California Nurses Association/National Nurses United Endorses Proposition 64 to Legalize Cannabis
The California Nurses Association/National Nurses United, the nation’s largest state organization of nurses, announced today that it has endorsed Proposition 64, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, which would legalize cannabis for everyone 21 and older. The initiative is up for a vote on November 8th.
“California Nurses believe strongly that the prohibition and criminalization of marijuana has ruined generations of lives, wasted hundreds of millions of taxpayer of dollars and failed to protect the public health and safety,” said Deborah Burger, President, California Nurses Association/NNU.
“California needs a new approach and Proposition 64 is carefully crafted to strictly regulate adult-use marijuana while funding critical youth programs and safeguarding children, workers and local communities,” Burger said. “On balance, Proposition 64 is significantly better for public health and safety than the broken status quo, and we are pleased to endorse it.”
California Nurses Association joins the California Medical Association and the California Academy of Preventative Medicine in support of Proposition 64.
Other endorsers include: California League of Conservation Voters, California Council of Land Trusts, California State NAACP, California Democratic Party, Courage Campaign, Equality California, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, National Latino Officers Association, William C. Velasquez Institute and United Food and Commercial Workers Western States Council.
Current and former elected officials in support include Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, Sacramento Mayor-elect Darrell Steinberg, Democratic U.S. Reps. Ted Lieu and Jared Huffman, Republican U.S. Rep Dana Rohrabacher, State Senator Mark Leno, Assembly Speaker Emeritus Toni G. Atkins, Assemblymembers Rob Bonta, David Chiu, Susan Talamantes Eggman, Cristina Garcia, Reggie Jones-Sawyer, Kevin McCarty and Bill Quirk and Tom Campbell, the former Republican Congressman and Finance Director for the State of California.
Proposition 64 has also been endorsed by the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News and the East Bay Times.