Blacks in California are at odds over Proposition 19, a measure that would tax and legalize marijuana. Religious leaders have banned together to fight legalization of the drug, which many see as a gateway drug to harder drugs like crack cocaine. Alice A. Huffman, president of the California branch of the NAACP, has been a vocal supporter of the measure. She and other African Americans see the legalization of marijuana as a potential victory for civil rights that could help reduce the number of young black men jailed on marijuana-related offenses. Perhaps there is some middleground? For now, for those who support the measure, the protest by religious leaders is surely blowing their high.
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