Pubdate: Wed, 3 Nov 2010
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)
Page: A - 16
Copyright: 2010 Hearst Communications Inc.
Contact: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/submissions/#1
Website: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/388
Author: Kevin Fagan, Chronicle Staff Writer
Cited: Proposition 19 http://yeson19.com/
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/Proposition+19
Bookmark: http://mapinc.org/find?272 (Proposition 19)

'RESOUNDING' DEFEAT FOR PROPOSITION 19

SAN FRANCISCO -- California voters on Tuesday soundly defeated 
Proposition 19, the nation's most sweeping proposal ever to legalize 
marijuana sales and use.

The measure would have legalized possession of as much as an ounce of 
marijuana for personal, recreational use by anybody 21 or older, and 
would have allowed people to grow cannabis in a 5-by-5-foot space.

It also would have permitted local governments to regulate and tax 
commercial sale and production, which proponents said would have 
injected billions of dollars into shrunken government coffers.

"This is a resounding victory," said Tim Rosales, manager of the No 
on 19 campaign. "Men, women, Democrats, Republicans - all types of 
voters voted against this measure. I think that's a huge statement, 
not only for California but the rest of the country."

Marijuana advocates took heart that the issue had been taken seriously.

"The fact that millions of Californians voted to legalize marijuana 
is a tremendous victory," said Richard Lee, founder of the Oaksterdam 
cannabis university in Oakland and the author of Prop. 19. "We have 
broken the glass ceiling. Prop. 19 has changed the terms of the 
debate. And that was a major strategic goal.

"Over the course of the last year, it has become clear that the 
legalization of marijuana is no longer a question of if, but a 
question of when."

Straight-Ahead Fight

The two sides' messages boiled down simply during the campaign. 
Pro-19 forces pinned their hopes on convincing Californians that 
taxing pot would help shore up budgets, and on young people - who 
polled in favor of pot in general - coming out to vote in big numbers.

Opponents of the measure argued that Prop. 19's provision that local 
governments set their own regulations and taxes would set up a 
confusing snarl of rules that varied city to city, county to county - 
and would still be illegal under federal law.

That message was reinforced last month when U.S. Attorney General 
Eric Holder said he would "vigorously enforce" federal anti-pot laws 
when it came to recreational use, no matter what Californians decided.

Opponents also maintained that expanding marijuana use would lead to 
more people working and driving while stoned.

Both major party candidates for governor, Mothers Against Drunk 
Driving and numerous police groups, including the California Police 
Chiefs Association, weighed in against Prop. 19.

Those endorsing the measure included the California branch of the 
NAACP, several labor unions, the National Latino Officers Association 
and a sizable number of retired police officials.

Growers split

There was a split of opinion among those who already grow marijuana 
and make it the biggest cash crop in California.

Some growers were afraid that legalizing recreational use would drop 
the price of pot so far that they could go bankrupt. Others thought 
that wider weed use could lead to bigger profits as pot-heavy parts 
of the state - particularly the "Emerald Triangle" of Mendocino, 
Humboldt and Trinity counties - offered boutique weed-using 
experiences along the lines of Napa Valley and its wine industry.

The situation was muddied further when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger 
signed a law Sept. 30 that dropped the penalty for possession of an 
ounce of pot from a misdemeanor to an infraction punishable by a $100 fine.

Roger Salazar, spokesman for Public Safety First, the principal 
organization opposing the measure, said the infraction law, Holder's 
pronouncement and the overwhelming opposition to Prop. 19 by 
newspaper editorial boards up and down the state had swung the 
election to his side.

"All of those things put together made voters take pause and say, 
'Hey, maybe we ought to re-read this thing and see what it actually 
does - and more importantly, what it doesn't do, " Salazar said.

"The risks of legalizing a drug for the first time was too scary for people."

Also on Bay Area ballots were six local measures proposing taxes or 
controls on medical marijuana. All were passing handily.

Among them were Berkeley's Measure S, which will impose a 2.5 percent 
tax on medical pot. Measure T amends Berkeley's medicinal pot 
ordinance to restrict dispensaries to commercial areas, and limit 
cultivation, baking and product development of weed to six locations.

Other cities whose voters opted to impose new marijuana taxes were 
Oakland, San Jose, Albany and Richmond.
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake