A national coalition backed in part by former Rep. Patrick Kennedy has raised in excess of $2 million to fight bids in five states to legalize marijuana.
Smart Approaches to Marijuana hopes to defeat ballot measures in California, Nevada, Massachusetts, Maine and Arizona that would further decriminalize the drug, The Los Angeles Times reports.
The group, founded by Kennedy, Atlantic editor David Frum and former Obama Administration drug policy adviser Kevin Sabet, are especially eyeing California’s Proposition 64.
It would allow adults to possess and use up to an ounce of pot for recreational purposes. The state would charge a 15 tax on retail sales.
"If there is one thing we agree on with legalization advocates, it’s that California is important," Sabet told The Times.
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