Support for legalizing recreational marijuana use in California is fading

California's support for legalizing marijuana for recreational use appears to be waning, reports Peter Hecht of the Sacramento Bee. Since U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced his opposition to Proposition 19, the California Field Poll is showing the ballot measure will likely fail in Tuesday's election. The new poll shows Prop 19 is losing 49 percent to 42 percent, less than a month after a September survey showed it winning by the exact margin. "Voters in September were toying with the idea of approving this," Mark DiCamillo, director of the California Field Poll, told Hecht. "I think they just got cold feet."  If the measure passes, California will be the only state to legalize marijuana for something other than medicinal use. It would also allow for local control and taxation of marijuana.

According to the poll results, the strongest opposition to Proposition 19 came from Republicans, who opposed the measure 65 percent to 25 percent. Democrats favored the measure 51 percent to 39 percent, and it led among independent voters 57 percent to 35 percent. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation reducing pot possession from a misdemeanor to an infraction with a $100 fine, meaning marijuana will be significantly decriminalized regardless of the outcome of Proposition 19, reports Hecht. (Read more)