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Calif. NAACP backs legal pot measure

LOS ANGELES, June 28 (UPI) -- NAACP leaders in California said Monday they support a state referendum on the November ballot to legalize marijuana.

Alice Huffman, president of the NAACP California chapter, said in a statement the war on drugs has failed and disproportionately affects young ethnic minorities, black males in particular, the Los Angeles Times reported.

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"We are joining a growing number of medical professionals, labor organizations, law enforcement authorities, local municipalities and approximately 56 percent of the public in saying that it is time to decriminalize the use of marijuana," Huffman said.

The statement pointed to data from the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice -- a non-profit, non-partisan organization based in San Francisco that advocates for "a balanced and humane criminal justice system." The center issued a report in October 2009 indicating that 56 percent of those arrested for simple possession in 2008 were African-American or Hispanic and half were under 21 years old.

The move to legalize marijuana in California comes 14 years after the state decided pot could be used for medicinal purposes. The initiative would permit people age 21 or older to possess up to an ounce of pot for personal use.

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Proponents cite the financial and social cost of enforcing a marijuana prohibition and argue that marijuana isn't as dangerous and addictive as alcohol or tobacco. Opponents argue pot causes physical harm and contributes to crime.

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