California's Proposition 19, which would legalize the sale and use of marijuana will gain the support of the Service Employees International Union. The union, which has over 700,000 members in California will announce its decision in the next few days, but officials say that the executive board has decided to support the measure. Support from the SEIU is seen as legitimizing the issue, and making it easier for other groups to support the proposition, as well as giving supporters access to SEIU resources. Many see Proposition 19 as a source of tax revenue for California, and a blow to Mexican drug cartels.
See "Marijuana Ballot Measure in California Wins Support of Union, Officials Say", Adam Nagourney, The New York Times, September 13, 2010