The growers have a lot of money though, that can be directed (or not) to supporting lobbying groups/advertising. And when the vote is close, small groups can have an outsized influence.
Another important element in California, of course, is the Prison Guard unions - they are a very powerful and wealthy lobby, and are directly threatened by legalization efforts, though, with universal "medical availability" - their sun is waning.
California will eventually make the move though, it's inane to believe any state will, in the long term, allow legal nicotine, legal alcohol, but illegal cannabis, particularly now that there are states in which the results of legalized cannabis show that it's not a major threat to society - unlike alcohol and nicotine, which do a lot more damage.
The long term might be measured in decades, but not centuries.
It will be interesting to see how some of the more conservative states like Singapore (Death to Drug Dealers) will deal with this type of cognitive dissonance.
> The growers have a lot of money though, that can be directed (or not) to supporting lobbying groups/advertising.
They have neither the resources or the lobbyists that come close to what either the pharma or alcohol industries have. Maybe this will change when the markets in CO, WA, and AK mature.
Another important element in California, of course, is the Prison Guard unions - they are a very powerful and wealthy lobby, and are directly threatened by legalization efforts, though, with universal "medical availability" - their sun is waning.
California will eventually make the move though, it's inane to believe any state will, in the long term, allow legal nicotine, legal alcohol, but illegal cannabis, particularly now that there are states in which the results of legalized cannabis show that it's not a major threat to society - unlike alcohol and nicotine, which do a lot more damage.
The long term might be measured in decades, but not centuries.
It will be interesting to see how some of the more conservative states like Singapore (Death to Drug Dealers) will deal with this type of cognitive dissonance.