According to The Marijuana Policy Project the California beer and beverage distributors have given a $10,000 contribution to the campaign to fight against Prop. 19.
Steve Fox says, “Unless the beer distributors in California have suddenly developed a philosophical opposition to the use of intoxicating substances, the motivation behind this contribution is clear.” “Plain and simple, the alcohol industry is trying to kill the competion. They know that marijuana is less addictive, less toxic and less likely to be associated with violent behavior than alcohol. So they don’t want adults to have the option of using marijuana legally instead of alcohol. Their mission is to drive people to drink,” he went onto say.
The beer distributors don’t care how many of their consumers die of liver disease or car crashes each year. There business comes from distributing more alcohol so they can’t have people drinking less or they would lose profit. Sometimes you need to give the public what they want just like when they wanted alcohol prohibition to end.
Even though some law enforcement supports the Prop. 19, some still oppose it by arguing, ‘We have enough problems with alcohol, we don’t need to add another intoxication substance to the mix,’ implying that cannabis is just as bad as alcohol,’ Steve Fox said in a statement.
NORML has been seeking for marijuana reform for over a decade was disturbed by this news and has become very interested in the matter. Now cannabis activists are taking their protests further due to being disgusted with the way the alcohol lobby is acting.
Even a retired California Judge and Law Enforcement Against Prohibition spokesman, Jim Gray, has said the companies of the alcohol industry are being smart. What he said was, “It was really wise thing to do from a merchandising standpoint to reaffirm the distinction between a legal and an illegal drug.” He then said, “They are protecting their own economic self interest.”
Proposition 19 has many enemies but overall will prevail from cannabis propaganda. It is a new time and the truth can no longer be put in the dark for major political people with deep pockets. Cannabis is a safer alternative to alcohol and other over the counter drugs and the companies against this law know it.