Prop 19 fails, but several cities pass pot-tax measures
California’s controversial Proposition 19—a bid to legalize recreational marijuana—was decisively rejected by voters on Tuesday. Prop 19 would have allowed licensed retailers to sell up to one ounce at a time to people over the age of 21, no doctor’s note required. Advocates for the ballot initiative—which required a simple majority to pass—argued that legalizing marijuana would have benefits such as bringing in additional tax revenue, reducing violence associated with illegal trafficking, and bringing the already common practice out into the open. Opponents felt that lifting the ban would lead to increased usage. While Prop 19 was soundly voted down, the LA Times points out that many California cities did manage to win approval for plans to tax marijuana. La Puente, for example, approved two measures that would have allowed the city to tax businesses that sell pot, and impose taxes on medical marijuana establishments.