PROP. 19 BATTLE SHIFTS TO TV, RADIO

Both Sides of the Marijuana Campaign Get New Infusions of Cash for
the Final Week Before the Election.

The battle over Proposition 19 has shifted to television sets and
radios for the final week of the campaign, as both sides benefit from
recent support from major financial backers.

On Monday, George Soros, a multibillionaire investor who spent $3
million on earlier initiatives to change California's drug laws,
endorsed the measure. "He plans to make a significant contribution,"
said Michael Vachon, an advisor to the philanthropist and hedge-fund chairman.

The campaign to legalize marijuana in California plans to launch
cable television commercials Tuesday in the Los Angeles area. The ads
feature Joseph D. McNamara, a retired San Jose police chief, saying
his 35 years in law enforcement convinced him that the war on
marijuana has failed.

The California Chamber of Commerce started to run radio ads last week
in Los Angeles and San Diego saying the measure "would hurt
California's economy, raise business costs and make it harder to
create jobs." And the No on 19 campaign began running radio ads
Saturday in Northern California.

Proposition 19 would allow adults 21 and older to grow and possess
marijuana, and it would allow cities and counties to approve
cultivation, sales and taxation.

In an essay posted online by the Wall Street Journal, Soros argues
that marijuana should be regulated and taxed. "Proposition 19 already
is a winner no matter what happens on election day," he writes. "The
mere fact of its being on the ballot has elevated and legitimized
public discourse about marijuana and marijuana policy in ways I could
not have imagined a year ago."

Dan Newman, a spokesman, said the Yes on 19 campaign has paid
$170,000 to run the McNamara ad through election day but hopes to
raise more money. "We've got lots of contributions pouring in to keep
it on the air and put it on other markets," he said.

In the 30-second spot, McNamara says, "Proposition 19 will tax and
control marijuana just like alcohol. It will generate billions of
dollars for local communities, allow police to focus on violent
crimes and put drug cartels out of business."

The chamber maintains that the initiative would prevent employers
from taking action against workers who show up high and has spent
$250,000 on radio ads in Southern California. In the ad, a female
narrator says, "Imagine coming out of surgery, and the nurse caring
for you was high."

The No on 19 campaign has spent $10,000 to run a similar ad in
Redding and Chico. "Prop. 19 would allow big-rig drivers and even
school bus drivers to smoke marijuana right up until the moment they
climb behind the wheel," says Assemblyman Jim Nielsen (R-Gerber).

Roger Salazar, a spokesman, said the No on 19 campaign has received
extensive media coverage in most of the state, but not up north.
"This helps us get our message across up there," he said.