On Tuesday, voters in California rejected a proposal to legalize marijuana for people over the age of 21. Proposition 19 lost 54% to 46%, with 11 of the state’s 58 counties voting in favor and 47 voting against. What may appear surprising to many people is that three of the counties where a majority of voters opposed legalization were Humboldt County, Mendocino County and Trinity County, an area, known as the “Emerald Triangle,” that is most dependent on marijuana as a crop. Yes, it’s true…many marijuana growers voted against legalization.

 

Ted Kogon, a longtime Humboldt advocate of legalizing marijuana, opposed Proposition 19 because “it did not include a provision to release all people who have been jailed for non-violent marijuana-related offenses.”

 

Others argued that when marijuana is legalized, large corporations will move in and squeeze out small growers, as has happened with more traditional agricultural crops. And some simply see it as a threat to their economic livelihood: illegal substances bring a larger profit margin than legal ones. The wholesale price of marijuana is expected to drop by almost two-thirds with legalization.

-David Wallechinsky

 

How to Buy Marijuana Legally in California (by Sidney Finster, AllGov)