● With all the hype and publicity surrounding California’s Proposition 19 it was quite stunning to many in the marijuana legalization community as to why legalization efforts failed in the CA Elections of 2010. As proponents of the measure gear up for a new 2012 campaign, now may be a good time to reevaluate what happened this past November. Below are a few reasons as to why such a failure may have occurred.
● Because mid term voters tend to be older (over 60), many of these voters hold the feeling that though marijuana is a mild drug itself is serves as a gateway into more serious hard drugs. On the flip side the under 40 crowd for which Proposition 19 had a clear majority support did not come out in large numbers to vote on election day.
● Not enough money was spent campaigning. CA elections cost money! The estimates on the amounts spent on Proposition 19 by registered organized groups amounted to under $10 million. Which by California standards is quite paltry!
● Even among voters that favor marijuana legalization, many think the whole exercise in pointless on the grounds that the federal government has repeatedly stated they would vigorously enforce federal drug laws in the state thus rendering any passage useless.
● A major sell for Proposition 19 was the windfall of tax revenue that the state would get legalization and regulation. How ever many feel that the state does not have the infrastructure or resources to properly police legal growers and distributors from unlicensed ones. With out such structure in place it would be hard to limit the growth of an underground marijuana economy that functions outside of taxation and law enforcement.
● The publicity campaign for Proposition 19 heavily focused on the potential tax revenue gained for the state and how it could help with the current budget deficit. There are many who felt this point was over sold and created a back lash among voters. A large group of voters found this to be too gimmicky and turned them off to some of the more substantial benefits of the proposition.
● The opposition which consisted of medical associations, law enforcement associations, major pharmaceutical companies, and alcohol interests are long time veterans of public policy. They know how to organize and how to win a campaign. In contrast the burgeoning marijuana industry players are relatively new comers to fund raising and the CA elections process in general.
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