Multibillionaire investor George Soros backs Proposition 19 [Updated]

George Soros, the multibillionaire investor who helped bankroll three initiatives to change drug laws in California, endorsed the marijuana legalization initiative Monday and plans to make a major financial contribution to the campaign.

Soros, who invested $3 million in the medical marijuana initiative and two other measures, made his announcement in an opinion piece published online by the Wall Street Journal. "Proposition 19 already is a winner no matter what happens on election day. 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," Soros wrote.  The article is scheduled to appear in Tuesday’s print edition.

Soros, who runs a hedge fund and founded the Open Society Foundations, has not yet donated to the campaign. But Michael Vachon, an advisor to Soros, said that "he plans to make a significant contribution."

       Related: L.A. Sheriff will enforce pot laws even if Prop. 19 passes.

The initiative was the brainchild of Richard Lee, an Oakland medical marijuana entrepreneur who has spent at least $1.5 million to draft the measure, collect signatures to qualify it for the ballot and pay for a campaign. The wealthy donors who have helped to pay for past efforts to change California’s drug laws had largely stayed out of the campaign until the last few weeks.

Peter B. Lewis, a retired insurance company executive, recently donated $209,005 to the campaign, and George Zimmer, the founder and CEO of Men’s Wearhouse, recently gave $50,000. Both businessmen
supported past initiatives to change the state’s drug laws.

In his opinion piece, Soros said that the nation’s marijuana laws "are clearly doing more harm than good" at a cost of billions of dollars a year "to enforce this unenforceable prohibition."

Soros wrote that regulating and taxing marijuana would reduce the crime and violence linked to criminal drug gangs and violations of civil liberties "that occur when large numbers of otherwise law-abiding citizens are subject to arrest." He also noted that minorities are arrested at higher rates for marijuana crimes, creating arrest records that may follow them through life.

Although he endorsed Proposition 19, noting that it would allow recreational use and small-scale cultivation, Soros also suggested "its deficiencies can be corrected on the basis of experience." Besides allowing adults 21 and older to grow and possess marijuana, the initiative would allow cities and counties to authorize commercial cultivation, sales and taxation.

"Just as the process of repealing national alcohol prohibition began with individual states repealing their own prohibition laws, so individual states must now take the initiative with respect to repealing marijuana prohibition laws," Soros wrote.

[Updated: He donate $1 million to help pass Proposition 19, the marijuana legalization measure, which he endorsed Monday as "a major step forward."

The donation makes Soros, who is the chairman of a hedge fund and who founded the Open Society Foundations, the largest donor to the campaign after Richard Lee, an Oakland medical marijuana entrepreneur, who has spent at least $1.5 million on the measure.]

-- John Hoeffel

Photo: AP

Comments

[Mark]

Soro's isn't a libertarian so why does he want this? I suspect he feels a drugged out populous will be easier to contain...

Don't get me wrong, I have strong libertarian leanings on this topic but Soro's is evil in my book.

[Chris]

These Marijuana laws are easy money for the courts and the cops, and the problems seem to continue with Police Agencies continuing to disregard the truth that Pot is not in the same category as Meth, Cocaine, Crack, and all the other legal drugs like pills that proliferate on the streets and cause real problems. It's really too bad the drugs laws as they are were started, specifically towards Marijuana, were supported entirely by racist politicians who capitalized on the efforts by Southerners to prevent Negroes from groping their women while high on the reefer, and so the effort to make pot illegal gained strength. If you want to compare the toxicity, and negative effects of Cannabis compared to Tobacco, those other drugs I mentioned, you will quickly see it's not as the police make it to be. Reverse this racist prohibition and get to work on the real criminals.

[mtler]

I dont understand why so many people are against this. If you are against the legalization of marijuana, does this mean you are for the prohibition of alcohol? Alcoholism is far worse than anything marijuana can do to a person. There is no amount of marijuana that can cause you to die, as opposed to alcohol which can cause alcohol poisoning, car accidents etc.. In fact you will be hard pressed to find any deaths caused due to marijuana.
Some laws are ridiculous aswell, a man got convicted to 25 years in jail because he had 1 gram of marijuana on him which is simply unbelievable considering some people get away with rape, grand theft and murder with lighter sentences.
If people worry about kids using, then let them make it a felony to sell to minors and maybe let parents actually do some parenting which unfortunately rarely happens in this country.

There is an unbelievable amount of over the counter drugs which are 10 times as potent than marijuana will ever be yet they arent classified as illegal. Parents should stop complaining about these types of laws because they think it may harm their children, if you raised your kids and actually did some parenting then your children will have no problems.
Also, marijuana is not addictive, you can stop on a dime and there is no withdrawal, I know I used to stop in college when I had exams, would stop when I travelled, unlike cigarettes where the nicotine just gets you hooked and you need more. Tobacco is amongst the leading causes of death worldwide, yet its totally fine for you prohibitionists...
I never understand conservatives, they always fight against progression. Conservatives were against the abolition of slavery, they were against the legalisation of alcohol, they were against the civil rights movements, they were against womens movements. Always the sane people have to force you to accept things and you act like children who struggle and fight all the way until you realise you may have been overreacting a little after its done. Stop being so closed minded and ignorant.

[TNevin]

Soros and the rest of the socialist are driven to "dumb-down" our country. They know a druged population will get them there.

[Carl of Norfolk, VA]

If they legalize marijuana, I'm flying into LAX and walk up the City Hall and smoke that joint!!!!

[Phillip Bias]

I cant beleive it, it has finally happened. i just dont know how to take this....
I finally agree with something soros has said
WOW i didnt see it comeing
WOW

[Non-Smoker]

Who cares who's putting the money into the issue. The facts still remain the same.

You cannot find a single death in any of recorded history attributed to Marijuana. Do your own research, heck even go to the department of justice's website, they list the number of deaths caused each year by various drugs/items. You'll notice that ASPIRIN causes more deaths a year then Marijuana. Marijuana has a big fat 0 next to it.

People keep saying "everyone will turn into a stoner"

When we ended alcohol prohibition did the entire country turn into alcoholics? Answer that question and you have your answer to this current prohibition.

[just4fun098]

He wants to distroy this country. He has been underminding our politics, the dollar and now our society.

Americans should be against anything he is for!

[tres passin]

@BOB

Sad, too when the US Chamber of Commerce won't reveal where its campaign $$$$$$$$ is coming from. Talk about a hidden agenda. For all we know, our elections are being bought and paid for by Saudi Arabia. At least Soros takes responsibility for his contribution. YES on 19.

[Steve]

George Soros obviously has never read (or accepted) the Bible verse that states it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

[Kathleen]

Soros and the rest of the Progressives/Marxists/Communists continue to insult the intelligence of anyone with an IQ over 10. These power mongers introduced mind-altering prescription drugs, which have increased 50-fold, resulting in billions of dollars for Big Pharma, psychiatrists, psychologists, and county/state/federal funded mental health facilities that treat their end result; i.e., drugged American robots.
In the quest to control yet more minds they leave our southern border wide open, welcoming in the drug cartels that distribute illegal drugs to those Americans not already captive to Rx drugs.
Now that billions of Soros' dollars and millions of mind-altered Americans still have not resulted in supreme power for this man, he now promotes the legalization of marijuana in an attempt to further numb the minds of those who currently recognize, and would oppose, the evil agenda of this despicable man. Soros certainly does prove, "Only to good die young."

[tres passin]

Republicans SUPPORT PROHIBITION.

Simply put, that's the issue. Anti-19ers are AGAINST PERSONAL FREEDOM.

They want their alcohol and they want their guns but they don't want you to have your MJ.

They know WHAT'S BEST FOR YOU. What else will they decide is best for you if they get back in power?

[Tony]

I do not like Mr Soros. However, I agree with the point that this idiotic war on cannabis is costing the tax payers too much money. People have smoked pot for 1000's of years. The law of averages says that people will indeed continue to do so, no matter how society demonizes it.
Its a matter of simple freedom. Those who vote for the bill are voting for our essential right to choose which plants we consume. Those who vote against it vote to uphold fascist policies which have already been proven to fail.

I don't think it will pass this time. However, its only a matter of time until it is made legal. If the cops continue to lock people up as per the current law, they may as well put a barbed wire fence around half of California. It's simply not pragmatic or logistical. Pandora has already opened the box.

[Mab Rockwell]

Of course the pot heads would just love old Soros. Frankly I wish he would go back to Hungry. What a shame he became a citizen of our country. All he cares about is bringing the USA down to his level.

[walter12]

George Soros is a crook, a very rich man, and a communist. Yes, it is all a contradiction, yet it is true. He his a slime ball and if he was a citizen of the US, he would be designated as a traitor. In the old days, this guy would have been put aganist the wall and shot for treason, and aiding and abetting the enemy, any and all enemies.

[PDirt]

If George Soros backs it then we should be suspicious of what it really will do to our society.

[Steve Spear]

Let the masses have easy access to a substance that will keep them submissive. Hmmmmmmm?

[Jason]

Where is Soros now?

[bareyb]

This could be really good news for Prop 19! Thank you George!

[Loth]

I was wondering if he would come through with a donation. Good news for the Yes on 19 people. If he comes with big money Yes on 19 can keep running the TV ad and they can run it in more markets. Possibly even in prime time!

YES on 19!!!! Stop the lies and let freedom ring once again.

[CB]

Yeah - lets legalize weed - we'll keep the country half-baked because only a stoner would vote Democrat!!!!

[bareyb]

Prohibition has caused far more harm than Marijuana ever has, or ever could. It is a relatively mild drug, with no capacity for physical addiction, and has never caused a single overdose, or death, ever.

The fear mongering about what may happen if Cannabis is legalized, is as old as slavery. There are millions of users in California now. Where is all the mayhem on the streets? The fact of the matter is, that Marijuana is not causing great social harm now, and it won't after Prop 19 passes.

In countries where Cannabis has more liberal laws such as in Holland and Portugal, the rate of use for ALL drugs went down significantly, and kids under the age of 18 use pot at less than half the rate of kids here. I guess it's just not as cool if "mom and dad do it"... In fact, making Alcohol a "forbidden fruit" back in the 30's also led to an epidemic of underage drinking that had not existed prior to Prohibition. What is that definition of insanity again?

Vote YES on Prop 19 on Tuesday November 2nd. Not only for us here in California but for all the victims of draconian Pot laws across the country that are hanging their hopes on us. We can change history by overturning 70 years of failed Prohibition and use those dollars to help society and even provide drug counseling for those that need it. Our police can focus on violent criminals and we can begin shutting prisons down, instead of building new ones.

[Terry Moore]

Dumming down of America is all this is....period. If you need any drug to get through the day....you are a problem already.

[bareyb]

Regardless of how one may feel about Soros, the bottom line here is that Cannabis Prohibition is an invasion of personal liberties and has to be abolished. America was founded on freedom and the war on drugs has slowly eroded the protections our forefathers put in place to protect us.

I am a 52 year old Father of two. I am supporting Prop 19.

[grumpy]

We're talking about convicted inside trader, George Soros, right? The guy whose conviction has been upheld by the highest court in France and who pumps his ill-gotten gains into left wing causes that affect our economy, right?

Well, maybe he's got something. If every Californian is not already high, getting high may help them cope as their state continues its spiral down the toilet.

Native (former) Californian