MARIJUANA BALLOT MEASURE IN CALIFORNIA WINS SUPPORT OF UNION, OFFICIALS SAY

LOS ANGELES -- A ballot measure to make California the first state to
legalize the sale and use of marijuana has won the support of one of
the state's most powerful union, officials said Monday, offering the
proposition a shot of mainstream legitimacy as well as a potential
financial and organizational lift.

The decision by the executive board of the Service Employees
International Union of California will be announced in the next few
days, according to officials who have been briefed about it but were
not allowed to speak publicly before it was announced.

The measure has faced strong opposition from law enforcement groups,
including Sheriff Lee Baca of Los Angeles County, who said he would
lead a campaign against it as a threat to public safety.

But the proposal also won support on Monday from some former law
enforcement officials, including police officers, judges and prosecutors.

The measure, known as Proposition, 19 would legalize, regulate and
tax the sale of marijuana. It has been promoted as a way to raise
money for the financially beleaguered state, while dealing a setback
to Mexican drug cartels.

The measure is quickly emerging as one of the top -- and most
contentious -- ballot issues in the nation this November. Polls show
that it has the support of a slight majority of voters. But political
analysts said that this kind of measure, given the social stigma that
comes with illicit drug use, could prove difficult to poll.

At the very least, the support by the S.E.I.U., which claims over
700,000 members in the state, could make it easier for other groups
to rally around the measure. More practically, it means access to the
union's considerable campaign apparatus, which could finance
mailings, telephone calls and leaflets.