CALIFORNIA VOTERS BALK AT LEGALIZING RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA

Californians may have gone their own way when they became the first in
the nation to legalize medical marijuana in 1996. But 14 years later,
they went the federal government's way when it came to recreational
use.

Proposition 19 would have made it legal for adults aged 21 and older
to have an ounce of marijuana and grow small amounts for personal use.
Fifty-four percent of voters rejected it in Tuesday's election and
some chalked the failure up to Californians' unwillingness to flout
marijuana's designation as an illegal drug by the federal government.

"Before any state considers passing that type of initiative there
needs to be a national conversation and Congress needs to take up the
issue," said Covina police Chief Kim Raney, who was one of the leaders
of the effort against Proposition 19.

The measure at one point seemed destined for passage.

In late September, the measure was leading by 7 percent, according to
one field poll.

Then momentum faded.

Shortly before the election U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder vowed to
fight it if it passed.

Robert Ortiz, manager and director of Whittier Hope Collective, a
medical marijuana cooperative, agreed with Raney.

"I think there is still a fear because of federal law, with Holder's
comments," he said.

Ortiz also thinks the measure failed because of chaos and stigma
created by what he called poor implementation of the medical marijuana
law after its 1996 passage.

"If more cities had fully implemented (medical marijuana) Proposition
215 we'd definitely be prepared to implement Prop. 19, but they're so
far behind," Ortiz said. "When it comes down to it I think people knew
what kind of problems it would cause."

Lack of support from high-profile candidates and politicians like
Kamala Harris, Steve Cooley and Diane Feinstein may have added to
voters' wariness, said Kris Hermes, spokesman for Americans for Safe
Access, an advocacy group for medical marijuana patients.

"The fact they didn't support it and the federal government was
willing to go to court to challenge it probably discouraged a lot of
voters from voting `yes,"' he said.

A representative from the Yes on 19 campaign didn't return phone calls
seeking comment.

Raney agreed that the lack of support for the proposition turned
voters off.

"I think the proponents were trying to put lipstick on it but they
couldn't stop the erosion as every credible organization in the state
of California came out against it," he said.

He also felt the proposition wouldn't in reality do what it promised -
raise revenue by regulating and taxing sales of the drug.

"The way it was written, it had no chance to regulate, control and tax
marijuana, so it was fundamentally flawed from the start," Raney said.