California pot initiative fails

California voters rejected a referendum to legalize marijuana this week, sinking proponents’ hopes of initiating a retreat from criminalization of drug use. Proposition 19, which would have allowed adults over 21 to grow or purchase up to an ounce of marijuana for personal use, lost by 54 percent to 46 percent, failing in every region of the state but the San Francisco Bay Area, and among every demographic group but voters under 25. The measure called for regulation and taxation of marijuana. But major newspapers and most political leaders opposed it, warning that it would lead to more drug use by teenagers and impaired driving on the state’s roads. “Californians recognized that legalizing marijuana will not make our citizens healthier, solve California’s budget crisis, or reduce drug-related violence in Mexico,” said White House drug czar Gil Kerlikowske.

Another 36 states voted on initiatives Tuesday. In Oklahoma, a measure making English the state’s “common and unifying” language and another prohibiting state courts from considering international or Islamic law both passed. In Illinois, where two recent governors were convicted on corruption charges, voters approved an amendment allowing governors to be recalled. For the first time since the 1990s, no state measures proposed banning same-sex marriage.

The promises of California pot proponents—that Prop 19 would stem drug violence and generate tax revenue—were overblown, said Jeffrey A. Miron in CNN.com. Voters viewed legalization advocates as a bunch of “‘stoners’ acting mainly out of self-interest.” Supporters did themselves no favors with this poorly drafted measure, said Dennis Romero in the LA Weekly. Many voters complained that “the language of the initiative was disturbingly vague,” and advocates never explained why this “pipe dream” proposal was worth the gamble.

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The vote nevertheless represented “real and immediate progress,” said Tim Dickinson in RollingStone.com. Because of Prop 19, drug legalization has now entered the political mainstream. Expect to see more such efforts in 2012.