Voters in California rejected a proposal Tuesday that would have legalized small amounts of recreational marijuana.
If approved, under Proposition 19, the state would have been the first to say it is OK to use and possess marijuana for anything other than medical purposes. California legalized medical marijuana 14 years ago and was the first state to do so.
The newest proposal would have allowed people in California who are 21 and older to carry less than an ounce of pot and cultivate the plants on up to 25 square feet of private land. Marijuana would have still been illegal under federal law.
The measure would have also allowed government to tax and regulate the commercial distribution, production and sale of pot. The sale of any marijuana to minors would have remained illegal and it would have been illegal to possess the drug at schools, use it in public or smoke it while minors are present.
Unofficial election results late Tuesday show the proposal going down by a wide margin.
With the outcome looking apparent, Gil Kerlikowske, the director of drug policy at the White House, sent out a statement via email.
“Today, Californians recognized that legalizing marijuana will not make our citizens healthier, solve California’s budget crisis, or reduce drug related violence in Mexico,” Kerlikowske said. “The Obama Administration has been clear in its opposition to marijuana legalization because research shows that marijuana use is associated with voluntary treatment admissions for addiction, fatal drugged driving accidents, mental illness, and emergency room admissions.”
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