CELEBRITIES THROW SUPPORT BEHIND MEASURE TO LEGALIZE MARIJUANA

LOS ANGELES - Proposition 19, the California initiative that would
legalize marijuana, got a boost Thursday from several Hollywood
celebrities who announced they were throwing their support behind the
measure. Rock singer Melissa Etheridge joined actors Danny Glover and
Hal Sparks, former Los Angeles Police Department Deputy Chief Steve
Downing, former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson and activist Sarah
Lovering at a news conference at Cafe Was in Hollywood to announce
their support for Proposition 19.

The ballot measure would allow adults 21 and older to grow and possess
marijuana and would authorize cities and counties to approve the
cultivation, sale and taxation of pot.

Etheridge said she was not a regular user of cannabis until she was
diagnosed with breast cancer and had to undergo chemotherapy. She said
she had the choice of using 10 drugs with various side effects or opt
for a "natural solution."

Although she has a medicinal license to use marijuana, the singer said
she would like to see pot become legal because "I don't want to look
like a criminal to my children anymore. I want them to know this is a
choice that you make as a responsible adult."

Glover called the law criminalizing marijuana "Draconian" and said
that Latinos and African-Americans are the most affected by it because
these minorities typically end up in jail when caught with even the
smallest amount of the drug.

Downing and Johnson also described the existing pot law as
discriminatory. Although research shows the majority of people who use
marijuana are white, the largest number arrested in connection with
the drug are "black and brown," Downing said.

He said lifting the prohibition on pot would help quash the black
market for cannabis and impede the enrichment of drug cartels.

Opponents of Proposition 19 said they were unfazed by the stars'
support for the ballot measure.

"I don't think it's a surprise that Hollywood celebrities are
pro-Prop. 19 legislation," said Roger Salazar, a spokesman for Public
Safety First, the main opposition campaign, backed by state law
enforcement groups and the California Chamber of Commerce. "But that's
not what it's about. It's about the specifics and the
initiatives."

One of those specifics, Salazar said, is that "if you legalize a
product and make it available, logically you're going to have an
increase in usage."

Alexandra Datig, an acknowledged former addict of marijuana and other
drugs, now runs the anti-Proposition 19 group Nip It In The Bud 2010.
She stood outside Cafe Was, handing out an open letter to the
entertainment community.

"I ask you to reconsider," the letter reads in part. "Many of you are
role models to our youth, many of our nation's young talents look up
to you, try to emulate you and listen to the advice you give. ... Few
things can damage a youthful and hopeful career, such as drug use,
often starting with marijuana."

The news conference was organized to promote the initiative and draw
attention to BuddhaFest, which aims to raise awareness about
marijuana. The festival, with entertainment on 10 stages, will take
place Saturday and Sunday at the Los Angeles Center Studios in
downtown L.A.