California’s Prop 19 fails, but the fight to legalize marijuana will go on

By Jeremiah Yates

Published: Thursday, November 4, 2010

Updated: Thursday, November 4, 2010 22:11

Efforts to legalize marijuana for recreational use in California failed Nov. 2, despite support from interest groups around the country.

Proposition 19 would have allowed California residents to possess up to an ounce of marijuana and cultivate their own crops in a garden up to 25 square feet.

With 54 percent of the voters denying the legislation, it is clear that people just aren’t ready for such a change in the way they view marijuana. But why?

A report of a death caused only by marijuana cannot be found in the U. S. Still, the general view of marijuana is that it is harmful and prohibition should continue.

In an article on CNN.com, Harvard economist Jeffrey A. Miron believes that Prop 19 should have passed, but the organizers emphasized too much on the change it would bring to America.

“Many voters sensed that Prop 19 supporters were overreaching, and this made them suspicious of all the arguments in its favor. Common sense should have recognized that since marijuana was close to legal already, Prop 19 would not have had dramatic effects.”

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