LOS ANGELES, CA – A group of mothers announced their support today for Proposition 19, the California initiative to control and tax marijuana, because they feel ending marijuana prohibition will make communities safer for their children. (A separate telephone press conference will be held later this afternoon at 12:30 PM PDT for journalists who couldn’t attend the in-person event.)
“We’re tired of a system that makes it easier for our kids to obtain illegal marijuana than legal and age-regulated alcohol, while wasting scarce law enforcement resources,” said Hanna Dershowitz, a mother of two and a lawyer. “As a mother, I want to see cannabis controlled and regulated so that we have transparency and accountability from anyone who is selling it. Prohibition does not protect our kids.”
At the press conference, the mothers released a letter endorsing Proposition 19 signed by hundreds of other moms. The letter details the mothers’ beliefs that Prop. 19 will ensure a safer community for children and families, provide badly-needed resources to struggling schools and make it harder for young people to obtain marijuana. The full text can be found online at:
Julia Negron, a mother of three and a grandmother of seven, vehemently supports Proposition 19 because she is concerned with the safety of her family and neighborhood. “Marijuana prohibition creates an underground market that only benefits violent gangs and criminals,” said Negron, also a substance abuse counselor. “I want to see these thugs put out of business so that I don’t have to worry as much when my son wants to go outside to play.”
Gretchen Burns-Bergman, a mother of two and executive director of A New PATH (Parents for Addiction Treatment & Healing), sees passing Proposition 19 as an ethical obligation. “A mom’s job is to protect her child, and if I am not doing everything I can to accomplish that end, I am doing something wrong. Proposition 19 puts marijuana control into the responsible hands of local governments and regulators who care much more about my child than violent criminals whose incentives are far from moral – and that’s why I’m voting yes on 19.”
Today the Yes On 19 campaign also released a 30-second video that demonstrates how prohibition gives teens easier access to illegal marijuana than legal and age-regulated alcohol. The video can be viewed online at
Journalists interested in joining the 12:30 PM PDT telephone press conference call should contact Amber Langston at amber@YesOn19.com or (573) 239-8149 to obtain the dial-in info.
For more information please visit .
CONTACT: Amber Langston – (573) 239-8149 or Amber@YesOn19.com or
Tom Angell – (202) 557-4979 or Tom@YesOn19.com
Source: www.yeson19.com
