and older will be legally authorized to possess up to an ounce of cannabis, grow up to six plants and purchase cannabis and cannabis products from licensed retail outlets.
