Founder of Gmail Down With Pot Smoking

November 1st, 2010

The founder of Gmail (Google’s email platform), Paul Butcheit has put his money where his mouth is, behind the legalization of marijuana. He donated $100,000 to help convince other people to vote “Yes on Prop 19” campaign.The vote on Prop 19 takes place on this Tuesday in California.

If it gets passed, people over the age of 21 would be able to legally smoke marijuana. The drug, however, could not be sold to those under the age of 18. It would also be illegal to smoke in public areas or around those under the legal smoking age.

Butcheit isn’t the only web geek to support Prop 19. Dustin Moskovitz, who helped found Facebook, has donated $70,000. Sean Parker (Napster) and Peter Theil (Paypal) also gave money for the cause.

This is what Butcheit personally had to say about the fight for the legalization of Prop 19. “The essential issue is that prohibition not only strips us of our personal liberty, but it also funnels billions of dollars to violent criminal organizations.

“Prop19 obviously won’t solve all our problems, but I believe that it could be the turning point that leads us towards a more safe and sane drug policy. On this issue, the politicians will follow where the voters lead. Prop 19 is popular in many areas, but the support in Silicon Valley is more visible because people here tend to have a greater degree of independence, and are therefore more likely to publicly express their support for what has historically been a controversial issue.”