Yes on Prop 19 - Tax & Control Cannabis

Saying that prohibition takes a heavy toll on minorities, leaders of the NAACP's California chapter announced Monday that they are backing passage of a marijuana legalization initiative on the November ballot.

The war on drugs is a failure and disproportionately targets young men and women of color, particularly African-American males, said Alice Huffman, president of the NAACP's state conference.

Richard Lee sank $1.4 million of his Oaksterdam business empire's money into putting a marijuana legalization measure on November's ballot, but it wasn't until this week that he rolled out his secret weapon: his 80-year-old, conservative Republican mom from Texas.

Ann Lee arrived in the Bay Area early this week and will remain until Tuesday. At midweek, she was fielding media calls between a video shoot at the Tax Cannabis 2010 campaign headquarters in Oakland and an event at a drug and alcohol recovery center in Concord.

Proponents of the November measure to legalize marijuana in California are ramping up their efforts on the Internet, where the key demographic of younger voters herds in hordes -- and so far the scoreboard seems to be pro-pot, one, anti-pot, fizzle.

The "Tax Cannabis in 2010" Facebook page as of Thursday afternoon had 101,386 fans (i.e., people who "like" the page). The "Public Safety First -- Against the Legalization of Marijuana in CA" Facebook page had six fans.