California Ballot Measure For Legalization Of Marijuana

By Kevin Kelley

After the collection of 694,248 signatures by proponents of the measure, and with those signatures verified by random sampling, California voters will have the opportunity to vote on whether or not to legalize the possession and sale of marijuana, as well as allowing individuals to grow a certain amount in their home for personal use.

While opponents view this as the first step in defeating the measure, the fact that it is going to be on the ballot is a tremendous success in it's own right, due to the percentage of people who support legalization and the quantity of signatures gathered. Support for the ballot measure has also come from across the board, from traditionally pro-legalization groups to fiscal hawks who see taxation as a way to dig the state out of financial ruin, but whatever the reason may be, the hard part comes in mobilizing voters to the polls.