Prop 19 crashes

Opponents of Prop 19 hailed the Attorney General's statement as the impetus they need to defeat the measure.  Proponents had been promoting the aspect of the proposal that would allow local government bodies, cities and counties, to tax the sale of marijuana and, thus, expect huge revenues.

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But fear of intervention from Washington and being in violation of federal drug laws dampened the expectations of local governments.

Every lawmaker and every candidate for office in California opposed prop 19, as did most of the state's newspapers.

"Prop 19 cannot guarantee "billions" in revenue to the state. It would make the job of law enforcement more difficult, not less.  And recent studies show the initiative would have little impact on drug cartels. No matter where Californians stand on pot legalization, this is not the initiative they were looking for," said Roger Salazar, spokesman for a group opposing Prop 19

Roger Salazar, a spokesman for a group that opposed the measure.

 "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," said Richard Lee, one of the organizers of Yes On 19. "Because of this campaign, millions now understand it's time to develop an exit strategy for the failed war on marijuana. Across the state our opponents, including many newspaper editorial boards that failed to properly understand Prop. 19, repeatedly stated that their quibbles were not with legalization in general. When we come back with a new initiative in 2012, there will be a seat at the table for all of these new stakeholders. And we will be coming back, stronger than ever. "

Supporters included the California branch of the NAACP; the state chapters of the American Civil Liberties Union; the California Young Democrats; the Republican Liberty Caucus; the California Council of Churches; and several big labor unions.