Defeat of Calif. Legalization Initiative Highlights Poor Results for Marijuana Advocates

The much-watched California ballot initiative that would have legalized recreational use of marijuana and allowed local governments to regulate sales of the drug went down to defeat on Election Day, punctuating a day that also saw rejection of marijuana-related ballot items in a handful of other states.

The New York Times reported Nov. 3 that disappointed backers of Proposition 19 vowed to continue their effort to see marijuana treated by law like alcohol and tobacco rather than heroin and cocaine. Voters appeared to reject the argument that legalization would reduce drug-related crime, and instead reflected the concern that making marijuana more widely available would increase use and associated social problems.

Even some marijuana smokers said they were opposed to the measure because they did not want to see regulatory involvement in their drug of choice. “I don't want Anheuser-Busch handling pot or to have to buy Marlboro marijuana,” said 29-year-old Shaun Ramos. “This is all about corporate control.”

In other election results, South Dakota voters rejected an effort for that state to join more than a dozen others that allow use of marijuana for authorized medical purposes. A medical marijuana initiative in Arizona also appeared headed for defeat.

In Oregon, a state that already allows medical marijuana use, voters turned down a ballot measure that would have established state-regulated medical marijuana dispensaries.

The Calif. Prop. 19 vote represents a continuation of a trend not to support marijuana legalization initiatives at the state level. California voters rejected a legalization measure in 1972, and similar measures have failed more recently in Alaska, Colorado, Nevada and South Dakota.