The art of Kevin Blythe Sampson

THE ART OF
KEVIN BLYTHE SAMPSON

7/7/10

Legalizing marijuana is civil rights issue, California NAACP says - CNN.com

Legalizing marijuana is civil rights issue, California NAACP says

By Liane Membis, CNN
July 7, 2010 3:20 p.m. EDT
The California NAACP is endorsing the legalization of marijuana  through Proposition 19.
The California NAACP is endorsing the legalization of marijuana through Proposition 19.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • California NAACP supports state legislation for legalizing marijuana
  • Drug Policy Alliance: African-Americans arrested more for marijuana in California
  • Opponents say NAACP should not support drug use in African-American community
RELATED TOPICS
  • NAACP
  • Marijuana

(CNN) -- Legalizing marijuana is a civil rights issue, according to one of California's most prominent African-American advocacy groups.

The California State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, led by President Alice Huffman, recently announced its "unconditional endorsement" for Proposition 19, a legislative initiative on the November ballot that would legalize the recreational use of marijuana in California.

Huffman said African-Americans are disproportionately affected by the criminalization of marijuana which makes passing the law a civil rights issue.

"We have empirical proof that the application of the marijuana laws has been unfairly applied to our young people of color," Huffman said in an official statement.

Legalizing marijuana is civil rights issue, California NAACP says - CNN.com

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