California Could Legalize Pot in Bumper Crop of Propositions

SAN FRANCISCO, California (AllPolitics, Nov. 3) -- It's almost Election Day, and that means it's almost time to harvest a familiar California crop: controversial ballot initiatives.

Marijuana would gain a toehold on legal ground under Proposition 215, which would let doctors prescribe marijuana use for the sick and dying.

The White House dispatched drug czar Gen. Barry McCaffrey to campaign against the proposition, and state Attorney General Dan Lungren launched a personal crusade against it.

"We will have far more rather than less young people using marijuana and other drugs" if the measure passes, Lungren said.

Despite drug war references, pollsters point to support among the state's voters for medicinal marijuana use.

"The public's general feeling [is] that there should be another weapon in the arsenal against pain," said field pollster Mark DiCamillo.

Government affirmative action programs would be killed by Proposition 209, which naturally polarizes voters in a state struggling with the subject of preferential treatment.

Once seen as a shoe-in, the California civil rights initiative appears to be losing support. The measure leads by only 5 percentage points, and pollsters suggest women could be the swing vote.

Television ads reflect the emotional aspect of the issue.

"We should be judged on merit, not by gender or the color of our skin. Job quotas and preferences are wrong," says a television ad encouraging a "yes" vote.

A 'no' vote ad says, "Newt Gingrich, Pat Buchanan and David Duke want you to vote 'yes' on 209. President Clinton and Colin Powell say you should vote 'no.' Don't be fooled. David Duke didn't come to California to end discrimination."

Under proposition 211, shareholders could sue a company's board of directors personally for actions they think are detrimental or deceptive.

Opponents call it the "frivolous lawsuit proposition." It has made corporations nervous, and businesses have spent millions to defeat it. Polls indicate their efforts are working.

The state ballot features 15 initiatives in all, including proposals to raise the state minimum wage, add taxes on the wealthy and limit campaign contributions and spending.

In the small and pressured confines of the ballot box, all that fine print can be challenging for voters to master. That could be a boon for opponents of any given measure, DiCamillo said.

"I think in that setting, the tendency of voters when they become confused or when they just don't feel they fully understand the ramifications is to vote 'no,' because a 'no' vote is to maintain the status quo."

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